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IFR rating, a birthday present to myself.

Walt

Walt

Well Known Member
The IFR rating was one of those "bucket list" items for me, and finally after having my private for over 40 years and approaching 2000 hrs, I finally was able to get it done!

This last year all the stars finally aligned to make it happen. The Garmin G3X panel upgrade a couple of years ago and the GTN650 install last year set this all in motion. This year finding a great flight instructor that I really connected with, who had both the type of experience that I was looking for (I didn't want to be training the CFI on glass) and a personality I could deal with (I'm a liberal minded New Yorker that says F&S a lot) was key. Someone easily offended by my NY trash talk and sarcastic sense of humor wasn't going work for me, or them.

I will say this, my flying is now on a whole new level. My understanding and command of the systems and how to make this avionics panel do what it was designed for has ramped up 10 notches.

Really, this post is not so much about me as it is about the great support I received from my wife (who supported me 100% throughout this) and my CFII Matt Hood. Matt is based at 52F, fly's for a large company, has a bajillion hours, owns a Luscombe, and is truly a champion of GA. His passion for flying and all things aviation is evident immediately when you meet him. This guy lives and breathes airplanes and aviation. He regularly brings aviation enthusiastic adolescents around from his church group to the airport showing them around all the hangers, taking them for rides, and teaching them airplane stuff. He also takes them to lunch to debrief about their experience. My point is Matt's a seriously nice guy. His wife Theresa is a seriously sweet gal and is pilot with American. They are a commited aviation family.

Matts knows Glass panels inside out (often comments about how the G3X is identical in function to the jets he fly's) and he understands "real world" IFR. His job of flying rich people around takes him to many outlying airports unlike what the airlines do. His experience in IFR ops closely matches what us small GA guys do like IFR into non towered airports.

So the bottom line is this, if you have been thinking about getting your IFR ticket get your game face on and go for it, if I can do it anyone can.

If you want to hook up with a great CFII around 52F that can really teach you how to use your glass and be a better pilot (and he loves RV's) give a shout out to Matt. I guarantee you won't regret it! He doesn't hang out here on VAF much but his VAF username is "flyinhood" and he asked that you PM him, or contact me and I'll help you reach him
 
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Congratulations. Instrument check ride was the greatest accomplishment I have experienced in aviation. I put it above even completing and flying a homebuilt airplane. Way to go.
 
Walt,
Congratulations on getting the IFR rating. You made me laugh about being from NY. I've lived in Michigan for 24 years but was born and raised in NY. People at work tell me they only see the NY come out when I get really pissed off at something. Luckily it doesn't happen much as I've mellowed over the years.

Have fun with the IFR rating and practice as much as you can.

Gary
 
Congratulations!

Nice job Walt! Even if you were never to fly IFR again, I really think getting the ticket makes you a better pilot. But of course, I hope you do keep up with it. It certainly gives you a lot more choices and freedom in your flying.

Enjoy.
 
Kudo's to Matt

Everything Walt said about Matt is spot on. I was way out of being Instrument current and needed an IPC. I flew a bunch with Matt last Fall and learned a ton.

Even though Matt hadn't done a lot with Garmin glass, he immediately understood functionally what the glass was suppose to do. He showed me how to get the most out of my installed equipment. I was only using about half the capability of my G3X touch, GTN 750 & Autopilot. He also taught me to use professional procedures - using the cockpit discipline he's required to use flying biz jets.

By the time we were done Matt was a Garmin expert and I got my IPC signed off

So I'd like to second Walt on his shout out to Matt Hood.

(Of course I already congratulated Walt in person for getting those 2 words on his pilot certificate :)
 
Good Job Walt! I started and stopped my IR training, then finally knuckled down and forged though it.

I actually had a fellow pilot justify his lack of a rating by saying that he knew a lot of guys with the IR ticket but none of them were current. I enjoy flying in the soup! And breaking out on short final to find the runway right where it's supposed to be never gets old... ;-)

regards
~Marc

Walt said:
The IFR rating was one of those "bucket list" items for me, and finally after having my private for over 40 years and approaching 2000 hrs, I finally was able to get it done!

This last year all the stars finally aligned to make it happen. The Garmin G3X panel upgrade a couple of years ago and the GTN650 install last year set this all in motion. This year finding a great flight instructor that I really connected with, who had both the type of experience that I was looking for (I didn't want to be training the CFI on glass) and a personality I could deal with (I'm a liberal minded New Yorker that says F&S a lot) was key. Someone easily offended by my NY trash talk and sarcastic sense of humor wasn't going work for me, or them.

I will say this, my flying is now on a whole new level. My understanding and command of the systems and how to make this avionics panel do what it was designed for has ramped up 10 notches.

