Get Real--Get Actual

DrBenny · September 8th, 2004, 22:31

My strong recommendation to all IFR students and IR pilots is to build on your actual. Push the envelope with a qualified CFI-IA with at least 100 hours of actual under his or her belt. If you have your rating, you file IFR, but you don't get much actual, get up there with that grizzled CFI-IA and get yourself a hard workout. Don't think because you have the rating, you are good to go. If you are still a student, don't be after the rating; get trained to be the best instrument pilot you can be.

I am very lucky that about 25% of my IFR training time has been in actual. This past flight was a case in point. Previously, I had flown in smooth actual, I had flown at night, and even in night actual, but this time I got night, gusty, rainy, bumpy actual.

Even though we broke out about 1,000 AGL, this last hour of the flight was one of the most difficult I have ever done. Some will laugh at my inexperience, but for those of you who don't know, imagine this: You are trying to fly a STAR into a Bravo. The plane is bumping around (with your head hitting the ceiling from time to time), and your plate is very difficult to read because it is dark, even with the map light, and because of the bumps. Also, you are distracted and fighting disorientation because along with those bumps you are getting a healthy amount of rain hitting the wind screen. You know what rain sounds like hitting your windshield at 60 MPH in your car; well, imagine 160 knots!

Do NOT look up--with all the shaking, the rain, and the clouds, the view is so disorienting that you cannot afford it. Now, the controller is giving you vectors for the approach. You are trying to maintain wings level while writing down this clearance. Read it back while scanning now. Hard to hold altitude because of the up and down-drafts. OK, it is a good thing you have calibrated your aircraft and that you have a readout on your groundspeed. You know that throttling back to 18 inches will give you the 600 fpm descent rate you need. But look at that crazy VSI--up and down like it had one too many cappucinos. You have to AVERAGE the movement. Let's see; from 1,100 fpm descent jumping up to just 100 fpm descent = the desired 600 fpm descent.

Oh, and the general winds are shifting, so now that crosswind correction isn't working anymore, and the needles are getting more sensitive. It is still the same as smooth air--make your corrections accordingly. Now double check that the killer items were taken care of back at the prelanding checklist--fuel pump, flaps, prop, and THREE IN THE GREEN.

I know this isn't a big deal for those of you who regularly fly LIFR, but you guys know how important it is to be current. I'm talking to IFR students like me, and IR pilots with very little actual.

Nothing, NOTHING like actual!!!

mastermags · September 8th, 2004, 22:47

I shot my first approaches today, in solid IFR nontheless. Had an actual glide slope failure too.... good that it happened on my second ever approach... Ill never forget to time it now. That's all for my two cents.

RiddlePilot · September 8th, 2004, 22:51

[ QUOTE ]
Push the envelope with a qualified CFI-IA with at least 100 hours of actual under his or her belt.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey, I resent that. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

All seriousness though, sounds like you had a great experience. Just stay out of the ice!

DrBenny · September 8th, 2004, 23:01

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Push the envelope with a qualified CFI-IA with at least 100 hours of actual under his or her belt.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey, I resent that. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

All seriousness though, sounds like you had a great experience. Just stay out of the ice!

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey, it isn't an accusation. You probably have a lot more IMC experience than do I. But you know as well as the next guy that experience counts. I train new teachers, and they charge a lot less than I do. There's a reason for that.

On one lesson a couple of weeks ago, my DG failed, and the ILS I was going to fly went funky on me. I just couldn't ident it. Do NOT fly an approach without getting a solid ident on the navaid. I ended up having to fly a DME ARC approach, in IMC, with an INOP DG. Obviously, I had my CFI-IA at my side. Also, the cieling was about 1,000 AGL, so it wasn't a big deal.

There just isn't any substitute for experiences like this. No reading, not foggles, no instrument covers--nothing, NOTHING counts like experience.

Call me conservative, or just a wuss, but I won't fly LIFR until I have 100 hours of IFR time (including time spent during training), and 50 hours of actual. Now, living in Maryland, getting the actual should be quite easy. . . .

RiddlePilot · September 8th, 2004, 23:12

My comment was made in a joking manner. Hence the smiley.

Anyways, that sounds pretty rough. Certainly better experience than I got during instrument training...

DrBenny · September 8th, 2004, 23:18

[ QUOTE ]
My comment was made in a joking manner. Hence the smiley.

Anyways, that sounds pretty rough. Certainly better experience than I got during instrument training...

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, I knew you weren't resentful! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I guess I'm just still in "sit up and pay attention mode" after that last flight. I wasn't shaken or anything--I was able to handle the STAR and approach--but, well, let's just say I was highly impressed with the fact that IFR is serious business.

And again, I'm definitely erring on the conservative side.

