Taking the IFR written test ??

[MATTS875]

I am about to start training for my IFR and wanted to know if there is a time frame once I take my written test and pass it to do the checkride test.I am going to order either the sportys or king dvd's and do a lot of home study for the written.With my work schedule the way it is , I can only fly about 2 days a week so that leaves a lot of time for home schooling.thanks

[danb35]

You have two years from the time you pass any knowledge test to pass the corresponding practical test.

[carusoam]

Matt,

 

There is a two year expiration on your test results.

 

As long as you take your check ride within two years of passing your written, technically speaking, you will be OK.

 

You may find that the IFR written test is a separate knowledge base than your actual training.  They seem to be two separate but necessary requirements.

 

Unfortunately, the IFR written has not been updated in a technological generation.

 

My thoughts...pass the written test at your earliest convenience, and focus on your actual flight training.  Both have a lot of information to know.....

 

best regards,

 

-a-

 

[MATTS875]

Thanks. that answered my question.  leaning a little more towards the king dvd's

[carusoam]

Matt,

 

Do you Have a number of hours of ground training that might be required a part of your training syllabus?

 

I took a class with American Flyers.  I think 20 hours of ground instruction also included written materials.

 

The King or Sporty's or UND videos are an excellent supplement to your training.

 

Best regards,

 

-a-

[MATTS875]

Not sure about the number of hours of ground training. I think by watching the videos it will help me relate to what is being taught to me in ground school.I actually started my IFR training right after I got my PPL but had to put things on hold for about 2 years.. so back to square one on the training.  I did have a flight review and it is amazing what all starts coming back .I absolutely love flying and really missed it .I did do about 3 hours of flight simulator time and did not enjoy it at all.thanks for the help..

[ToddDPT]

I read the Machado instrument book and also supplemented it with the King videos.  I then took the study buddy on Sporty's, which is free. 

[MATTS875]

Thanks Todd, I have a lot of studying to do..just wish there were more than 24hrs in a day..I need at least 30 with all that goes on.thanks again for the help

[gregwatts]

I did the Gleim books. Memorization worked best for me. I would recommend taking the written shortly before taking your check ride. The oral portion was much harder than the actual check ride. My opinion only!

[231Pilot]

I used Gleim interactive CD-ROM practice exams, and King interactive CD-ROM course....would do DVD or online with King now.  If your CFII preps you well, the oral is OK, just don't pretend you know something if you don't, and don't offer anymore information than the examiner asks for (same goes for during the ride too).

[johnggreen]

Matts185,

A lot of good instructors won't give you anything beyond base IFR training if you haven't passed your written.  I am a CFII but don't instruct except in the rarest of cases due to the liability involved.  I would fall in the group mentioned.  The more you know, the faster you can learn.  I believe the rule is still that the test is good for 24 months, but please, get organized and get the rating in a reasonable period of time.  The human brain learns best when the training sessions are close enough together to build on one another without a loss of memory.

I would suggest that you take the Gleims first, work all questions and then take any course you choose.  They are all good.  In addition, go on line and order Ralph Butcher's Instrument Flying Book, you will find it on "skyroamers.com" I think.  It is absolutely the best single book on IFR flying I have ever read PERIOD.

Also purchase an Oral Exam Guide and please read all this info now, even first, it will make you a much better student and accelerate the learning curve.

AND, get a low altitude chart and a book of approach plates (and yes, I prefer FAA charts to Jepp) and learn every single symbol, abbreviation, dot, period, comma by heart.  Learn to read both like they are your social security card.

Finally, in choosing an instructor.  Before you commit, ask him what flight syllabus he will be using.  If he says he doesn't use one, get another instructor.  Trust me on this one please.  If you don't have a set program to follow, you will waste a lot of time and money with a disorganized instructor.

Good luck.  It's been many, many moons since I got my instrument rating, but it was one of the most rewarding and beneficial efforts I ever made.  

JG

[DrBill]

I took a ground school (2 nights / wk) at my local hometown like airport over the winter. Passed the written first time and started plane work in Feb and finished it in 8 weeks. (1.5 weeks the plane was getting a new panel).  I flew 3-4 times a week.  Most of the time from 0700-0900. I wrote an article for a magazine on my checkride.  Let me know if you want it and I"ll dig it out.

