Pietenpol-List: VERY OT my recent Instrument training.
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 6:23 pm
Original Posted By: Steven Dortch
Subject: Pietenpol-List: VERY OT my recent Instrument training.Hit delete NOW. This is a long winded OT report on my Instrument training.None of it is Pietenpol related. Don=99t Bitch about having read it if youdon't want to, just hit delete.Yesterday, I completed my IFR checkride and did quite well. After 25 plusyears as an off and on VFR pilot who had dabbled at IFR training, I decidedto use my GI Bill for a post Army retirement flying career. I just wantsomeone else to pay for my flying hobby. Step one was to get a instrumentticket.After looking at quite a few schools, I selected of Tempus TrainingSolutions in San Marcos, Texas. I wanted a school with a good reputationand they had to be able to do Part 141 training and be able to get GI Billapproval. Redbird Proflight Academy moved Flight training operations toTempus Training. (BTW there is a CFI shortage that has affected mostschools.) Tempus met these requirements and was $3500 cheaper than theother part 141 programs due to extensive Sim use.Tempus is the flight training laboratory for Redbird and uses Redbird fullmotion flight simulators and has an agreement with the FAA that allows themto do a majority of the training in the Sim with the student proving hisknowledge in the aircraft. The flight sim closely replicates the 2006Cessna 172Ses used by the flight academy, including the G1000. The aircraftare well maintained. The Chief pilot for Tempus (a retired F16 driver) hasbeen able to attract good CFIs by understanding that they were going tomove on and by helping them get ratings and resume enhancing jobs. (IE myinstructor took a break from teaching to fly a Pilatus PC12 from Nairobi,Back to Virginia via Europe and then North sea.) He also treats them asprofessionals and expects them to act accordingly. Several instructors whobecame Airline or Corporate pilots come back on their days off to teach(and earn a little change.)The first thing I had to overcome was 25 years of lazy VFR habits such assimply getting close to an altitude or letting the plane drift off heading.I did however get complements on my ability to fly the plane, do cross windlandingsAt week two, I started having equilibrium problems (Dizzy) , more in thesim than in the plane. I had to cancel several flights and end some simsessions early. I called a retired Army National Guard buddy who had beenthe Flight Surgeon for the Texas Army National Guard and told him myproblem. He told me several things to try. There has been a huge moldproblem in South Texas and the mold count was so high that even those notallergic were having problems. So he told me to take Allegra (NOTAllegra-D) and use Flonase on my nose every day. Also to Shower often toget the mold off of me. He told me to start wearing my reading glasses forevery IFR session and any time I read or used a computer. I had not usedthem early in the day since I could focus, but as my eyes got tired andwould not focus, I would put them on. I had been swimming with my grandsonsand he told me not to get my head more than three feet below the surface. Heended by saying sleep and eat at the right times and drink water. I thinkit was a combination of the mold and my aging eyesight. Though I am notsure which one it was, it worked. In two days I was fine.I felt really good about my learning curve at first, but after about 3weeks I simply felt like I would never get it. If I looked away from theAttitude Inidcator, I climbed, dove, turned or a combination of all three.Taking time to write things down, read them, change frequencies, set upthe GPS flight plan, get my tablet set up on an approach procedure, changea freq, check the engine gauges or anything else resulted in a deviationfrom heading and/or altitude.I called Vernon Foster, a 99 year old buddy. Vern was once a pilot forUnited Airlines and became their manager of flight simulator engineeringand maintenance. He did my tailwheel signoff two years ago at the young ageof 97. I told Vern of my problems and how I would never get it. He listenedpatiently and then laughed and said "you are at the right place in yourtraining. Every pilot thinks that they just aren't going to figure outInstrument flight! It will start to come together and when it does it willget easier." He questioned me about what I was doing and his pearl ofwisdom was. "Let Go of the yoke when you look away from the AI!. If theplane is trimmed and flying level it will continue on course while you take5 seconds to do something. So just let go!" That fixed my problem. I wassteering the way I was looking!This school uses iPads to manage the Simulators and all of the instructorshave drank the Foreflight Koolaide. So I had to get an iPad, buy foreflightand learn to use it. (I joined NAFI and got a good enough foreflightdiscount that it almost paid for the NAFI membership.)It took me a while to get