LeeP-PA28
30th Jul 2011, 18:22
OK - so I passed my PPL in May and was issued my license not long after.
Fortunately, being a shift worker has meant I've been able to cram up the hours as P1, actually going off and doing things, making decisions and then seeing the consequences etc :)
I hit 70 hours P1 2 weeks ago and was considering going to Kemble and doing a basic/standard AOPA course. But looking at the value it'll add to my flying for fun / potentially for business meant zilch. I recall being stuck in IMC having turned back to an aerodrome when cloud was approaching recently and decided it was time to do the IMC course.
I did an intense 1 week course - started this Monday at 9AM and passed my written and flight test this morning with a total of 16h dual and 10.3 solely on instruments - reality was it was nearly all done in IMC or on top.
I was unsure at first of the benefits of the IMC course - I was under the illusion that you could do some things with it, but not to the extent that can be used.
i.e. flying IMC inside CTA(D), benefits of reduced viz to 3km in SVFR in Class A, VMC on top, flying procedures in IMC and the limits to which becoming visual was required - all very interesting and useful stuff.
So - a 1 week course? The pros: concurrency helps! Doing a 1.5hr trip, coming back and debriefing, mulling over theory over a cuppa, a flight breif and then going up and doing the next bit, revisiting what you did before and connecting it all together certainly made progress easy. By the end of the first 3 hours, we were straight and level, turns, climbing and descending turns, unusual attitude recovery and started looking at limited panel.
Once we were over the full and limited panel work and started NAV it started getting more interesting. So working VOR/DME/NDB all at once, I never realised how useful an RMI and HSI combo were, never mind RNAV! ADF is always seen as a black art but my instructor sold it to me the way it was, and after an hour we were tracking from/to beacons, cross-cutting for position fixing, intercepting a radial from a beacon and starting to get thinking about positioning for holds etc.
The radio nav work was brilliant and before long, you can descend through cloud onto a target - and seeing an aerodrome being right there, right where you planned it to be was pure brilliance I thought! :)
The last 2 days were procedure based - so flying a hold (our airfield has an NDB - very useful!), finding the abeam and gate positions, entry from different sectors and then flying outbound from the beacon all became nice and tidy.
Finally we took up ILS - vectored ILS were pleasing and very simple - just do as you're told! Amazing how little input is required to make right the glide slope too. Self positioning ILS via NDB/DME also superb fun but the most rewarding by far was the NDB/DME and timed NDB approaches.
We finished off with a 2.2hr flight, VMC on top to Durham for vectored ILS at FL65, then a go-around and IFR to Doncaster for NDB approaches.
It really sharpens up your flying too - turning pefectly onto headings, smoothess and accuracy, understanding the inputs better, reading the aircraft better - and you build up a mental picture of where you via beacons.
The cons of an intense course: the brain ache and fatigue!
Flying 3 hours a day isn't difficult - but learning new skills and putting them into practise, 3 hours a day for 5 days was hard.
The first night I got home dead excited and went onto FSX.
The next night, I got home, downloaded some plates and fell asleep on the sofa. Third night, I got home and crashed in my office chair, the 4th night I was a zombie etc! But each day brought new challenges and that itself kept me going.
I have to say - I'm hooked! I cant wait to be issued with my bit of paper :)
In the mean time, going to keep hammering away at NDB procedures, get some visual ILS approaches done. Best thing my instructor said to me was:
IMC is a skill - not a license. And you must keep it current to keep safe.
Wise words I think.
So 6 days in, my brain is fried and I'm looking forward to getting some more flying done now. I can sense the IR approaching, just waiting to see what happens with EASA...
If anyone is contemplating doing the IMC course - my advice is do it. You'll gain loads of experience and develop your skills no end :)
Fortunately, being a shift worker has meant I've been able to cram up the hours as P1, actually going off and doing things, making decisions and then seeing the consequences etc :)
I hit 70 hours P1 2 weeks ago and was considering going to Kemble and doing a basic/standard AOPA course. But looking at the value it'll add to my flying for fun / potentially for business meant zilch. I recall being stuck in IMC having turned back to an aerodrome when cloud was approaching recently and decided it was time to do the IMC course.
I did an intense 1 week course - started this Monday at 9AM and passed my written and flight test this morning with a total of 16h dual and 10.3 solely on instruments - reality was it was nearly all done in IMC or on top.
I was unsure at first of the benefits of the IMC course - I was under the illusion that you could do some things with it, but not to the extent that can be used.
i.e. flying IMC inside CTA(D), benefits of reduced viz to 3km in SVFR in Class A, VMC on top, flying procedures in IMC and the limits to which becoming visual was required - all very interesting and useful stuff.
So - a 1 week course? The pros: concurrency helps! Doing a 1.5hr trip, coming back and debriefing, mulling over theory over a cuppa, a flight breif and then going up and doing the next bit, revisiting what you did before and connecting it all together certainly made progress easy. By the end of the first 3 hours, we were straight and level, turns, climbing and descending turns, unusual attitude recovery and started looking at limited panel.
Once we were over the full and limited panel work and started NAV it started getting more interesting. So working VOR/DME/NDB all at once, I never realised how useful an RMI and HSI combo were, never mind RNAV! ADF is always seen as a black art but my instructor sold it to me the way it was, and after an hour we were tracking from/to beacons, cross-cutting for position fixing, intercepting a radial from a beacon and starting to get thinking about positioning for holds etc.
The radio nav work was brilliant and before long, you can descend through cloud onto a target - and seeing an aerodrome being right there, right where you planned it to be was pure brilliance I thought! :)
The last 2 days were procedure based - so flying a hold (our airfield has an NDB - very useful!), finding the abeam and gate positions, entry from different sectors and then flying outbound from the beacon all became nice and tidy.
Finally we took up ILS - vectored ILS were pleasing and very simple - just do as you're told! Amazing how little input is required to make right the glide slope too. Self positioning ILS via NDB/DME also superb fun but the most rewarding by far was the NDB/DME and timed NDB approaches.
We finished off with a 2.2hr flight, VMC on top to Durham for vectored ILS at FL65, then a go-around and IFR to Doncaster for NDB approaches.
It really sharpens up your flying too - turning pefectly onto headings, smoothess and accuracy, understanding the inputs better, reading the aircraft better - and you build up a mental picture of where you via beacons.
The cons of an intense course: the brain ache and fatigue!
Flying 3 hours a day isn't difficult - but learning new skills and putting them into practise, 3 hours a day for 5 days was hard.
The first night I got home dead excited and went onto FSX.
The next night, I got home, downloaded some plates and fell asleep on the sofa. Third night, I got home and crashed in my office chair, the 4th night I was a zombie etc! But each day brought new challenges and that itself kept me going.
I have to say - I'm hooked! I cant wait to be issued with my bit of paper :)
In the mean time, going to keep hammering away at NDB procedures, get some visual ILS approaches done. Best thing my instructor said to me was:
IMC is a skill - not a license. And you must keep it current to keep safe.
Wise words I think.
So 6 days in, my brain is fried and I'm looking forward to getting some more flying done now. I can sense the IR approaching, just waiting to see what happens with EASA...
If anyone is contemplating doing the IMC course - my advice is do it. You'll gain loads of experience and develop your skills no end :)