Real-world IFR currency

So, I passed the ride two weeks ago, with about 45 hours simulated
instrument time and a precious 2.5 hours actual. I flew a couple
practice ILS's two days ago, after an "off-period" of less than two
weeks and already felt a bit rusty, though they went Ok (2nd definitely
better than the first). Oh, it was also an unfamiliar airplane, and I
was in the right seat, which I'd only done a handful of times before.

Anyway, the question I find floating around my head a lot now is just
how much instrument flying, sim or actual, do I need to do to stay
current? Of course I'm not talking about what the regs say - I know
what they say and I know that 6 approaches every 6 months is not likely
to keep me at a level of currency that I'm comfortable with.

I'm looking for input from you guys that have had your rating for awhile
and who do stay current and fly in IMC regularly. What does it take,
realistically, for you to feel proficient and safe flying and shooting
approaches in actual? If you don't get actual time, do you still
regularly practice approaches simulated with a safety pilot? As your
overall time increases, does it take somewhat less flying to maintain
that same level of comfortable currency?

"Paul Folbrecht" wrote:
What does it take, realistically, for you to feel proficient and safe
flying and shooting approaches in actual?

I have to practice at least once a month if I don't get any actual
"naturally." If the weather is down on the weekend, I usually take the
opportunity to fly approaches to the local airports for practice.

If you don't get actual time, do you still regularly practice
approaches simulated with a safety pilot?

Yes.

As your overall time increases, does it take somewhat less flying to
maintain that same level of comfortable currency?

Less than it did it first (5+ years ago) because I've become quite
comfortable with working the ATC IFR system. My scan and attitude
instrument flying skills still require pretty regular work, though.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

Paul Folbrecht wrote:
I'm looking for input from you guys that have had your rating for awhile
and who do stay current and fly in IMC regularly. What does it take,
realistically, for you to feel proficient and safe flying and shooting
approaches in actual? If you don't get actual time, do you still
regularly practice approaches simulated with a safety pilot? As your
overall time increases, does it take somewhat less flying to maintain
that same level of comfortable currency?

I don't get as much actual, or stick time in general, as I'd like to
(especially in the winter). Realisticly, if I don't devote one flight a
month to hard-core instrument work (i.e 2-3 hours under the hood with 4 or
more approaches), I'm not keeping sharp enough. That's about 4x the legal
minimum. I also try to set off on longish trips sometimes, so I'm not just
flying the same approaches over and over.

I try to mix things up. One flight might be "VOR night", where I turn off
the GPS and fly everything with just 2 nav radios. My most recent flight
was devoted to exploring the new software upgrade we just got in the GPS
(LNAV/VNAV approaches, for example). I like to have my safety pilot throw
stuff at me (like inventing random holds). Train to a higher standard than
real life, so real life seems simple by comparison.

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 17:18:02 GMT, Paul Folbrecht wrote:

Hi Paul,

I'm looking for input from you guys that have had your rating for awhile
and who do stay current and fly in IMC regularly. What does it take,
realistically, for you to feel proficient and safe flying and shooting
approaches in actual?

You will probably get answers all over the page, so responses will be
interesting! For me, if I dont' fly AT LEAST once every two weeks, I feel
rusty on approaches.

Looking at my logbook, this year, I have flown 5 flights in actual
conditions. 4 of the flights were local IFR to keep the rust off, and one
was a cross country IFR trip.

regularly practice approaches simulated with a safety pilot?

YES, but not necessarily with a safety pilot so to speak. I know I will
maintain currency based on the regs, but I will fly practice ILS approaches
fully VFR in Class C airspace with NO hood.

I figure that tracking the localizer and glide slope VFR will keep me in
tune with the airplane so when IFR conditions come about, only difference
would be that I can't see outside. Something would be better then
nothing...

Since my own airport is uncontrolled, I would never do this without a
safety pilot since my head needs to be on a swivel OUTSIDE the cockpit
under VFR / MVFR conditions.

overall time increases, does it take somewhat less flying to maintain
that same level of comfortable currency?

For me, no, I need to keep practicing. and practicing. As you already
know, every approach is different with weather / winds the way it is.

In some ways, I wish I was based at an airport with an ILS, as I would love
to work my way downt to ILS minimums, but I only have a VOR alpa approach
back to my airport, so my personal minimums are 1000 foot ceilings. (100
feet above MDA).