Dr. Bill  N5612Q 65 M20E

[MATTS875]

Thanks Dr Bill and JG  , i just ordered the king schools IFR dvd set and will start when it gets here.I enjoy reading articles on mooneyspace because of so much knowledge from you all.my toughest obstacle is time constraints. I work 6 days a week so it is tough to find an instructor to work with my schedule.Somehow it will work though.i got my PPL the same way, it just takes longer and more money to accomplish this.I do have a good friend that has a comanche 250 and told me he would help me anyway he can.

[thinwing]

Matt..your work schedule is going to mean stretching out your training to months with big breaks between flying sessions.The thing is that while you were able to get your basic pvtthis way,the instrument ticket is different in my opinion.My advice is to schedule a vacation and than use an accerated course such as PIC (10 days).I had a similar work schedule and i believe that was the only way to complete training in under a year..kpc

[John Pleisse]

Suggesting one pass the the written prior to training in the air is a disservice. Learning while the prop is turning is not optimal, but for some it works. There is something not right about someone who passed the knowlege test, but can't fly BAI. This is disjointed.

Study 2 for every one you fly and you'll knock it out. I would run the the written as close to your checkride as you can get it. It would have more relevance, coincide with flying, you would be less likely to forget from disuse and you would flat out know it. I did the King course before they went high tech (VHS Baby!). Heavy on the cheese, but very effective.

[Txbyker]

American Flyers weekend IFR course at an airport near you is a good way to get ingested with all of the stuff to pass the written. Supposedly you can take it after the weekend course but I would not recommend that.  What is does teach you is what areas of test to pay special attention to.  Also they do a thorough job of explaining the details behind the answers.  They leave you with a good study guide that helps a lot.  

I bought Sporty's and went through that.  The videos are fast and I found the sample test format a bit hard to navigate.

I bought and used Groundschool by Dauntless.  It uses all of the test questions in the test bank and you can take the test over an over and take certain sections segmented from the rest.  For example you can go through all 150 or so weather questions in the test bank until you know it.  It takes discipline.  You may be able to memorize the answers but I would recommend going through the explanations especially on the wrong answers.

Everyone told me that you will score 10 points less on the written than what you score on sample tests.  I scored pretty close to what Dauntless test were scoring.

[Bolter]

It may not be as intended, but I had two study modes.  One was to learn, the other was to pass the written exam.  

To pass the written exam, I ready study guides and did repeated practices tests (Gleim) until I was getting always better than 85%.  The testing was more useful than the study guide.  I found that I kept making stupid errors, and under the pressure of the real exam, it would only be worse.  I got something in the 80's, later.  This approach has you learning the questions you will get on the exam, which are not necessarily up to date or applicable to flying.  There is a limited pool of questions, and you will find that you will eventually see most or all of them, and have learned all the correct answers.

Like some others, I read the Machado IFR book and the FAA IFR book to actually learn beyond pure memorization.  

I expect timing is relevant, but having only done this one way, I can't make a real recommendation.  But this was my chronology, YMMV: 

 

1. 
   
2. flight instruction plus Machado and FAA reading for about 5 months
   
3. cram for written exam with practice tests for about 2 weeks then take exam 
   
4. check ride within a couple of weeks
   
5. Sat around waiting for low ceilings (can take awhile in LA)
   

-dan

 

[TonyPynes]

Quote: DrBill

I took a ground school (2 nights / wk) at my local hometown like airport over the winter. Passed the written first time and started plane work in Feb and finished it in 8 weeks. (1.5 weeks the plane was getting a new panel).  I flew 3-4 times a week.  Most of the time from 0700-0900. I wrote an article for a magazine on my checkride.  Let me know if you want it and I"ll dig it out.

Dr. Bill  N5612Q 65 M20E

[DrBill]

I interviewed 4 instructors before I selected the one I used.

A: I wanted to fly early in the morning. 1/4 said OK..

