Staying current/proficient

JB wrote:
On Jan 30, 1:49 pm, "Peter R." wrote:
On 1/30/2007 1:26:15 PM, Kevin Clarke wrote:
...Until you get some real time
in your logbook, set your personal ceiling limit at 2000, 1500 or some
other comfortable level. DON'T fly down to minimums in real IMC the
day after you get your ticket!

I have to partly disagree with this. Dont' fly in any IMC until you are
comfortable with a CFII. For me, getting comfortable meant about 2
minutes before going into the cloud, ignore the outside and focus purely
on the instruments and nothing else. There's simply NOTHING to see
outside. If you can get your head in the game, and then keep your
tolerances very tight, it should be no problem doing approaches. In
fact, you might be the most proficient you'll ever be right after your
checkride. I wouldn't do it to minimums because when you drop out the
clouds, you'll be so surprised you actually did it with the runway right
before your eyes you'll probably forget to land. It's a good feeling.
;-) But doing it to minimums + 500 feet should be no problem. I do
have to admit my tolerances is ATP standards and I only have 250 hours.


So to stay proficient. Fly MS FS. I didn't bother spending extra for a
Garmin 430 sim so I'm already at a disadvantage with respect to DTK =
TRK and easy distances to each fix. Then I fly the most challenging
approach I can find, do it with winds 20 gusting 35, partial panel,
heavy rain. I'll do ILS's to 1/4 mile vis with 100 foot ceilings. I'll
do that to near ATP standards. No chance in hell I'd do that in real
life but if I can do that, my head is in the game.

I also read just about everything I can get my hands on and then go
through flights in my head where each scenario would apply. Basically
thinking of how each thing I read applies in real flying.

Then if it has been a while since I've gone up in IMC, I'll make sure to
do it with another pilot (better yet a CFII) before I do it myself. I
do this preferably at night since visual cues are at a very minimum and
with foggles, it simulates IMC reasonably well.

Gerald