down the G1000 buttonology. This High tech devicewill do a lot of things including providing IFR certified GPS guidance forthe pilot (or an autopilot), show a moving map. display all the neededinstruments for IFR flight, Show required altitudes, and so on and soforth. I spent many hours in the sim just figuring out how to do simplethings like activating the next leg on an approach, or how to delete andadd an approach. I finally learned to use all the needed functions of aG1000 but it has MANY functions that I have not figured out.I had to learn the balance between trying to get ahead of the plane (IEsetting the next approach up) and just flying with what I needed to get toheading and altitude. For example, I had to not try to extract more infofrom the G1000 while on approaching an ILS approach, "just intercept andfly the localizer and glide slope."About two and a half weeks ago, I had to cancel my scheduled IFR checkridedue to a lot of Cumulus activity in our area. Also, I felt marginallyready. Then there was a sudden shortage of DPEs. Many students in theHouston area were scheduling with "our" DPEs. It took me until yesterday toget my checkride and that was on a Sunday morning.My checkride went very well. Even with trainee ATC controllers and the PTTon the DPE side failing 10 minutes into the flight. I asked for a RNAVapproach to 31 with a circle to runway 13. But the controller told me wehad to use 13 and we could circle at ORALE (confusing a circle with a holdpattern). My DPE explained I had to explain that I was on a checkride andhad to do an approach and circle to a different runway. This confused themand the DPE PTT quit right then. So I requested an approach to 13, holdingat the IAF and a circle to 31 and proposed that I to do a low approach. Iwas able to take all this in stride, the DPE was pleased with my ability tocommunicate and execute. My Checkride was much easier than my "pre checkride" with the Tempus chief pilot. The DPE said he wished all checkrideswent so well.All in all, a good experience and glad I did it. I did not enjoy instrumenttraining though I did get comfortable doing it. It is not near as fun VFRflight, but it sure adds to my ability. Next Step is my commercial ticket.BTW I was driving back from lunch and saw the distinctive curve of aPietenpol wing in a hangar. Slammed on the brakes and who do I find but ourown "Axle" working on his AirCamper. Man it sure looks purty! He is a truecraftsman. (Pietenpol Content!)Blue Skies,Steve D________________________________________________________________________________
Subject: Pietenpol-List: VERY OT my recent Instrument training.Hit delete NOW. This is a long winded OT report on my Instrument training.None of it is Pietenpol related. Don=99t Bitch about having read it if youdon't want to, just hit delete.Yesterday, I completed my IFR checkride and did quite well. After 25 plusyears as an off and on VFR pilot who had dabbled at IFR training, I decidedto use my GI Bill for a post Army retirement flying career. I just wantsomeone else to pay for my flying hobby. Step one was to get a instrumentticket.After looking at quite a few schools, I selected of Tempus TrainingSolutions in San Marcos, Texas. I wanted a school with a good reputationand they had to be able to do Part 141 training and be able to get GI Billapproval. Redbird Proflight Academy moved Flight training operations toTempus Training. (BTW there is a CFI shortage that has affected mostschools.) Tempus met these requirements and was $3500 cheaper than theother part 141 programs due to extensive Sim use.Tempus is the flight training laboratory for Redbird and uses Redbird fullmotion flight simulators and has an agreement with the FAA that allows themto do a majority of the training in the Sim with the student proving hisknowledge in the aircraft. The flight sim closely replicates the 2006Cessna 172Ses used by the flight academy, including the G1000. The aircraftare well maintained. The Chief pilot for Tempus (a retired F16 driver) hasbeen able to attract good CFIs by understanding that they were going tomove on and by helping them get ratings and resume enhancing jobs. (IE myinstructor took a break from teaching to fly a Pilatus PC12 from Nairobi,Back to Virginia via Europe and then North sea.) He also treats them asprofessionals and expects them to act accordingly. Several instructors whobecame Airline or Corporate pilots come back on their days off to teach(and earn a little change.)The first thing I had to overcome was 25 years of lazy VFR habits such assimply getting close to an altitude or letting the plane drift off heading.I did however get complements on my ability to fly the plane, do cross windlandingsAt week two, I started having equilibrium problems (Dizzy) , more in thesim than in the plane. I had to cancel several flights and end some simsessions early. I called a retired Army National Guard buddy who had beenthe Flight Surgeon for the Texas Army National Guard and told him