Staying current/proficient

Hi All,

Open question to folks, what strategies do you use to stay current or
better yet, proficient?

Check ride is right around the corner. I got signed off for the ride
today. So the currency question is in the back of my mind now. Most of
my flying is x-ctry (2/month) with some local scenic flights.

thanks,
KC

On 01/30/07 10:26, Kevin Clarke wrote:
Hi All,

Open question to folks, what strategies do you use to stay current or
better yet, proficient?

Check ride is right around the corner. I got signed off for the ride
today. So the currency question is in the back of my mind now. Most of
my flying is x-ctry (2/month) with some local scenic flights.

thanks,
KC

Right after I got my IR, I didn't fly for about 4 months and was
astonished at what I had forgotten. For example, when asked to enter
a hold (during a check-flight at the club I was joining), I froze
and couldn't think of how to do it.

After the flight, it all started coming back and I felt pretty
embarrassed about it.

What I do now is to practice with a flight simulator (MS FS 2004
is what I'm using for this). It's a great way to stay in the game
with regard to the IFR procedures, button pressing, OBS, etc.

Do you plan to make your x-country flights IFR once you have your
rating? That would help.

Note that making these flights IFR doesn't really help your legal
currency; you still need to do your six approaches, holding and
intercepting/tracking a radial under simulated or actual IMC, but
it at least keeps the knowledge of how to do these things fresh.


--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
Cal Aggie Flying Farmers
Sacramento, CA

On 1/30/2007 1:26:15 PM, Kevin Clarke wrote:

Open question to folks, what strategies do you use to stay current or
better yet, proficient?

Are you able to fly for any business-related reasons, say to a business
meeting or, as in my case, to customers who are located out of your home
area?


--
Peter

On Jan 30, 1:49 pm, "Peter R." wrote:
On 1/30/2007 1:26:15 PM, Kevin Clarke wrote:

Open question to folks, what strategies do you use to stay current or
better yet, proficient?


Now that I have my IFR ticket, "good flying days" are those where you
have a stratus layer with a ceiling. Depending on where you are, file
IFR, go out and do 3 local approaches. Try to mix it up...ILS, LOC,
VOR, etc. I think you'll find that most controllers are more than
happy to help you get in some practice with an approach, go published
missed (after a T&G), then do the next, go missed, land at home. No
need to land and get a new clearance after each approach. You can log
3 approaches in a little over an hour. 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!

If you live in Arizona or some place else where you have "severe
clear", you'll have to rely on foggles and a safety pilot. But try to
avoid that. Its not the same. I live on the east coast and have
plenty of opportunity to shoot practice approaches on weekends in the
muck.

Always fly IFR to your destination even on nice days. While not
loggable, it will help keep you in practice with comms and
navigating.

Good luck!

--Jeff

....and get IFR Refresher. A monthly newsletter/mag with no-nonsense
articles about IFR how to-s, what if-s, never again-s. Techniques,
weather decision-making, etc. Worth the subscription fee (and no...I
do not work for them!).

--Jeff

JB wrote:
...and get IFR Refresher. A monthly newsletter/mag with no-nonsense
articles about IFR how to-s, what if-s, never again-s. Techniques,
weather decision-making, etc. Worth the subscription fee (and no...I
do not work for them!).

--Jeff

I do get that. It is quite good. And no, I don't work for them either. I
read everything I can.

KC

On Jan 30, 10:26 am, Kevin Clarke wrote:
Hi All,

Open question to folks, what strategies do you use to stay current or
better yet, proficient?

Check ride is right around the corner. I got signed off for the ride
today. So the currency question is in the back of my mind now. Most of
my flying is x-ctry (2/month) with some local scenic flights.

thanks,
KC

The "proficient" portion of the question is answered. Always file IFR.

Except for using foggles, the currency portion of the question remains
unanswered.

When flying IFR without foggles what are the rules for logging toward
currency?

Example, say you start an approach in IMC. You break out and are able
to fly the rest of the approach VMC. Do you count this approach toward
currency?

Thanks in advance,
ak.

-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Clarke ]
Posted At: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 12:26 PM
Posted To: rec.aviation.ifr
Conversation: Staying current/proficient
Subject: Staying current/proficient

Hi All,

Open question to folks, what strategies do you use to stay current or
better yet, proficient?

Check ride is right around the corner. I got signed off for the ride
today. So the currency question is in the back of my mind now. Most of
my flying is x-ctry (2/month) with some local scenic flights.

thanks,
KC

Kevin,
You should understand that almost every other instrument rated
pilot has the same problem - stay proficient and current. I solve this
by pairing up with some of the other pilots in our local CAP Squadron
and making sure we shoot some approaches or execute some holds at least
once a month. I get most of the work one month and the safety pilot gets
it another month. We each get to benefit from the other's faux pas. It
seems to work out such that we can all stay fairly proficient for about
1/2 the cost of me finding an instructor to ride along.

The x/c stuff is easy to handle because you're already flying
pretty regularly. It's the approaches, holds, departures, and local area
stuff that we need to work on.

Kevin Clarke wrote in news:f5Mvh.16320$pQ3.8
@newsread4.news.pas.earthlink.net:

Check ride is right around the corner. I got signed off for the ride
today. So the currency question is in the back of my mind now. Most of
my flying is x-ctry (2/month) with some local scenic flights.

Owning my own plane helps alot, so the availability factor is not a problem
for last minute go decisions.

I actively seek IMC whenever I can which forces me to be proficient. I am
up to almost 680 hours with just shy of 40 hours IMC.

I have not had foggles on since training.

Look forward to your checkride report!

Allen

Most pilots have trouble with holds because they dont know where the
hold is from where they are. I'll give you a tip, if they say "hold
northwest" (or any other direction) and you get to the holding point
and don't know what to do, turn, to the northwest. This works because
the hold IS northwest (or the given direction) of the holding point.

There are four possible holds on any one radial at a DME (or GPS)
fix. Look in the AIM and write down the four possible holds. There are
two possible holds if the holding point is the VOR itself.

The teaching of holds seems to emphasize how to enter the hold. They
seem to skip WHERE THE HOLD IS!!!