74657 Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Took to the skies today and knocked out my IR! I don't think I have studied, practiced and prepared more for anything in my life than this rating. What a confidence builder and feeling of accomplishment today was. I started my training with PIC and due to scheduling conflicts I finished up with DonnAir Aviation @ KVPZ. Donna is a "Gold Seal" instructor and helped polish me up for the checkride. It was awesome being told to "Shoot the ILS to minimums and land the plane" on our way back in. My final training consisted of shooting approaches/missed approaches/holds at 3 local airports about 15 miles from each other in a triangle. The workload was huge going missed at one field and getting setup for the next approach. My examiner gave me a lot more time, almost too much (had a "what am I forgetting here because the guy isn't saying anything" moment a few different times) and was very calm in delivering the instructions to me. I had 15 miles to get setup and established when flying my hold. I think my instructor might have been hammering hard on me knowing that the checkride would be much less "stressful" in reality. Ive already made plans with DonnAir for my Commercial.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moodychief Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Congratulations! Don't waste anytime. Get out there, file and fly in the system. My examiner encouraged me to file IFR for every flight the first year. It was the best advise I could have received. I learned so much the first ten hours of doing it on my own without a safety net. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panther1400 Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Thats a good feeling to have that done, congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 CONGRATS!!!!! It sure is a great feeling - belive me, the sky will open up and all those flights you decided to scrub, they are now open to you. Remember to watch out for icing this time of year. Take care, Be safe, enjoy the clouds. -Seth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBill Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Congratulations ! I remember mine like it was yesterday (2003). Every cross country I fly IFR. Keeps me up and used to the conversation. The next big hurdle is your first solo approach to minimums in IMC. You'll never forget that either. ENJOY ! Dr. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerobat95 Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 congrats......fly safe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Did you end up going with Bob Markette? Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74657 Posted November 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Thanks for all the comments guys. I did go with Bob. What an experience. My plan was to go flying for an hour with my instructor prior to the ride and eat lunch in between practice and the test. Bob rolled in from Florida and showed up 2 hours early. Needless to say my practice session was scrubbed. I kinda think I was setup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PilotDerek Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Congrats!! I hope to get my IR next year (just don't have the time to devote to it right now). Just a FYI I read on AOPA's training facebook page that if plan on going for CFI as well as commercial to go ahead and do them together. They say the tests are similar and so are the manuevers. Maybe some CFI's on here can confirm or oppose this train of thought since they have gone through it all. Good luck on your next step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Way to go! -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Pleisse Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Way to go Brandon!!! File and crawl around in it before the freeze levels come down!!! Awesome achievement!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M016576 Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Quote: 74657 Took to the skies today and knocked out my IR! I don't think I have studied, practiced and prepared more for anything in my life than this rating. What a confidence builder and feeling of accomplishment today was. I started my training with PIC and due to scheduling conflicts I finished up with DonnAir Aviation @ KVPZ. Donna is a "Gold Seal" instructor and helped polish me up for the checkride. It was awesome being told to "Shoot the ILS to minimums and land the plane" on our way back in. My final training consisted of shooting approaches/missed approaches/holds at 3 local airports about 15 miles from each other in a triangle. The workload was huge going missed at one field and getting setup for the next approach. My examiner gave me a lot more time, almost too much (had a "what am I forgetting here because the guy isn't saying anything" moment a few different times) and was very calm in delivering the instructions to me. I had 15 miles to get setup and established when flying my hold. I think my instructor might have been hammering hard on me knowing that the checkride would be much less "stressful" in reality. Ive already made plans with DonnAir for my Commercial.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyDave Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Brandon - CONGRATULATIONS!! Great feeeling, eh? Just treat it with respect. You couldn't have done it in a better airplane and now you're really ready to go fly that "New" missile!! Again - Congratulations!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_Pyles Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Good for you! I agree, when I got my instrument rating, I thought I had never studied so hard for something. Now the trick is to stay current! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantom Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Congrats on a major accomplishment. It opens an entire new world of flying possibilities for you in that Missile. Do I understand correctly that an examiner came up from FL for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74657 Posted November 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Sort of, not exactly. The examiner was a corporate jet jockey for 27 years and had done checkrides and type ratings in sabres for the last 20. He lives in FL but heads up to Indiana every few weeks to do checkrides for one of the flight schools. Once he gets 3-4 checks scheduled he catches a flight up and heads home a day or 2 later. I learned a lot flying with him. He taught me a few tricks I didn't know about after the ride (like setting up a hold on a 430W using the OBS key on the box and twisting my OBS key to the inbound heading). He also had insight on making power reductions after takeoff. He is of the belief that if the engine is going to "sh$t the bed, as he put it" it is likely to happen during a power reduction. He says to leave it in until 1000 ft agl then reduce if I so desire. Other instructors have said 500 ft. Some say nothing at all. What I am continuing to learn is that there is no single way to properly fly an airplane. As the examiner put it - there's a thousand ways to skin a cat and the cat doesn't like any of them...... He also said after the test that one peek is worth a thousand scans. That one made me laugh. Honestly though, throughout my training I have made a conscious effort to avoid the tempation of peeking up. There is no peeking in actual and I would only be cheating myself. I have georeferenced approach plates on my IPAD and YES I did reference them while flying my approaches as an additional aid in my situational awareness. Same thing with my 496 AND the magenta line on the 430 AND the backup VOR when flying the ILS and VOR approaches. Take 1 or 2 or even 3 of those away and I can still fly the plane but it is certainly more comfortable having the "extras" just to make sure...... I don't think that I will ever stop learning no matter what rating I stop at. The day I "know all there is to know" is the day I know just enough to get myself killed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PilotDerek Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Quote: 74657 I don't think that I will ever stop learning no matter what rating I stop at. The day I "know all there is to know" is the day I know just enough to get myself killed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyPynes Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 I am just starting to study for my IR. Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantom Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Quote: PilotDerek Well said! We should never fool ourselves into thinking there is nothing left to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74657 Posted November 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 http://www.marketteandassociates.com/ He is a heck of a guy to fly with. I had a very good experience with him. Thanks again to Alex for recommending him. He lives in the Orlando area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy0681 Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Quote: 74657 I have georeferenced approach plates on my IPAD and YES I did reference them while flying my approaches as an additional aid in my situational awareness. Same thing with my 496 AND the magenta line on the 430 AND the backup VOR when flying the ILS and VOR approaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74657 Posted November 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 What happens when the circuit breaker gets pulled on the HSI during your checkride? What happens if your GTN takes a dump and knocks out your the GS/LOC on your HSI? Use whatever you have available to aid in situational awareness. If they take it away then they take it away. My examiner was thrilled to see that I use the IPAD as he does as well. He uses the same Foreflight software that I use. My partial panel approach was done @ KOXI. VOR 18. He first took away the AI. He then said that he thought my HSI was vacuum driven. When I told him it was not he pulled the breaker and said "dont you hate it when that happens!" I was about 5 miles south of the OXI VOR (which is the IAF for the approach). The approach required a course reversal. I worked the IPAD into my scan (did not fixate!), as well my 496 and turned the NAV screen on my 430W to show my heading, and used the KX165 (that was already tuned, ID'ed and set before he killed my HSI and AI) to fly the approach. If you only use your HSI look how quickly you will fall behind the airplane if it fails! I used the autopilot quite a bit when setting myself up for the approaches. Kicked on ALT hold and set the heading bug while I loaded the approach/got weather/set radios/identified stations etc etc. Nowhere in the PTS does it say you need to be so damn good at flying that you can do everything necessary without using your autopilot! Part of the exam includes demonstrating a working knowledge all of the technology/systems in your airplane. I would use every bit of technology you have at your disposal until it is taken away by your examiner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danb35 Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 ...and in fact, the PTS requires that at least one approach be accomplished with the autopilot, if an appropriate autopilot is installed and operational. I wouldn't shy away from using all your tools, but be prepared to do without them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Use everything you have! I had a low voltage situation during instrument training last year after we climbed thru the clouds. The auto pilot was also out due to low voltage. I grabbed the POH and asked the Instructor to keep the wings level and hold altitude while I quickly read for helpful information. Once clear of the emergency we reviewed the powerful lesson and he asked me why I did not try to do everything without his help. I told him that I knew he was a certified pilot so I chose to use him as a resource available to me. He smiled and said "good job"! I then was told that if a non pilot passanger was in the seat it would be ok to ask the passanger to get the POH and help scan for the needed information. The failure was due to the landing light being left on. Not smart, but a good lesson in many ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy0681 Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 Quote: 74657 What happens when the circuit breaker gets pulled on the HSI during your checkride? What happens if your GTN takes a dump and knocks out your the GS/LOC on your HSI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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