Multi/IR - Words from the Wise?

[Blackshift]

Any beads of wisdom from recent graduates, old sweats or instructors with regard to Multi/IR flight training and testing would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I am not looking for Flight School recommendations - that's all done and dusted.

[QNH 1013]

You need to do absolutely everything you can to minimise the hours you need (and therefore cost) and maximise your probability of a pass. In no particular order:

1. Join PPL/IR Europe - website pplir.org

2. Don't try and do the flying training part-time.

3. Don't try and continue to run a business while doing the flight training (One of my mistakes). You won't have the energy to do both.

4. Ensure you have access to sufficient money to see it through. Even with a first-time pass I went £3k over my budget. Ringing around trying to get a cash advance on a credit card while training is a distraction you don't need.

5. Something that helped me was to write up all the briefing / debriefing notes into a sort of expanded checklist to stress all the things you must and must not do in each stage of the flight. I think it runs to about 20 pages and I still use it as my training manual prior to renewals.

6. Never give up during the flight test. Apparently it is common to think you have failed quite early on during the test (I certainly felt like that) and if you let that effect your flying you will fail.

7. If you make a mistake, don't ignore it, point it out to the examiner so he / she knows you realise, and then do something about it!

8. Enjoy the debrief, the examiners are very impressive.

All the above is just my opinion, learnt the hard (expensive) way. Hope it helps. If I think of anything else, I'll post again.

[aztruck]

RMI tracking and intercepting, dip, and having the nerve to hold a heading while the needle is swinging over the beacon.
If you can crack the RMI thats a load of the IR done.
Lots of people bust on the ILS apparently, lulled into a false sense of security and worrying about the NDB in advance. Have the raw data in your bonce(ground speed times 5 equals ROD) so you can cross check the big picture with g/s, and ditto with drift on the localiser.
Dont forget to breathe.....good luck!!

[alphaalpha]

I wouln't say I'm very wise (as per the thread title), but I have felt the pain.

My biggest mistake.. not concentrating 100% on the training. Instead I let some smallish business distractions get in the way and that lead to taking expensive steps backwards not forwards.

So far as the flying is concerned, everybody will have their own MUST DO tip. Mine is trim, trim, trim then relax, relax, relax. If you can do this, the a/c will carry on doing what it's supposed to if you have your head down looking at the checklist or plate a bit too long.

Best of luck.

[PhilD]

What is a sensible budget (time and money) for the flying part, assuming that it is all done in one piece, with few distractions?

[englishal]

There is no sensible budget if you're doing the JAA ME/IR:D

Probably not much help if you are doing the JAA IR/ME but from my experience of doing the FAA IR / ME, the IR took 5 weeks, and the multi another 5 days (10 hrs or so), then check ride. Shoot two approaches, one asymetric on the ME checkride and you get IR privileges in the ME as long as you do the IR first. Cost was: $7,000 ish for the lot.

Cheers
EA:)

[eyeinthesky]

Try and minimize the cost involved purely in learning to interpret the instruments. By this, I mean try and spend as much time as you can on the Sim (or even FS2002 or whatever) just getting your head around what the instruments are telling you in an NDB hold, for example. Learn how to calculate drift allowance when airborne, not by using the whiz wheel on the ground before you go, and get to the point where you don't have to tilt your head on one side to work out which hold entry you are going to fly!

All of this is bread and butter stuff which would be far better to have clear in your head before you start blasting around ina twin at £300 per hour or whatever!

Further than that, enjoy! It is in fact easier flying IFR in CAS than VFR outside. No need to lookout or keep clear of this or that bit of airspace, and you are spoon-fed from one controller to the next all the way back to the apron!

[Tinstaafl]

Before leaping into Flight sim 'whatever', make sure you have been taught the correct techniques first!

Practice an incorrect technique will be a problem to 'unlearn' when you have to do it the proper way, requiring more time & $$$.

[MLS-12D]

I don't have a Multi/IR so am not in a position to offer specific advice, but I take issue with QNH 1013's suggestion that "if you make a mistake ... point it out to the examiner so he / she knows you realise ...".

Occasionally this might be good advice, but - depending upon the situation - one might often be better advised to keep silent and not draw attention to the problem. Examiners are only human and they can't catch all of your mistakes, so you might get away without penalty. That said, I certainly agree with the recommendation that you must fix the problem rather than just sitting there ... but be subtle!

MLS-12D :)

P.S. There is an 8-volume series of books called "The Instrument Pilot's Library" (published by Belvoir Publications) that you might want to take a look at. It is by the editors of "IFR" (www.avweb.com/sponsors/belvoir/ifrmag/index.html) and "IFR Refresher" (www.avweb.com/sponsors/belvoir/ifrref/index.html)

P.P.S. I don't know much about the cram courses that are available, but here's one person's experience: www.avweb.com/articles/picdiary.html