Paint Shop Scam.......

[74657]

I am starting my Instrument training in a few weeks.  (2) 5 day sessions starting on the 10th.  Should be done by the end of February.  I can't wait!

 

 

[sleepingsquirrel]

You have such a lovely family, obviously a lot to live for . It's not too late to cancel those IFR classes you know! Just because you get your rating you are not obligated to ever fly IFR again.

Just because I might use plasti dip on a contol yoke, its not my paint shop scam !

[jelswick]

Congrats on that decision 74657!  I did mine at only a few hours each week and spreading it out took me close to a year to complete it, but I think at least living in this area of the country (Ohio), it's probably one of the best safety investments you can make.  I scared myself into getting mine coming home from Florida on a business trip when I was a very new pilot and the weather over Kentucky wasn't what was predicted, believed what the other pilots nearby were reporting to ATC was marginal VFR and that I just needed to get used to that if I was going to get any utility from the aircraft.  Apparently they just didn't want to report inappropriately flying in less than marginal conditions.  Made for a ride that woke me up in the middle of the night after I got home realizing what I'd just gone through and risked (right answer would have been to turn around or land and figure out why it wasn't as forecast).

Either way, you'll greatly appreciate the added days you can fly and feel comfortable when you enter IFR conditions.  I now love it, but am not a hard core IFR person.  e.g. I generally would not go on a multi-hour trip if I knew it was going to be all IMC and no way to get out of it if I wanted to, just personal preference.  I think you'll enjoy it and instrument flying will become fun for you.  Best of luck! 

[flight2000]

I'm not sure what squirrel is smoking, but there is nothing wrong or dangerous with flying IFR if your plane is equipped and you are proficient.  I'm not a hard core, fly to the minimums kinda guy, but sure do appreciate the ability to get above a layer of clouds on a long trip.  Usually have cleaner, less turbulent air up there as well.  Flying IFR in the winter can be dicey, but you'll learn better techniques and weather than you did getting your ticket.  You'll be able to enjoy trips more instead of constantly looking at the cloud deck and wondering if you'll get socked in.

Getting your IFR ticket the way you are planning is smart in my opinion.  I did it over 15 days and retained way more than I would have dragging it out.  You'll get to see stuff like the photos attached once your done or better yet, during training if your instructor will actually go up with you in actual.  It's not fun flying with the hood on all the time....

Brian

[jbreda]

I did my IFR training almost immediately after getting my private license.  I started at about 50 hrs and built time, dual training from 50 to the required 125 hrs in actual conditions in Oregon.  Every weekend we went out for an hour or two and filed IFR in the middle of the cloud layer, below the freezing line.  It was certainly a worthwhile experience.  Now when I need to do IFR currency checks and use a hood with an instructor, I can not see how someone can become proficient flying IFR under the hood on a clear day.  There is no substitute for actual conditions.  Try to get as much of that as you can with your instructor.  That is my 2 cents of advice for IFR training.

John Breda

[jelswick]

Yeah Brian, I remember getting pretty frustrated not having been able to look out the window for nearly a year except on rare exceptions or takeoffs/landings.  Condensing it helps retaining the information better and hence less expensive too.  But, it was fun and those are great photos you shared.  Clouds have always been pretty things to me even though you learn more respect for them once you learn what they can mean to an airplane, but they're also fun to go through and there's a real sense of accomplishment when you can't see outside yet you end up breaking out with the runway right there in front of you where its supposed to be.  And There's nothing like the view looking down at clouds with the sunshine on them instead of the grey view of them from underneath. 

[sleepingsquirrel]

Hi, must have been the fumes from plasti-dip. There was some kind of Data storm on this site when posted. Every thing was mixed up.

 Having some experience with the crash course seaplane rating I took. I pulled the plug on my check ride. I will continue training because it was the smart thing to do for me (I'm not 27 anymore) . Check ride could have been easily passed and I could legally have become a hazard to myself and others. (no fault of the training)  

Forgive me for being cautionary, never said IFR is wrong or dangerous.  In 1969 only Doctors in "V " tailed Bonanzas got their IFR ratings. We all know what happened to them. We know that the "V" tailed devil took the heat. There is still a dark joke about it, "You know what the two most dangerous things in the world are?" ; " A redneck in a logging truck and a doctor in a "V" tailed Bonanza!"

Since getting back into aviation , have been amazed at the get it NOW ratings available. I'm like Rip Van Winkle just getting used to the new culture. Have fun , be careful, choose your days.

