Now equipped with a "License to Learn"

[Ned Gravel]

Just passed my initial instrument check ride today.  Given the weather forecast for this part of Canada, it will not make it any easier to get to Osh, but it sure feels good!!!!

[conom06d]

Congratulations man! I think I learned the most about controlling a plane when going for my instrument ratings (and ive done a lot including aerobatic courses). You'll love it but just be careful with it.

[231Pilot]

Congratulations! After completing the instrument training and earning your ticket, you have to feel like you are not only a better, more precise pilot, but also a little bit smarter in analyzing conditions to make the go, no-go decision.  I have made better decisions and taken fewer chances with weather since earning my ticket.

[FlyingAggie]

Ed,  Congratulations!!!! 

The IR and attending an APS are the next "pilot" upgrades I have planned.  How long did it take you from start to finish and how often did you take lessons?  Did you do an accelerated course?

I hope to bump into you at OSH.

Quote: edgargravel

Just passed my initial instrument check ride today.  Given the weather forecast for this part of Canada, it will not make it any easier to get to Osh, but it sure feels good!!!!

[Hank]

Congrats on the successful checkride! Mine was back on 30 April.

Now comes the fun part--logging some actual on your own. Our planes are EXCELLENT instrument platforms. Despite my earnest pleas, my wife never went along with my CFII, so her introduction was in the soup dodging T-storms. She doesn't like lightning on the ground, and the Stormscope never showed anything within 40 miles, but in-and-out of the clouds, the flashes were visible. Try to have a gentle introduction to actual for your frequent passengers, if possible.

Hope you do well, and your passengers aren't alarmed and stay quiet so you can concentrate. The IR is a REAL license to learn!

Fly safe!!

[HopePilot]

I used my instrument ticket on almost every flight last month.  It wasn't just the marine layer that kept hanging over SoCal, but our anniversary trip would have been ruined by Biden's VIP TFR.

[fantom]

Well done!

[Ned Gravel]

Thank you all for the kind words.

How long did it take?  5 years.  Started in July 2005 and flew 38 of the requisite 40 hours within two weeks at our flying club here at Rockcliffe.  Wrote the written in August and tubed that by 3 questions.  Ego severely bruised - but my friend who did the training with me also flunked that one.  OK

Took a weekend refresher called "Aerocourse" here in Ottawa in October of the same year.  Took the exam the following Tuesday and tubed that one by ONE question.  My friend passed.  Ego in the dumpster at that point.  Did I mention being a suma graduate in engineering?  There must have been something wrong with me.

This year, my best friend (also wife) decided we were going to Oshkosh - so I had better complete the ticket so we don't get stuck either way.  (She may not appreciate that an IFR ticket does not make the CBs go away).  So in February, cracked the books for about 3 months.  Took the written again in May and passed that one easily. 

Flew almost every day for the last three weeks to get ready for the flight test.

Spent today rebuilding my computer so I can file an eAPIS notice of arrival in Sault Ste Marie tomorrow - or we would be in Oshkosh tomorrow morning, instead of Sunday.

Looking forward to exercising all the priveleges and responsibilities associated with the ticket.  Mostly flying safe.

In my Mooney......

[MooneyMitch]

With complete admiration, congratulations!!  C U @ OSH.

[FlyingAggie]

Ed,

I admire your persistence, so there is still hope for me.

Would you mind sharing how your checkride went?

 

[Ron McBride]

Ed

Congrats, I worked on mine over many years, passed the written 3 times and finally completed it last year.  I flew an actual approach 2 weeks later with my wife, she was not overjoyed.  Tops 3000, bottoms 1200 and 10 miles. Not to hard, but interesting.

Ron

[Ned Gravel]

Alan:

The checkride took longer than anticipated.  Difficulty with NDBs for the requisite hold in the Ottawa airspace for VFR "playing IFR."  In the morning it was just the NDB hold, vectors to the ILS 32 and then vectors to the NDB 32.  Went missed in both cases at the MDA/DH.

Came back later in the day to do a hold over the Montreal VOR.  As soon as I "entered" the hold, he said:  "OK.  You passed.  Hood up.  Left to 230 and back to Cornwall."  And that was it.

[FlyingAggie]

Ed,

You made it sound easy.

Alan

Quote: edgargravel

Alan:

The checkride took longer than anticipated.  Difficulty with NDBs for the requisite hold in the Ottawa airspace for VFR "playing IFR."  In the morning it was just the NDB hold, vectors to the ILS 32 and then vectors to the NDB 32.  Went missed in both cases at the MDA/DH.

Came back later in the day to do a hold over the Montreal VOR.  As soon as I "entered" the hold, he said:  "OK.  You passed.  Hood up.  Left to 230 and back to Cornwall."  And that was it.

[Stefanovm]

NOT THE WAY TO DO THIS if you are concerned about costs. However, the experience was priceless in many ways.

1979, passed written no classes just home study 96%, flew 30+ hours, Written ran out.

1982 passed written again with a 90% and no real new study then flew 25 dual hours, but never got around to the check ride after my recommendation at about 45 hours. However, through 1985 made three actual (2 ILS, 1 VOR-A) approaches real close to minimums. My instructor believed in IMC time, so collected 7 hours of IMC. Three hours were in a King Air C90 with no auto pilot, my official dual cross country and 2 of the actual IMC to minimums. I owned and flew a C310 at the time

1985 passed written again with a 88% and no real new study, flew another 15 hours and was recommended for check ride in the first 2 hours, but never scheduled it, just kept up flying dual as my instructor was a friend who flew with me for free. I collected 4 hours of actual in this period.