September 8th, 2004, 22:31	#1
DrBenny Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: MD Posts: 395	Get Real--Get Actual My strong recommendation to all IFR students and IR pilots is to build on your actual. Push the envelope with a qualified CFI-IA with at least 100 hours of actual under his or her belt. If you have your rating, you file IFR, but you don't get much actual, get up there with that grizzled CFI-IA and get yourself a hard workout. Don't think because you have the rating, you are good to go. If you are still a student, don't be after the rating; get trained to be the best instrument pilot you can be. I am very lucky that about 25% of my IFR training time has been in actual. This past flight was a case in point. Previously, I had flown in smooth actual, I had flown at night, and even in night actual, but this time I got night, gusty, rainy, bumpy actual. Even though we broke out about 1,000 AGL, this last hour of the flight was one of the most difficult I have ever done. Some will laugh at my inexperience, but for those of you who don't know, imagine this: You are trying to fly a STAR into a Bravo. The plane is bumping around (with your head hitting the ceiling from time to time), and your plate is very difficult to read because it is dark, even with the map light, and because of the bumps. Also, you are distracted and fighting disorientation because along with those bumps you are getting a healthy amount of rain hitting the wind screen. You know what rain sounds like hitting your windshield at 60 MPH in your car; well, imagine 160 knots! Do NOT look up--with all the shaking, the rain, and the clouds, the view is so disorienting that you cannot afford it. Now, the controller is giving you vectors for the approach. You are trying to maintain wings level while writing down this clearance. Read it back while scanning now. Hard to hold altitude because of the up and down-drafts. OK, it is a good thing you have calibrated your aircraft and that you have a readout on your groundspeed. You know that throttling back to 18 inches will give you the 600 fpm descent rate you need. But look at that crazy VSI--up and down like it had one too many cappucinos. You have to AVERAGE the movement. Let's see; from 1,100 fpm descent jumping up to just 100 fpm descent = the desired 600 fpm descent. Oh, and the general winds are shifting, so now that crosswind correction isn't working anymore, and the needles are getting more sensitive. It is still the same as smooth air--make your corrections accordingly. Now double check that the killer items were taken care of back at the prelanding checklist--fuel pump, flaps, prop, and THREE IN THE GREEN. I know this isn't a big deal for those of you who regularly fly LIFR, but you guys know how important it is to be current. I'm talking to IFR students like me, and IR pilots with very little actual. Nothing, NOTHING like actual!!!

September 8th, 2004, 22:47	#2
mastermags Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Atlanta, Ga Posts: 1,311	Re: Get Real--Get Actual I shot my first approaches today, in solid IFR nontheless. Had an actual glide slope failure too.... good that it happened on my second ever approach... Ill never forget to time it now. That's all for my two cents.

September 8th, 2004, 22:51	#3
RiddlePilot Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Prescott, AZ Posts: 928	Re: Get Real--Get Actual [ QUOTE ] Push the envelope with a qualified CFI-IA with at least 100 hours of actual under his or her belt. [/ QUOTE ] Hey, I resent that. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] All seriousness though, sounds like you had a great experience. Just stay out of the ice!

September 8th, 2004, 23:01	#4
DrBenny Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: MD Posts: 395	Re: Get Real--Get Actual [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Push the envelope with a qualified CFI-IA with at least 100 hours of actual under his or her belt. [/ QUOTE ] Hey, I resent that. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] All seriousness though, sounds like you had a great experience. Just stay out of the ice! [/ QUOTE ] Hey, it isn't an accusation. You probably have a lot more IMC experience than do I. But you know as well as the next guy that experience counts. I train new teachers, and they charge a lot less than I do. There's a reason for that. On one lesson a couple of weeks ago, my DG failed, and the ILS I was going to fly went funky on me. I just couldn't ident it. Do NOT fly an approach without getting a solid ident on the navaid. I ended up having to fly a DME ARC approach, in IMC, with an INOP DG. Obviously, I had my CFI-IA at my side. Also, the cieling was about 1,000 AGL, so it wasn't a big deal. There just isn't any substitute for experiences like this. No reading, not foggles, no instrument covers--nothing, NOTHING counts like experience. Call me conservative, or just a wuss, but I won't fly LIFR until I have 100 hours of IFR time (including time spent during training), and 50 hours of actual. Now, living in Maryland, getting the actual should be quite easy. . . .

September 8th, 2004, 23:12	#5
RiddlePilot Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Prescott, AZ Posts: 928	Re: Get Real--Get Actual My comment was made in a joking manner. Hence the smiley. Anyways, that sounds pretty rough. Certainly better experience than I got during instrument training...

September 8th, 2004, 23:18	#6
DrBenny Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: MD Posts: 395	Re: Get Real--Get Actual [ QUOTE ] My comment was made in a joking manner. Hence the smiley. Anyways, that sounds pretty rough. Certainly better experience than I got during instrument training... [/ QUOTE ] Oh, I knew you weren't resentful! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I guess I'm just still in "sit up and pay attention mode" after that last flight. I wasn't shaken or anything--I was able to handle the STAR and approach--but, well, let's just say I was highly impressed with the fact that IFR is serious business. And again, I'm definitely erring on the conservative side.

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