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Ophir · September 5th, 2004, 12:52

eodfe,

Your experience is a great lesson to think about all the possibilites that go into a flight. We are all trapped by the FAA when they make us adhere to 91.103, we have to be familar with all information regarding our flight. When we come out of our Private training this seems quite easy. But Instrument training seems to be relatively lackluster, IMO, when it comes to things happening not the way they were intended to happen. We all seem to train for the way it is designed to happen but again, the training needs to include the unexpected.

I don't have my plates but it sounds like you found your answer with the DEN4.DEN departure. It also sounds like you would have been looking for that for sometime in the cockpit if you didn't have it ahead of time. One question I had was, how did you file? /A or /U I am assuming.

One thing I bring up to my studs is that this whole business of lost comms is a great idea but if you lose them, what is typically going to be the reason? The answer is a total electrical failure, like a bad alternator. If this is the case you had better hope you have a handheld radio because your VOR won't work, your ADF won't work, your transponder won't be squawking 7600 for long, and your GPS won't work either (this brings up the idea of a handheld, battery powered GPS idea too). Typically, if you are using your plane's clock, you will not longer have your time for your EFC, unless your watch is running. (of course we all know that if you lost your alternator you will have some time to use only the battery.) All this brings up the question, "what if I really had a total electrical failure?" It scares me and when I think of it I realize why personal minimum are so necessary. Those minimums should be based on what backup equipment you have too.

September 5th, 2004, 12:52	#9
Ophir Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: was Ophir, CO, now in SLC! Posts: 1,477	Re: Another IFR Question eodfe, Your experience is a great lesson to think about all the possibilites that go into a flight. We are all trapped by the FAA when they make us adhere to 91.103, we have to be familar with all information regarding our flight. When we come out of our Private training this seems quite easy. But Instrument training seems to be relatively lackluster, IMO, when it comes to things happening not the way they were intended to happen. We all seem to train for the way it is designed to happen but again, the training needs to include the unexpected. I don't have my plates but it sounds like you found your answer with the DEN4.DEN departure. It also sounds like you would have been looking for that for sometime in the cockpit if you didn't have it ahead of time. One question I had was, how did you file? /A or /U I am assuming. One thing I bring up to my studs is that this whole business of lost comms is a great idea but if you lose them, what is typically going to be the reason? The answer is a total electrical failure, like a bad alternator. If this is the case you had better hope you have a handheld radio because your VOR won't work, your ADF won't work, your transponder won't be squawking 7600 for long, and your GPS won't work either (this brings up the idea of a handheld, battery powered GPS idea too). Typically, if you are using your plane's clock, you will not longer have your time for your EFC, unless your watch is running. (of course we all know that if you lost your alternator you will have some time to use only the battery.) All this brings up the question, "what if I really had a total electrical failure?" It scares me and when I think of it I realize why personal minimum are so necessary. Those minimums should be based on what backup equipment you have too.