Really, this post is not so much about me as it is about the great support I received from my wife (who supported me 100% throughout this) and my CFII Matt Hood. Matt is based at 52F, fly's for a large company, has a bajillion hours, owns a Luscombe, and is truly a champion of GA. His passion for flying and all things aviation is evident immediately when you meet him. This guy lives and breathes airplanes and aviation. He regularly brings aviation enthusiastic adolescents around from his church group to the airport showing them around all the hangers, taking them for rides, and teaching them airplane stuff. He also takes them to lunch to debrief about their experience. My point is Matt's a seriously nice guy. His wife Theresa is a seriously sweet gal and is pilot with American. They are a commited aviation family.

Matts knows Glass panels inside out (often comments about how the G3X is identical in function to the jets he fly's) and he understands "real world" IFR. His job of flying rich people around takes him to many outlying airports unlike what the airlines do. His experience in IFR ops closely matches what us small GA guys do like IFR into non towered airports.

So the bottom line is this, if you have been thinking about getting your IFR ticket get your game face on and go for it, if I can do it anyone can.

If you want to hook up with a great CFII around 52F that can really teach you how to use your glass and be a better pilot (and he loves RV's) give a shout out to Matt. I guarantee you won't regret it! He doesn't hang out here on VAF much but his VAF username is "flyinhood" and he asked that you PM him, or contact me and I'll help you reach him
Click to expand...
 
Congrats Walt, I have same birthday.

You give hope I can renew my rating that has been sitting dormant for almost 30 yrs.
 
Congrats, Walt! Now when people ask if they will really need that latest gizmo in the soup, you'll be able to tell them how YOU use it.
 
Congrats

Hey Walt good job, it's on my bucket list also so maybe I need to get off my a** and start :)

Happy birthday also (mine was yesterday)
Figs
 
Congratulations Walt

Walt, Getting back into the books at our age and dedicating the time it takes to learn a totally different skillset and way of flying was without a doubt the hardest thing I've ever done and put my family through, it's like learning all over again.
I want to Congratulate you on Aviation's most difficult endorsement by far.
The utilization of your 7 will double.

Happy Birthday Walt.
 
I am entering my sixth year of IFR flight. Within the first two or three IMC flights I quickly learned that my, and my airplanes, limitations greatly changed what my "minimums" would be. Each year I fly, it seems that my minimums, or my comfort level gets more and more conservative. One would think that with time and experience you would get more at ease with lower and lower minimums but that is not my case. I am ok with going up through a thin layer to blue skies but any type of convective activity in clouds is just not that much fun. I really enjoy the experience of being in the IFR system. It is a great way to do cross country flights and really takes all the worry out of restricted areas, control zones etc.
Keeping current in the system is not too difficult but keeping current in actual IMC is a challenge, thus my reluctance to venture out unless my destination and departure airports are quite clear. Heck, sometimes I think my IFR standards are more restricted then VFR!
I encourage everyone to explore the IFR world but the reality is that unless you are a very experienced commercial pilot with lots of real IFR experience these are just not great airplanes to spend much time in IMC conditions. The flight characteristics that makes these aircraft fun to fly are what makes them a handful in turbulent IMC conditions. I know that we all have auto pilots but they can and do fail and you must keep that in mind when you stick your nose into conditions that would be challenging if you had to actually fly the aircraft!
 
Tom Martin said:
...The flight characteristics that makes these aircraft fun to fly are what makes them a handful in turbulent IMC conditions. I know that we all have auto pilots but they can and do fail and you must keep that in mind when you stick your nose into conditions that would be challenging if you had to actually fly the aircraft!
Click to expand...

IMO the RV-10 is a good, solid IFR platform in my experience. Not quite as stable as say a 182 or Bonanza which have truck-like handling in comparison, but stable enough to make hand-flying not overly burdensome or twitchy. YMMV...
 
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Yes, I stand corrected, the RV10 is quite stable. I have a few hours of hood time in the RV10 and it is much more stable then the other RV types. It is kind of the pick up truck of the RVs :)
 
Congratulations Walt. IFR opens up a whole world that being VFR only can't provide.
 
Congrats Walt!

Getting that Instrument ticket is a huge accomplishment! And memorializing it with a birthday makes it even more special!

I took my first Private Pilot flying lesson the day after my 17th birthday in 1973 and while the airport is no longer there (Luck Field in Ft Worth) and the guy who was my mentor and got me started has left us and Gone West...the memories of that day and those times are some I will remember...always!

Congrats again on the birthday and the ticket,

Rob Schroer
 
Oh, great.

I'm building a pickup truck... and letting go of a -6A sports car to pay for it :mad:

Just kidding - I KNEW that going in.

