IFR training in your RV

[60av8tor]

Originally Posted by waterboy2110

Providing the approach is stabilized, at 1000 AGL I chop the power and give three swipes to the pitch trim nose up (Cessna). This slows me down and keeps me centered on the needles. Once in the white I can deploy the flaps and start looking for the airport.
If you wait to long it's going to be a fast rollout or missed. If you don't find and master a technique for transition you will loose the needles.
For the comments on timed approaches - I recently read an article promoting at least to make note of the time in case the GPS went south so you would at least know when to generally go missed or look for the airport. Made sense and I will start making note of the times as part of the approach briefing.

Everyone needs to find out what works for them personally, however I wouldn't recommend making any drastic changes - especially inside of the FAF/at 1000 AGL. Stabilized by 1000 AGL (roughly 3 NM at 3 degree GS, :02 ish in RV speeds) in IMC is a good standard to maintain IMO. It would be difficult, for me at least, to be chopping anything and maintain a stable approach. Fully configured and on speed at the FAF (usually dirtying up one dot above glide slope intercept allows time for this if you're comfortable with the airframe), set power for 500ish FPM (5 x ground speed to fine tune this #), and drive it to DA. I often do not go past 10' flaps. If I'm shooting an approach in my neck of the woods, I have plenty of runway.

When stabilized, FAF to MAP seems like an eternity and a 200' approach flies the same as an 800'.

[recapen]

I did some 'precision work yesterday and came up with some numbers that seem to work well for me...

16" MP with 2000 RPM gets me a steady 90 KIAS straight and level solo...still need numbers for descent from ~2000'
18" MP with 2000 RPM gets me a steady 100 KIAS straight and level solo...still need numbers for descent from ~2000'

I gotta work this in to my checklist that my instructor encouraged me to develop...originally, we had the prop in at 2500 in case of a missed approach...but it is very difficult to get a stabilized 90 KIAS that way!

More practice at 2500 RPM maybe to see if there is a throttle MP and prop setting that will work...I am not sure if dropping to 15" MP after setting the prop to 2500 RPM will keep 2500 RPM...

Or I need to change the checklist...maybe the prop goes to 2500 at Missed Approach decision time - adding to the workload at a critical point in time....

Your thoughts?!

[recapen]

More precision work over this weekend.

Set the prop for 2500RPM and ended up with about 15.5" MAP to hold 90KIAS...every once in a while it would start to deviate - but I was able to catch it with my scan and add some power. Works better with the autopilot on but I need to be able to control it manually as well for the checkride.

Need some more practice though....