Allen

Paul Folbrecht wrote:
So, I passed the ride two weeks ago, with about 45 hours simulated
instrument time and a precious 2.5 hours actual. I flew a couple
practice ILS's two days ago, after an "off-period" of less than two
weeks and already felt a bit rusty, though they went Ok (2nd definitely
better than the first). Oh, it was also an unfamiliar airplane, and I
was in the right seat, which I'd only done a handful of times before.

Anyway, the question I find floating around my head a lot now is just
how much instrument flying, sim or actual, do I need to do to stay
current? Of course I'm not talking about what the regs say - I know
what they say and I know that 6 approaches every 6 months is not likely
to keep me at a level of currency that I'm comfortable with.

I'm looking for input from you guys that have had your rating for awhile
and who do stay current and fly in IMC regularly. What does it take,
realistically, for you to feel proficient and safe flying and shooting
approaches in actual? If you don't get actual time, do you still
regularly practice approaches simulated with a safety pilot? As your
overall time increases, does it take somewhat less flying to maintain
that same level of comfortable currency?


I found that as I gained experience, I found it easier to stay current
and took less effort. After taking a 4 year hiatus and returning just
recently to flying, I'm feeling again like you are now. A month or two
between approaches makes a lot of difference. When I was flying 100
hours a year, I could take a two month break and hardly notice it.


Matt

A related question:

When can you log an approach for purposes of currency? Obviously if you
fly an approach in IMC to minimums you can log it, and if you fly it in
VFR conditions all the way you can't. But where do you draw the line?
If it's VFR the whole way except for flying through one cloud for a
second or two after the IAF, is that a loggable approach?

rg

"Paul Folbrecht" wrote in message
...

I'm looking for input from you guys that have had your rating for awhile
and who do stay current and fly in IMC regularly. What does it take,
realistically, for you to feel proficient and safe flying and shooting
approaches in actual? If you don't get actual time, do you still
regularly practice approaches simulated with a safety pilot?

It's not too much of a problem out here during winter but I do practice
during the summer with a fully rigged FlyElite simulator. Winter, though, is
the slow season for my business.

As your
overall time increases, does it take somewhat less flying to maintain
that same level of comfortable currency?

Just a bit, but the lags must be consistent without to long of a gap.

--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO

"Matt Barrow" wrote in message
...

"Paul Folbrecht" wrote in message
...

I'm looking for input from you guys that have had your rating for awhile
and who do stay current and fly in IMC regularly. What does it take,
realistically, for you to feel proficient and safe flying and shooting
approaches in actual? If you don't get actual time, do you still
regularly practice approaches simulated with a safety pilot?

It's not too much of a problem out here during winter but I do practice
during the summer with a fully rigged FlyElite simulator. Winter, though,
is
the slow season for my business.

As your
overall time increases, does it take somewhat less flying to maintain
that same level of comfortable currency?

Just a bit, but the lags must be consistent without to long of a gap.


I might add that 95% of all my flight plans are IFR regardless of weather or
altitude.


--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO

"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...

I found that as I gained experience, I found it easier to stay current
and took less effort. After taking a 4 year hiatus and returning just
recently to flying, I'm feeling again like you are now. A month or two
between approaches makes a lot of difference. When I was flying 100
hours a year, I could take a two month break and hardly notice it.

Damn!! I flew nearly 400 hours last year and find I get rusty if there's a
long period without AMC thrown in. And As I mentioned, nearly all my flight
plans are IFR.


--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO

"Paul Folbrecht" wrote in message
...
What does it take, realistically, for you to feel proficient and safe
flying and shooting approaches in actual? If you don't get actual time,
do you still regularly practice approaches simulated with a safety pilot?

I dislike flying under the hood--I don't find it to be very helpful.
Instead, I use my PC flight simulator at home to maintain proficiency. Even
though it doesn't count toward official currency, I find it much more useful
than "approved flight training devices", which do count officially (with CFI
supervision).

For official currency, I fly approaches in IMC. I don't get many of those in
the course of XC flying, so at least four times a year I try to go shoot a
few approaches on a good LIFR day. Between that, and the PC simulator, and
XC IMC flying (usually just with visual approaches), and filing IFR in VMC
to stay familiar with the ATC interaction, I manage to maintain both
official currency and actual proficiency.

--Gary