 

[thinwing]

Well as one of those "Doctors"in V tail bonanzas (a Baron actually and a pilot before becoming a Doctor)I have to say the IFR rating has saved my bacon on many occasions.I can and have scud runned with the best...so 76547,get the rating quickly,do not drag it out and than start filing everywhere/anytime you fly.First solo actual IMC..get a tops report (summertime)and climb above and enjoy the view with basic vfr at your destination(1000 and 3).Dont (for your first 6 months/year)penetrate a front and never with the wife on board.Winter (unless you have fiki)stayout of freezing levels altogether and learn to spot "sundogs"and what they mean.Make sure your A/P is in perfect working order for that is your copilot.Get some kind of satalite data link for nexrad/metars superimposed on your route.Do not feel reluctant to refuse a clearance that takes you into any cumulonimbus.Set your own minimums and stick to them no matter what.Fly safe and enjoy 85/90% completion of planned flights.sinc kpc

[sleepingsquirrel]

I was just dozing off and then my squirrel radar went off. I read Thinwings thoughtful response and I'll bet a winters worth of acorns he's right! I was thinking that is what I would have said but I'm not IFR rated. I was betting myself I would regret using that old joke about Drs in "V" tailed Bonanzas and have to apologize to the rednecks first , well I was wrong.

In my VFR world a sun dog is a sign of rain within the next three to four days What does it mean for  the IFR world?

Just remember the only good squirrel is a sleepingsquirrel.

[scottfromiowa]

Early V-Tail Bo's DID have a structural flaw that combined with the light control harmony resulted in death spirals and fatal break-up rate (when yanking out) that was unrivaled...except for the wood tail M20's...Aviation Consumer exposed the "myth" that AOPA AND Beechcraft attempted to conceal...and blame on poor airmanship and...Dr's.  Beechcraft was SO onerous that they would not allow the structural beef-up kit to be used, but made owners retro with THEIR kit...Shame on Beechcraft.  This was NOT their finest hour.

[jelswick]

I thought as a whopping 12 hr student pilot that I really wanted a V-Tail Bonanza until I bought Aviation Consumer's Used Aircraft Guide and reading just what you were citing Scott turned me to Mooneys instead.  Whether or not the V-Tail's reputation was warranted, I'm very glad now on my 2nd Mooney that it steered me this direction.  I just can't let my wife ride in any "bigger" airplanes like a C210 so that she stays happy with the Mooney.  I'll be in Mooneys until I'm too old to roll my sorry self out of the cabin and down the wing.

[scottfromiowa]

I'm with you Jim.

[Amelia]

Not sure what IFR training has to do with paint-shop scams, but I'm with those who swear that you won't regret having that IFR training. You can get yourself in VFR-only trouble in a hurry in a Mooney.There's a reason insurance premiums go down with an instrument rating. Besides, filing IFR means never having to worry about busting airspace.

Not so sure about the limits-setting-- seems to me I was as sharp and precise as I'd ever be just after my checkride. Certainly remembered a lot more about how to read a chart without looking at the legend back then. On the other hand, I now know more about what not to do:

-I'm not at my best after a long day that starts before dawn, so shooting - and missing-- two late-night solo ILS approaches to the home 'drome before heading to better weather, wasn't my brightest move ever. If I hadn't been so tired, I might've realized that ceiling indefinite, visibility 1 in mist just didn't bode well, and gone directly to my alternate, a hundred miles in the wrong direction. My rental car and I would have gotten home a couple of hours earlier.

-Having had one emergency right after takeoff, thankfully on a gorgeous day, I'll never again depart in zero-zero conditions. Another handful out of the luck jar into the experience jar.            

- I'm convinced that in-cockpit Nexrad weather is the best money you can spend if you fly real IFR. All those years I spent trying to imagine how big that hole in the convective line the controller was suggesting might be... yikes!

Good luck!

[Mac201]

I would think that two five day sessions is a great structure for the training.  I did mine in an eight day course and it was good, but very concentrated, almost too much.  I would have preferred your two session ten day program.  Listening to others, training each week or so can drag out.  So, enjoy your training and the clouds!  Good luck.

[carusoam]

I agree to all three....

[1] IR is better than no IR.   (about $1,000+ off my annual insurance)

[2] "I really wanted a V-Tail Bonanza until I bought Aviation Consumer's Used Aircraft Guide" - Jim

I just pulled out my Aviation Consumer's guide...It's dated 1989.  It shows 1983 M20J valued at $76,000 (average).

This guide was the backbone of my research also...same M20 conclusion !!!

[3] Avoid zero / zero departures....

[4] Overall Conclusion: Get an M20, an IR, and pick some limits for yourself.

Best regards,

-a-

[jlunseth]

I got my rating last year, and since then I have about 150 hours flying on IFR flight plans.  Best thing I ever did.  For one thing, now that I am IFR, I almost never need to fly in IMC.  Just take offs and landings to get through whatever the overcast layer is.  My actual time comes in dribs and drabs, a tenth or so at a time as I pass through the layer, unless I pick a day to go out and actually fly in the layer for the practice.  One problem with flying in the clouds is that it is invariably bumpy, not comfortable.  Normally, somewhere around 12k I am above the clouds and it is severe smooth and clear.  I don't mind flying in the clag, but it is always much smoother to be able to get above it.  And faster too.  We turn on the sat. radio and tune some smooth music, very relaxing.  If there is a nice tailwind we look for a GS in the 220-240 range.  Much better than trying to dodge between the clouds on a "Scattered" day, or scud running in a low overcast.

[eldeano]

I too have a paint shop scam.......oh I mean IFR rating.  I thought it was the funnest rating I got.  Opens up a new world.