IFR Rated?

[PTK]

Just curious how many of us are IFR rated.

[rbridges]

sorry, just knocked the IFR percentage to 67.

[Hank]

There ya go--now 6 out of 7. I started on mine two years after buying the Mooney, then between electrical gremlins and winter weather, took most of a year to finish up.

[John Pleisse]

Yes.

[mooneyman]

Yes- challenging, but best decision I ever made.

[Z W]

Got mine two weeks ago. Great training, every pilot should do it, whether they use it intentionally or not.

[PTK]

The previous post was mine, PK not JimR. Don't know where these gremlins are coming from! 

Soooooooo...lets try this again.

Congratulations Zane and everyone! And very well said Zane. I also feel that an instrument rating is absolutely essential if one is planning on doing some serious flying. It is equally essential ofcourse to stay current. We all know that the Mooney especially needs to be flown by the numbers. Instrument training does make precise by the numbers pilots. This increases safety and utility of the airplane.

[201er]

Got Mooney so I could get/use instrument rating. Mooney since last June, Instrument since December.

[gregwatts]

I am from the camp that thinks the IR should be mandatory. Aside fro allowing you to fly in weather, I believe it absolutely makes you a better VFR pilot as well. I routinely file IFR, even on severe clear days.

Many moons ago.....I was told by a crusty old retired navy and airline pilot......that the IR separates the men from the boys. I tend to agree.

Just sayin'

[Jerry 5TJ]

Nearly all my cross-country trips in the Mooney are IFR in VMC.   I believe it is generally easier and safer to go IFR.  For example --  I've been to SNA (John Wayne) perhaps 120 times and never yet VFR as it is so much easier to file.  My IFR route inbound from the north is LHS, SLI, direct. 

[PTK]

Quote: gregwatts

I am from the camp that thinks the IR should be mandatory. Aside fro allowing you to fly in weather, I believe it absolutely makes you a better VFR pilot as well. I routinely file IFR, even on severe clear days.

Many moons ago.....I was told by a crusty old retired navy and airline pilot......that the IR separates the men from the boys. I tend to agree.

Just sayin'

[xftrplt]

Quote: gregwatts

I am from the camp that thinks the IR should be mandatory. Aside fro allowing you to fly in weather, I believe it absolutely makes you a better VFR pilot as well. I routinely file IFR, even on severe clear days.

Many moons ago.....I was told by a crusty old retired navy and airline pilot......that the IR separates the men from the boys. I tend to agree.

Just sayin'

[jetdriven]

Part 91 VFR gives you the choice to kill yourself in an airplane and up to as many as 7 passengers as well.  Happens every day.  But hey! Get your FAA regulations off my back!

[rbridges]

Quote: gregwatts

I am from the camp that thinks the IR should be mandatory. Aside fro allowing you to fly in weather, I believe it absolutely makes you a better VFR pilot as well. I routinely file IFR, even on severe clear days.

Many moons ago.....I was told by a crusty old retired navy and airline pilot......that the IR separates the men from the boys. I tend to agree.

Just sayin'

[DrBill]

YEP, Got it in 2003. Just came back from a trip to Okeechobee Fla.  Flew IFR both ways.

Came back non-stop. 3.1 hrs. 477nm 153Kts average. Not bad for a std model E.

Bill

 

[DrBill]

Duplicate 

[HartParr]

My father flew for almost 50 years, taking his family all over this country, Canada and Mexico and was never IR. His secret for not killing us---he wasn't stupid. Some of these posts are a little offensive. I know the numbers for my Mooney and understand many things about inst. flying but I have never 'needed' to fly in weather that I don't like and am not convinced that I need one. Sometimes I think I should get the rating and then other times I feel like I don't have the time or want it bad enough. Should have had the choice in your poll 'no, but thinking about it'.

[aerobat95]

I got mine in '07.  Has come in handy flying the mooney a number of times now.  Just added my CFI, CFII, and MEI

[201er]

Quote: gregwatts

I am from the camp that thinks the IR should be mandatory. Aside fro allowing you to fly in weather, I believe it absolutely makes you a better VFR pilot as well. I routinely file IFR, even on severe clear days.

[DrBill]

Hart,   I felt like you until I wanted to fly on a short business trip. Reduce 2 hrs of driving to 45 mins of flight. Low ceilings caused me to drive.  That's when I decided I needed the IR.

Best move I every did in flying.

BILL

 

[201er]

Quote: HartParr

I know the numbers for my Mooney and understand many things about inst. flying but I have never 'needed' to fly in weather that I don't like and am not convinced that I need one. Sometimes I think I should get the rating and then other times I feel like I don't have the time or want it bad enough.

[omega708]

I'm having my "shotgun" panel replaced early next month to a standard layout in preparation for my Instrument training.

Additionally, I'm upgrading my avionics in the next 3-4 months.  My plane is currently "IFR Certfied" but the panel layout and antiquated avionics don't provide the situation awareness that I'd prefer.

I still have about 6 hours pre-paid in a Piper with a nice Garmin stack that I'll use up between getting my pilots panel redone and the avionics upgrade.  

For right now, I'm just watching my ground school videos and studying.  As far as flying goes, at this point, I have all of my required cross country time, but only have about 10 hours of instrument time.

[HartParr]

Thank you guys with the gentle nudges that I need. I have heard some absolute horror stories from pilots about their instructors and believe that maybe those that insist everybody need their IR just had some lacking primary instruction.

[Cruiser]

Instrument rating is more about utility than it is about pilot skill, sure it is tough and demanding training but the practicality of flying in less than VMC allows more flexibility of use and dependability in schedule. There are some wild stories about "hard IFR" but that's not the case for everybody and you don't need to fly in those conditions. I file IFR on every x-country flight. I also need to find a safety pilot to maintain currency every six months. In all my years of flying IFR I have not been able to fly enough approaches in actual conditions to stay current that way and I fly in excess of 100 hrs. per year.

[HartParr]

No, what I meant was I that I am horrified by instructors that don't teach students pilots very well. They were taught by some kid just needing hours for his next rating. I learned to fly from an old gentleman in the early '80s and learned spins, dead stick landings, and unusual attitudes that would turn most pilots green. He believed recovery from unusual attitudes during the day was cheating, nothing like being at stall, upside-down at night and under the hood to see if you knew how to read what the panel was telling you.