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

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!!!

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

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

"JB" wrote in news:1170187529.474720.288000
@j27g2000cwj.googlegroups.com:

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!

Just like Gerald, I'd have to respectively disagree too!

Right out of my training, I did a solo "local "flight in IMC and did
approaches with ceilings of 1000. The entire time other then below the
ceilings I was in solid IMC.

Exposure does build experience.

I was fortunate to have an instructor who took me out in ILS minimums, so
when it came the day for me to do it myself, 1000 foot ceilings were a
walk in the park.

The important thing after getting the IA rating is continous exposure to
IMC so you don't lose that skill of flying without visual reference.
Hood helps, but just isn't the same. I have not used a hood since
getting my IA ticket as I actively seek actual conditions.

I fully do understand, that owning my own plane does allow for more
spontaneity (sp) in seeing oh good, 600 foot ceilings, lets go fly....

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

VFR flight following does the same thing....

And, flying in straight and level IMC is not enough for proficiency in MY
experiences.

Allen

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.