Approach question for the experts

[skylor]

Originally Posted by lr172

I don't feel too bad; I assumed I was not the first to make a similar mistake :-). Whenever things don't go the way they should or left me feeling somewhat uncomfortable, I tend to take a bit of time re-thinking what I did and what I could have done differently with the benefit of hindsight.

I feel pretty confident I won't repeat this error. However, I will add that the biggest deterrent from collecting all of the data and making sound judgement calls is having the mental cycles to do so. I have to say that I was pretty saturated just keeping the needles aligned through the turbulence and covering the basics like plate review, dealing with ATC vectors/altitudes, etc. A major takeaway is that I need way more practice in tough conditions than I am getting. Gaining more "muscle memory" during difficult approaches will allow me to devote more cycles. Just like early in the IFR training, it took almost all my cycles with the basics. As I gained more experience, things became more natural and it became easier to mult-task. I just need to take that to the next level.

Bob, thank you so much for commenting and sharing your wisdom. Same for everyone else. It is great to talk about these things with others and gain their insights; hopefully making me a better and safer pilot.

Larry

The phrase "need vectors for time" and use of an autopilot is your friend at times like this...

[C. Brenden]

When I completed my CFII check ride a few years ago my friend and designated examiner had a couple of parting words of advice. He told me if one of my students crashed while 'circling to land' from an approach, he was personally going to take it out on me! He stressed that this is probably the most dangerous of all situations. I promised I would only do such a thing if the field is legally VFR. Breaking out at 1,000' and circling is a whole different thing than breaking out at circling minimums. I set this as my personal mins for this type of approach.