Ems Pilots Practicing Instrument Approaches without a Safety Pilot..
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: North Carolina
Age: 75
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We had the good fortune of having a flight paramedic that was a Commercial Helicopter Pilot W/ instrument. He was a very popular crew member for his legal safety pilot-ness and happy to perform that function becuase it gave him "twin turbine" time as "copilot". Alas he went on to be a full time pilot...
We now have flight medic that is commercial airplane w/instrument and over 2000 hours as medic in helicopters... He, of course, isn't technically qualified as a safety pilot...because of the category and class restrictions...but I have gone inadvertent IMC with him on board...and used him as a "cockpit resource" and he was at least as good as any new graduate of Fort Rucker in the copilot function....
We now have flight medic that is commercial airplane w/instrument and over 2000 hours as medic in helicopters... He, of course, isn't technically qualified as a safety pilot...because of the category and class restrictions...but I have gone inadvertent IMC with him on board...and used him as a "cockpit resource" and he was at least as good as any new graduate of Fort Rucker in the copilot function....
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: North Carolina
Age: 75
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At our EMS operation, though we are VFR only, our pilots are required to maintain instrument currency. To that end safety pilots are furnished , non revenue blade hours expended and IPCs given annually.
It is one thing to be current, it is another to be competent. As one of the CFIIs I don't find the minimum requirement for currency sufficient to stay sharp on our GNS530, so even if no safety pilot is on board I try to go thru the mechanics of an ILS and GPS approach not less than once a month, particularly if my Commercial rated fixed wing medic is in the left seat.
Our instrument training is as realistic as we can make it. I find the typical flight using foggles in daytime vfr of limited value due to the ease of peeking, accidental or intentional.
If possible we fly in actual conditions. If not, the training flights are done at night with maneuvering over the ocean to eliminate peeking. We have one local GPS approach that the procedure turn is initiated about 4 miles out over the Atlantic facing seaward and our primary destination has a nearby ILS that goes 5 miles over a large bay. In my experience the sh!t hits the fan at night...that's the time to train for the recovery.
A final note...I'm a big advocate for my helicopter pilots to fly airplanes. One has a Cardinal RG and I had an A36 and both the others rent airplanes. It used to be you could use flight in another class/category toward currency and I wish that would return. I would advocate my employer paying for a few hours of airplane rental a year per pilot to be flown IFR if that happened. Renting a CE172 is a lot cheaper than the cost of operating a medium twin helicopter, for essentially the same instrument competency/comfortability benefit...
It is one thing to be current, it is another to be competent. As one of the CFIIs I don't find the minimum requirement for currency sufficient to stay sharp on our GNS530, so even if no safety pilot is on board I try to go thru the mechanics of an ILS and GPS approach not less than once a month, particularly if my Commercial rated fixed wing medic is in the left seat.
Our instrument training is as realistic as we can make it. I find the typical flight using foggles in daytime vfr of limited value due to the ease of peeking, accidental or intentional.
If possible we fly in actual conditions. If not, the training flights are done at night with maneuvering over the ocean to eliminate peeking. We have one local GPS approach that the procedure turn is initiated about 4 miles out over the Atlantic facing seaward and our primary destination has a nearby ILS that goes 5 miles over a large bay. In my experience the sh!t hits the fan at night...that's the time to train for the recovery.
A final note...I'm a big advocate for my helicopter pilots to fly airplanes. One has a Cardinal RG and I had an A36 and both the others rent airplanes. It used to be you could use flight in another class/category toward currency and I wish that would return. I would advocate my employer paying for a few hours of airplane rental a year per pilot to be flown IFR if that happened. Renting a CE172 is a lot cheaper than the cost of operating a medium twin helicopter, for essentially the same instrument competency/comfortability benefit...
Join Date: Dec 2010
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Bajan3
We thank you for the "heads up" most likely resulting from some Fed's over zealous quest for violation notches on his resume. I think it's clear that there is nothing wrong with practicing an approach as long as it's not done with vision restricting equipment. In fact there is nothing illegal with contacting ATC and asking for vectoring for a practice approach as long as you are not filing IFR and remain in VFR conditions. This legality issue is the "logging" of the instrument approach - as it was not conducted per the FAR's. If P135 operators require you to maintain IFR proficiency in aircraft that are not single pilot IFR certified then they will have to provide a safety pilot to maintain your currency. For what reason other than a Wx emergency I don't know because you would have to declare an emergency to perform a real life instrument approach under those circumstances. If the aircraft and pilot are instrument rated for single pilot IFR then you can request an IFR clearance and shoot the approach to minimums any time you care to. You cannot use vision restricting equipment under these conditions without a safety pilot.
We thank you for the "heads up" most likely resulting from some Fed's over zealous quest for violation notches on his resume. I think it's clear that there is nothing wrong with practicing an approach as long as it's not done with vision restricting equipment. In fact there is nothing illegal with contacting ATC and asking for vectoring for a practice approach as long as you are not filing IFR and remain in VFR conditions. This legality issue is the "logging" of the instrument approach - as it was not conducted per the FAR's. If P135 operators require you to maintain IFR proficiency in aircraft that are not single pilot IFR certified then they will have to provide a safety pilot to maintain your currency. For what reason other than a Wx emergency I don't know because you would have to declare an emergency to perform a real life instrument approach under those circumstances. If the aircraft and pilot are instrument rated for single pilot IFR then you can request an IFR clearance and shoot the approach to minimums any time you care to. You cannot use vision restricting equipment under these conditions without a safety pilot.