2006, wow what a lapse, 1986 to 2003 only flew 100 hours total, then about 75 per year 2003 to 2006. I passed the written this time at the conclusion of a weekend pass promise test at 84%, ouch, but a piece of paper was required to take the test.

At the check ride, finally, I had about 1,500 total time and 90 hours of instrument with 9 being in actual conditions with about a dozen IMC approaches, most closer to minimums than not. I finally got to the check ride with a 10 day guarantee type instructor. He took all ten days, but we only flew 19 hours, no actual. The check ride was very easy after it started, but a good learning experience with an excellent DE. Before it started, I was a nervous wreck, which is probably why it took so long to get one scheduled. The 10 day guarantee course scheduled it for me as part of the course. This was worth the entire cost of the course.

Actual is tough for me to get, but I should be doing 3 approaches today or tomorrow. Since they will be in VMC, and my wife cannot be my safety pilot for hood work, I do not believe that they will count for anything and are not the experience I need. I am still learning my Mooney after 40 hours and they will keep me sort of sharp. I am still concerned about the Mooney for IMC, but it should be very similar to my C310 with 1/2 the knobs and gauges that need to be used.

My IR was done in my previously owned C152, which had a much better panel. However, the performance difference of the Mooney is NIGHT to DAY. To get current (6 approaches, etc.) in my C152 in a day required a pit and fuel stop. The Mooney is a bit quicker so probably will not require the pit stop and should definitely not need the fuel stop until the end.

[skyking]

Ed: Way to go pal.

I knew you could do it.

That military stubborness paid off...!

[DaV8or]

Quote: edgargravel

Alan:

The checkride took longer than anticipated.  Difficulty with NDBs for the requisite hold in the Ottawa airspace for VFR "playing IFR."  In the morning it was just the NDB hold, vectors to the ILS 32 and then vectors to the NDB 32.  Went missed in both cases at the MDA/DH.

Came back later in the day to do a hold over the Montreal VOR.  As soon as I "entered" the hold, he said:  "OK.  You passed.  Hood up.  Left to 230 and back to Cornwall."  And that was it.

[fantom]

Back in the "old days" NDB way the way we learned to fly approaches. They still easily get you in the ballpark, if/when GPS and VOR is shut off and our expensive gizmos can't help. Plus you can listen to music for free :-)

[conom06d]

Quote: fantom

Back in the "old days" NDB way the way we learned to fly approaches. They still easily get you in the ballpark, if/when GPS and VOR is shut off and our expensive gizmos can't help. Plus you can listen to music for free :-)

[Ned Gravel]

And here is how it is paying off.....

3.4 hours from Ottawa, Ontario to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.  2.5 of it in actual IMC.  Visual at the end though for the VOR RWY 32 aproach into Sanderson Field.

Then 1.4 hours from Sanderson Field to Menominee, Michigan - with a little less than one hour in actual IMC and the ILS RWY 03 into Menominee was also visual.

Tomorrow, it is back to VFR flying for the FISKE arrival procedure at KOSH and if that is not happening (no more GA arrivals) then we are going south to Fort Wayne Indiana for a few days before going back home.  All of it will be IFR.  Gotta get as much in as possible in the summer because icing prevents flying through clouds during Canadian winters.

 

 

[eaglebkh]

Quote: edgargravel

Just passed my initial instrument check ride today.  Given the weather forecast for this part of Canada, it will not make it any easier to get to Osh, but it sure feels good!!!!

[Ned Gravel]

Initial means one of the three parts had to be redone.  In Canada, you are required to demonstrate proficiency, under the hood, for a precision approach, a non-precision approach, and a hold (using the equipment on board the aircraft being flown for the test).  We started with a hold at an NDB.  This beacon is the FAF for the CYOW ILS 32 approach.  Little equipment malfunction (you don't want to know which one) prevented the examiner from being able to score it and it was redone later that day when all was working. 

Completed both approaches and later went to do the hold at a VOR in Montreal airspace. He told me I had "passed" just after I announced "entering" the hold.  It wasn't a big deal for the test, but he had to see it so he could score it.

 

[drpep]

Hi Ned

Congrats on the IFR rating! When I did mine in the early 90's I almost quit several times as my instructor was very unforgiving and yelled at me alot. I laugh about it now. I remember my third checkride was with a very nice man who was a retired Canadian Air Force General. I had not slept the night before and felt sick during the first portion of the cross country. I made the mistake and asked him if we could cancel the trip and he looked at me incredulously . After what seemed  to be a long long time he said sick r not fly the damn plane!. 

That's what IMC is all about.... adversity. Its not a game you can simply stop when you don't feel up to it. 

Anyway as a fellow Canadian from out West, I applaud your tenacity. Look forward to connecting with you someday Fellow 20E owner

Philip

[Ned Gravel]

Quote: eaglebkh

Just curious - what is the "initial" instrument checkride.  Was this a 2-part deal?

[KJATCt]

Congrats!! Make sure to let your insurance provider know it should drop your rate, A LOT!!

[Hank]

That's a big AFFIRMATIVE on the insurance! My checkride was at the end of April, and my insurance renewed in July. With 300 Mooney hours [out of 375], adding on the IR dropped my rates 25%!     I plan to invest the difference in avgas, making trips that I used to cancel. Missing the family reunion last year was the final straw, and this year it was not a problem. Even managed to log some actual on the way back.