myproblem. He told me several things to try. There has been a huge moldproblem in South Texas and the mold count was so high that even those notallergic were having problems. So he told me to take Allegra (NOTAllegra-D) and use Flonase on my nose every day. Also to Shower often toget the mold off of me. He told me to start wearing my reading glasses forevery IFR session and any time I read or used a computer. I had not usedthem early in the day since I could focus, but as my eyes got tired andwould not focus, I would put them on. I had been swimming with my grandsonsand he told me not to get my head more than three feet below the surface. Heended by saying sleep and eat at the right times and drink water. I thinkit was a combination of the mold and my aging eyesight. Though I am notsure which one it was, it worked. In two days I was fine.I felt really good about my learning curve at first, but after about 3weeks I simply felt like I would never get it. If I looked away from theAttitude Inidcator, I climbed, dove, turned or a combination of all three.Taking time to write things down, read them, change frequencies, set upthe GPS flight plan, get my tablet set up on an approach procedure, changea freq, check the engine gauges or anything else resulted in a deviationfrom heading and/or altitude.I called Vernon Foster, a 99 year old buddy. Vern was once a pilot forUnited Airlines and became their manager of flight simulator engineeringand maintenance. He did my tailwheel signoff two years ago at the young ageof 97. I told Vern of my problems and how I would never get it. He listenedpatiently and then laughed and said "you are at the right place in yourtraining. Every pilot thinks that they just aren't going to figure outInstrument flight! It will start to come together and when it does it willget easier." He questioned me about what I was doing and his pearl ofwisdom was. "Let Go of the yoke when you look away from the AI!. If theplane is trimmed and flying level it will continue on course while you take5 seconds to do something. So just let go!" That fixed my problem. I wassteering the way I was looking!This school uses iPads to manage the Simulators and all of the instructorshave drank the Foreflight Koolaide. So I had to get an iPad, buy foreflightand learn to use it. (I joined NAFI and got a good enough foreflightdiscount that it almost paid for the NAFI membership.)It took me a while to get down the G1000 buttonology. This High tech devicewill do a lot of things including providing IFR certified GPS guidance forthe pilot (or an autopilot), show a moving map. display all the neededinstruments for IFR flight, Show required altitudes, and so on and soforth. I spent many hours in the sim just figuring out how to do simplethings like activating the next leg on an approach, or how to delete andadd an approach. I finally learned to use all the needed functions of aG1000 but it has MANY functions that I have not figured out.I had to learn the balance between trying to get ahead of the plane (IEsetting the next approach up) and just flying with what I needed to get toheading and altitude. For example, I had to not try to extract more infofrom the G1000 while on approaching an ILS approach, "just intercept andfly the localizer and glide slope."About two and a half weeks ago, I had to cancel my scheduled IFR checkridedue to a lot of Cumulus activity in our area. Also, I felt marginallyready. Then there was a sudden shortage of DPEs. Many students in theHouston area were scheduling with "our" DPEs. It took me until yesterday toget my checkride and that was on a Sunday morning.My checkride went very well. Even with trainee ATC controllers and the PTTon the DPE side failing 10 minutes into the flight. I asked for a RNAVapproach to 31 with a circle to runway 13. But the controller told me wehad to use 13 and we could circle at ORALE (confusing a circle with a holdpattern). My DPE explained I had to explain that I was on a checkride andhad to do an approach and circle to a different runway. This confused themand the DPE PTT quit right then. So I requested an approach to 13, holdingat the IAF and a circle to 31 and proposed that I to do a low approach. Iwas able to take all this in stride, the DPE was pleased with my ability tocommunicate and execute. My Checkride was much easier than my "pre checkride" with the Tempus chief pilot. The DPE said he wished all checkrideswent so well.All in all, a good experience and glad I did it. I did not enjoy instrumenttraining though I did get comfortable doing it. It is not near as fun VFRflight, but it sure adds to my ability. Next Step is my commercial ticket.BTW I was driving back from lunch and saw the distinctive curve of aPietenpol wing in a hangar. Slammed on the brakes and who do I find but ourown "Axle" working on his AirCamper. Man it sure looks purty! He is a truecraftsman. (Pietenpol Content!)Blue Skies,Steve D________________________________________________________________________________