Intensive IMC course this summer?
 

I have a UK-issued JAR-FCL PPL with 200 hours PIC (*). I have some vacation days left over, and some money saved, and I'm interested in a new challenge this summer vacation. One of the things I'm considering is taking a club aircraft, hopping over to the UK for a week and do an intensive IMC course there.

Now I know that an IMC rating isn't valid outside the UK (other than removing the no-VFR-on-top restriction) so I won't be able to use it here in the Netherlands. But I think the flying skills gained will be worth it anyway.

So if I decide to do this, I'm looking for a UK school/club that has:
- Parking facilities for the club plane I'll be bringing over (probably a DA40 so the airfield needs to have Jet-A available).
- A full-time instructor willing to fly with me in said aircraft, two-three times a day.
- An examiner for the ground and flight test.
- Either camping facilities or a B&B close by.

Any thoughts/recommendations?

(*) Actually passed the 200 hour mark yesterday. Woohoo!:cool:

intensive IMC in UK
 

Hello,

Try Flying Time at Shoreham (EGKA) Flying lessons PPL CPL MEP IR IMC FNPTII UK - Flying Time Aviation FTO Shoreham

They fly DA40 and DA42, so JET 1 no problem. In addition, there are loads of B+B's, hotels etc nearby.

Enjoy!!

These guys Jersey Aero Club - Home

could be worth a try.

Backpacker

If you want to PM me I can put you in touch with an examiner / instructor and let you know where to stay. You should think at least a few weeks ahead at this time of year to ensure the instructor can set aside enough time.

Try Sky Blue Flight Training in Norfolk.. IFR DA40 at a competitive price...

Norwich is a great Airport to train for a IMC.. easy to get to from Amsterdam...

Sky Blue Flight Training - Home

PM me if you want...DB

IMC
 

Hi BackPacker,

In my experience, IMC does not lend itself to rapid learning.

A couple of years ago I started the IMC course with the intention of completing it within a couple of weeks. It didn't work.

I did the ground school in a day, passed the examination without difficulty and booked myself in for about five flights a week for the next fortnight.

In fact, most of the flights I booked, I cancelled and the instructor lost money as a result. This was because I was not ready to do them.

There is a great deal of what I shall call 'practical theory' in the IMC, that you have to master on the ground before you go up and practice them in the air. If you fly without mastering this material you will just be wasting money.

In my case, after a discussion with my instructor it was decided that the best thing would be to book no more than two flights per week, on the understanding that I would be at the aerodrome practically full time practicing with RANT on the computer between flights.

As a suggestion, I wonder if it would be possible for you to do your IMC training (which is all dual) in the Netherlands and just come over to the UK to do the IMC skill-test? I don't know if this is possible, but it's the best I can think of.

Regards.

Broomstick

Well, yes, my advice is to

- get a PC sim (FSX); a cheap £10 joystick is just fine
- fly all procedures on that first
- if you cannot understand the procedure, fly it until you do (never go into a plane until you can do everything on the ground, regardless of what an instructor might say)
- allow about 25hrs (assuming no instrument skills to start with)
- try to fly the same plane that you will be flying afterwards (maximises the value of the training)
- try to avoid training in wreckage (like I did :) ) - it is a good revenue generator for the school but it is poor value for money

It is possible to do the IMC quickly but it's hard work and still a bit weather dependant.

I did mine in 6 days with 3 - 4 hours flying each day plus several hours each day on the PC practicing the procedures. My brain was pretty fried by the end of the week though.

I'd recommend using IPC (from the same company as OnTop). The virtual flight instructor corrects your mistakes and the scoring system let's you see exactly how you are doing against the desired standard (well actually the US IR standard with IPC). I used it for the initial rating and then to renew my IMC after a two year medical lapse - the only actual flying I did was the renewal test.


Alastair

Thanks for the replies and PMs so far.

I wonder if this is possible? I just checked LASORS and find the following:

(my bold). So it looks like training for the IMC rating within another JAA state is not allowed? Even if the training organization uses the CAA syllabus?

Done that already. I can fly an ILS on MSFS down to minima well within the half-scale deflection required and VOR/DME approaches almost within the 0/+50ft tolerance - and I blame that on the inaccuracy of the joystick, plus the C172 is a bitch to trim properly in MSFS (with the joystick I have). But I'm a bit worried about learning improper habits this way.

LASORS is badly written; it talks about non-JAA states, but not non-UK JAA states, it seems. I'd suggect phoning the CAA and checking with them!

I must say; I find flying the Cessna on flight sim much harder than flying the Cessna in reality!

The Great Circle: Home
Was there last Nov. Did the IMC rating in 5 days.
As stated above, with the Flight sim practise and the Oxford PC software for the IMC rating, it is not so difficult.
My initial idea was also to take my own plane, but I ended up renting it. I think you need to have a special permit to get lessons in you own aircraft.
/Peter

I dont think so. For training the aircraft always use to have to be on a public cat but that may now have changed. For the IMCr there is no need to fit screens (and no one does) which is far more of an issue if you were doing an IR. The aircraft obviously needs to me on a European reg. (various issues arise if you want to use an N reg) and perhaps there are some issues if the aircraft is not on the G reg - that I dont know.

I can't see why you could not do the IMCR in the UK on any a/c reg - subject to DfT permission as usual.

You can for sure do the IR on an N-reg in the UK; I know of one man who has done it.

[QUOTE]So it looks like training for the IMC rating within another JAA state is not allowed?[/QUOTE

"Fly in Spain" in Spain have been doing IMC ratings for a few years now. They operate as a CAA registered facility.

very local to me and very attractive website.

Im pleased to hear you did yours in the timescale they quoted as well!..

Just wish I had a PC capable of running flight sim!!

West London Aero Club at White Waltham ticks all your boxes!

Why not wait for September and get some IMC weather

Intensive course in the summer may merely result in a box tick rather than good development of skills and knowledge. You will need to fly in wind and rain so at some point so you may as well get that experience in a safe environment with your instructor while training.:ok:

I would agree - if it wasn't for the fact that crap weather will simply result in lesson cancellation and a huge waste of time for everybody concerned, which is even worse for a visiting foreign pilot who is time-limited.

"Rain" can also be quite hazardous. Not the water falling from the sky, but the big dark object which it might be falling from, with 10,000fpm vertical currents inside it :)

Also most IMC instructors don't like flying in IMC - not least because most of the planes are knackered and with less than great avionics. All this stuff about NDB holds is all very well in the textbooks :)

This is why, perversely, if somebody wants to do an IR, I recommend they go to Arizona. No time wasted.

There is plenty of opportunity to practice instrument flight for real, afterwards, in a plane of one' choice, and in non-hazardous weather of one's choice.

Nonsense - I used my IMCR in June!

In fact the UK Summer is ideal - you get IMC conditions but without the danger of icing, most of the time...

Tim

I did mine in a week (well, six days - we lost one to crosswinds outside the main instrument runway "limits") and that was in November. Plenty of opportunity to find 'marginal' weather - even in Summer.

No Pre-course training on a PC - and no faffing around with RANT. Just good old fashioned solid briefing before, morning flight, thorough debrief, lunch, brief, afternoon flight, debrief, home, tea, head in book then sleep. Repeat as necessary.

Not saying that the sim and RANT aren't useful - we just didn't have them then. Do now.

Jet fuel, close to London with good rail links, all the other boxes ticked or tickable. The Pilot Centre - Denham Aerodrome. PM me if you need/want more info.

HTH

DD