IFR Currency

[ATP_Al]

How do you keep current after passing your IR?

I finished everything in February and have a full time job flying an Islander for a parachute club, which at the moment gives me around 30hrs flying a month. However, almost all of this is VFR and almost every professional pilot I have spoken to recently has said that I should be making more of an effort to keep current at instrument flying and procedures. I know this is true but due to lack of time and money I haven't really done anything about it!

The way I see it my options are:

(1) Buy a decent PC and MS flight sim. However you get nothing to put in your logbook.

(2) Rent an FNPT2. This would be my preferred option, as you can practice procedures at almost any airport and it goes in your logbook. However, the only sim that is reasonably priced and a sensible distance from my home is unserviceable right now (london met's AST300X). Other sims are more expensive than....

(3) Flying a single with an instructor. I can do this around my work commitments and it does build the hours, but is it worth the cash?

(4) Do nothing and wait until my IR needs renewing or I get a sim check.

Sorry this has been such a long post but I'm lost on this one and would appreciate any sensible input!

Thanks,

Al

[celtflyer]

There is very little you can do unless your going to pay out a fortune. The cheapest way of actually logging IFR is to join a club that have a IFR cessna or something and fly a few procedures, maybe every few weeks do an hour or two in the FNPT2 or search for that sim ( 727 ?? ) which is quite cheap appparently in biggin or bournemouth- I aint sure where but search pprune. How you like the islander I flying that too at the moment and love it-hey at least your logging twin time in commercial operations which puts you in the minority of freshly low hour pilots outta school, and thats gonna look good. Use the PC flight simulator to get used to reading plates and fly them and practice giving yourself briefs etc etc.