spudskier
16th Feb 2004, 04:19
Taking the instrument checkride wednesday, any tips?? (Cessna 172, midwest, USA [it's flat everywhere]) Probably a VOR, ILS, and NDM, one partial panel... usuall steep turns and unusual attitudes. If I push the flight till friday I might be able to do it in actual and she's liable to not to pull any partial panel!
Should I take a plane equipped with GPS? I think I'd rather skip the GPS approaches... I can do em, just a bit of a pain to program in flight without knowing what she'll want. More of a chance to lose my train of thought...
Charlie Zulu
17th Feb 2004, 02:47
Hi Spudskier,
I'd personally prefer to take a non-GPS aeroplane up, but that is my personal thought.
Youl'll probably get a vectored ILS and then either a vectored VOR or NDB approach. Which ever approach is left will probably be a full procedural approach under partial panel.
Within the PTS booklet you'll find that partial panel crops up pretty frequenctly. Ie, your examiner HAS to examine you on partial panel, so you're not going to get away with that one!
Other manouvers will be Steep Turns, Partial Panel Stall Recovery and unusual attitudes. Constant Airspeed/Rate Climbs and both Airspeed and Rate of climb at the same time. Compass Turns, Timed Turns will be covered on your Partial Panel procedural approach. If you are doing a full procedural NDB approach then you can probably expect an NDB hold as well.
Remember do not go one foot below your MDA / DA or even one foot below your altitude when waiting for the Outer Marker or ILS G/Slope intercept.
On my FAA IR checkride I had to do the vectored ILS 6 at RSW, vectored NDB 6 approach at RSW followed by the published missed approach which conveniently included a teardrop entry into the hold at an intersection (defined by a cross radial as we didn't have DME) followed by a full VOR 5 Procedure with a circle to land at APF (we were going to hold at APF as well but a thunderstorm was getting closer).
Impress your examiner with your written score (my examiner said 95% was a good score) and you should have less of a hard time on the oral. Know Sigmets, Airmets, Convective Sigmets, Weather Charts etc like the back of your hand. The Approach Plate and Airways chart has to be known to the smallest detail. FARs and Instruments are a good thing to know... Types of Icing, Fog etc.
Let us know how you get on!
Best wishes,
Charlie Zulu.