B: I wanted to fly in real IMC... 2 /4 said OK

C: Fly 3-4 times per week.. 2/4 OK

So I went with the only one that said yes to all.  Some times we were up before sunup.  2nd flight was IMC takeoff. Every flight we filed IFR flight plane with "IFR TRAINING" in remarks section.   One notable flight was to Florence SC. Upon getting switched to approach the controller said "30S would you mind a radar approach? "  I looked at my instructor and said what the heck is that ?,  He keyed the mic and said " 30s that will be fine"... " just listen to what she says and do it".  That was my first radar directed approach.. all radar vectors to 1/2 mile. Was a good lesson.

Another one was a flight to Asheville, NC..  IMC approach although with foggles it really does not make a difference.. On the way out tho. the controller says... "30s turn 90 deg right".  I reply, "30s 90 deg right".  .. My instructor says, after a few mins...  "take off your glasses and look left...".. There, not too far from the wing was MOUNTAIN sticking up throught the clouds and we had JUST broken thru the tops...  What a beautiful sight.. He sys... THat's why you turned right..... NO KIDDING.

Lots of good stuff and that was 6-7 years ago...

You all will have your memories too.  Even Yesterday, breaking thu the tops at 5500, the sun, the cotton tops, just AWESOME..

Dr Bill

 

[MATTS875]

Thanks for the all the recommendations. I am going to basically watch and study the king dvd's for a basic understanding so when the instructor is going over things it will make more sense than  him telling me and then explaining it to me without any knowledge.

[trjymr]

Im in your same boat!  I got the sportys and flew through it but I need to go back and go through it again.  I also took a night course at my local airport.  Then I had my annual come up and need a top overhaul so now its been 2 months since Ive done anything.  Good Luck!  I know Ill get my rating eventually, just hoping its sooner then later!

[jetdriven]

Make sure your instructor has a copy of your sylllabus.  I taught plenty of students, and it didnt matter to  me which curriculum they used, (they all are pretty good), but if I had a copy of it I could prepare for the next lesson also, and mark progress.

[74657]

I bought the DVD course from Sporty's and used it as a good supplement to the Checkride.com practice tests.  I got the most value out of the American Flyers online course.  I was a tad disappointed in the Sporty's material from a "written test prep" perspective as I think it glosses over a lot of the detail but it is loaded with good information that is good to "freshen up".

Shot my first approach in actual IMC today with my CFII.  Took off from BEH and was in the soup the entire way to FWA.  Encountered moderate rain on the way down.  Came in on the back course localizer for runway 14.  Broke out @ 500 AGL.  It was a very rewarding experience.  Flew a GPS LPV approach back in BEH and broke out @ 1200' - BORING!!!!  (not really)

I am finishing up with PIC and have nothing but good things to say about the staff.  They just got brand new simulators that are a PITA to fly but are more economical than burning $60 bucks an hour in fuel in my plane.  Typical days go as follows: 8am-9:30 - review previous day and go over todays material.  930-noon - simulator.  noon-1pm - lunch.  1pm-4pm flying in the plane.

Good luck on getting your rating.  If all goes well I should be have mine within the next week or so.

[triple8s]

I just started my IFR training about 3 weeks ago, I  have had private for over 10 yrs and my old CFI didnt seem too interested in going any further w/me. Then I met a new instructor, he is a retired "Naval Aviator" and he trains the way he was trained and I cant believe the difference. Just goes to show some people are "meant" to be teachers, a degree or certification does not a teacher make. I can hold a paint brush but it doesnt make me an artist. Get a GOOD CFII !

[John Pleisse]

Quote: 74657

Shot my first approach in actual IMC today with my CFII.  Took off from BEH and was in the soup the entire way to FWA.  Encountered moderate rain on the way down.  Came in on the back course localizer for runway 14.  Broke out @ 500 AGL.  It was a very rewarding experience.  Flew a GPS LPV approach back in BEH and broke out @ 1200' - BORING!!!!  (not really)

I am finishing up with PIC and have nothing but good things to say about the staff. 

Good luck on getting your rating.  If all goes well I should be have mine within the next week or so.