IFR Practice Lesson Learned

Today I learned a lesson about practicing IFR flight. I was practicing
with another member of our flying club who is a private pilot, but not
instrument rated, coming back from Rogers, AR to Fort Smith after a
pancake breakfast fly-in. Fort Smith was landing 7. My safety pilot
wanted to fly just the landing at FSM, so I asked for the VOR 25
approach, circle to land 7 (The VOR is NE of the field). We were
cleared as requested and told to circle north of 7/25 for a C-130 doing
touch and goes in the pattern on the south side. At MDA, a couple miles
of the MAP, I gave control to him, wanting to leave him time to get set
up. Not knowing what was expected in the circle to land to 7 clearance,
he made a turn to the north. I assumed I missed a radio call while
removing my hood and didn't say anything until tower questioned us.

The moral of the story - if your safety pilot isn't instrument rated,
make sure he knows exactly what is going on.

Matt

BTW - is this the sort of thing I should file an ASRS report for?

I am not sure if I am following your description properly. You were told to
circle north of the field. So whats wrong with turning north upon reaching
the MAP?

No, this is not the sort of thing you have to file an ASRS for. You were
VFR, and traffic separation was not lost.


Matt Young wrote in news:WDZHc.11847$oD3.551
@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net:

Today I learned a lesson about practicing IFR flight. I was practicing
with another member of our flying club who is a private pilot, but not
instrument rated, coming back from Rogers, AR to Fort Smith after a
pancake breakfast fly-in. Fort Smith was landing 7. My safety pilot
wanted to fly just the landing at FSM, so I asked for the VOR 25
approach, circle to land 7 (The VOR is NE of the field). We were
cleared as requested and told to circle north of 7/25 for a C-130 doing
touch and goes in the pattern on the south side. At MDA, a couple miles
of the MAP, I gave control to him, wanting to leave him time to get set
up. Not knowing what was expected in the circle to land to 7 clearance,
he made a turn to the north. I assumed I missed a radio call while
removing my hood and didn't say anything until tower questioned us.

The moral of the story - if your safety pilot isn't instrument rated,
make sure he knows exactly what is going on.

Matt

BTW - is this the sort of thing I should file an ASRS report for?

no, made a 360 turn, legal I suppose, though tower was probably
expecting something more like a downwind

Andrew Sarangan wrote:

I am not sure if I am following your description properly. You were told to
circle north of the field. So whats wrong with turning north upon reaching
the MAP?

No, this is not the sort of thing you have to file an ASRS for. You were
VFR, and traffic separation was not lost.


Matt Young wrote in news:WDZHc.11847$oD3.551
@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net:


Today I learned a lesson about practicing IFR flight. I was practicing
with another member of our flying club who is a private pilot, but not
instrument rated, coming back from Rogers, AR to Fort Smith after a
pancake breakfast fly-in. Fort Smith was landing 7. My safety pilot
wanted to fly just the landing at FSM, so I asked for the VOR 25
approach, circle to land 7 (The VOR is NE of the field). We were
cleared as requested and told to circle north of 7/25 for a C-130 doing
touch and goes in the pattern on the south side. At MDA, a couple miles
of the MAP, I gave control to him, wanting to leave him time to get set
up. Not knowing what was expected in the circle to land to 7 clearance,
he made a turn to the north. I assumed I missed a radio call while
removing my hood and didn't say anything until tower questioned us.

The moral of the story - if your safety pilot isn't instrument rated,
make sure he knows exactly what is going on.

Matt

BTW - is this the sort of thing I should file an ASRS report for?