Out here where I live, pickup trucks > > sports cars :D
 
Way to go Walt

Walt, you checked my prop's balance at Petit Jean a couple of years ago and then didn't charge me when no balancing was required. Very kind of you. Great to hear of your accomplishment. I have a feeling you'll be an excellent IFR pilot based on your obvious builder skills and years of VFR experience. John
 
Congratulations Walt

Today you have real IFR-Conditions here in Dallas which from my experience is very rare. The instrument-rating is for sure the most instructive experience in aviation training. Anyway I used to say: best instrument-flying is on top of clouds, - not within! After that it is a satisfying moment to see a runway after cloudbrake.
 
Walt,

Congrats on the instrument ticket! Without question one of the most useful and rewarding ratings to get (CFI being the other biggie).

I don't know you personally and I'm not much of a contributor here as I'm still an infant in the world of aircraft building. And I generally don't offer advice un-solicited, but I do know quite a bit about this subject and I'll relate a few observations I've made over the years. This is really directed at anyone who has an instrument rating, so please don't take anything as being condescending towards you - that's not my intent. It's worth what you paid for it :).

Please, please, please remember that instrument skills are *by far* one of the most perishable skills you'll ever have. I fly for a living, and my limit is 10 days. Once I've gone 11 days without flying, when I get back to work, on my first leg I'm a bit rusty. Nobody else will know, they won't see it, but I can feel it. Once you felt the zen-like competence one can only get by flying 80+ IFR legs a month (think of most regional and 135 pilots), you'll never again confuse a successful IFR flight for a truly competent one.

During one of my furloughs was chief pilot for a TBM-700 distributor, so I had to re-learn how to fly single-pilot IFR. I've flown my whole life and I've always been very current in GA, but it still took me a hundred hours or so to feel truly competent single-pilot. I'm not talking just current, but truly competent - that zen-like feeling I mentioned before.

Most people who fly single pilot IFR really have no idea how much of a disadvantage they're at without a second pilot on board. At work we make mistakes every leg (mostly small, occasionally bigger), yet the system works because there are two of us. There hasn't been a big accident at a major US airline since 2001. Think about that. It is truly mind boggling given the complexity of the airplanes, the weather, the system and the sheer number of flights taking place every day. That would not be the case if there were only one of us up there.

Why to I bring this up? Because almost everyone I fly with is very good. Exceptional, even. But most (including me at this point) could not fly a single-pilot IFR flight to anywhere near the standards that we're used to. It is tough, it's busy, and to borrow a line from Dick Cheney, most people don't know what they don't know.

I always found it very strange that the FAA requires 3 takeoffs and landings every 90 days to stay current. Yet they only require 6 approaches every six months to stay instrument current. I can go months without flying my VFR-only C-180, jump in it and feel completely comfortable. Yet I can't go two weeks without flying IFR and I already feel rusty. In my opinion, the FAA has it backwards - it takes *way* more recency-of-experience to stay competent in IFR flying.

Tom Martin above has it right. The more time you have IFR, the more conservative one tends to be. While I may be more conservative than some, I take a notch further - I don't fly single pilot IFR at all. I'm not at all suggesting that those who do are crazy, or in any way misinformed, but I know how well a flight can go, and I know that I'm not capable of that standard when I'm alone, so I simply avoid situations that might require it.

So I guess what I'm saying is this: Please be careful. Be aware of how unbelievably perishable your new skills are. Know that no matter how much IFR time you have, they will always remain perishable - by an order of magnitude over your VFR skills. Utilize a safety pilot. Often. And most important is this: Have someone, preferably someone who flies for a living and knows your skillset, that you can call when you need a sounding board to help you decide if you should launch into that scud layer you're looking at. We tend to be lousy at evaluating our own skills and capabilities - especially when you combine that with some get-there-itis. Unfortunately there are lots of dead people as a result, and every one of them thought they were good enough to fly that day.

Getting your instrument rating is truly one of the most gratifying things you can do in an airplane. Congratulations again - they certainly don't give those away. Just be careful and recognize the responsibility that comes with it - especially if you're carrying passengers. They don't have the skillset to determine if a flight is safe - only you do. And if you don't, that's fine. Call someone who does. That's part of the process.

Chris
 
I want to thank everybody for taking the time to respond to this post, lots of good info and advice here, and trust me, I take my flying as seriously as I take my maintenance.

My years as a lowly VFR guy has taught me many real world lessons, a few that I look back on where the risk was higher than I anticipated. I fully understand how easy it is to get "sucked in" when conditions deteriorate and your options start to disappear.

My whole goal of getting my IFR rating was to make me a better and safer pilot, and I feel it has done this, so mission accomplished.

One thing I learned while flying with Matt my CFI was just how busy things can get during certain portions of the flight, last minute changes to flight plans, briefing approaches, communications and doing this flying with no AP can get overwhelming quickly. I can 100% understand that a 2 man flt crew would be almost mandatory in many real world IFR scenarios.

I am committed to staying current (I know easier said than done) and Matt is still on my "payroll" to keep honing my skills.

Thanks again for all the kudos and great advice, I sincerely appreciate it!
 
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