IFR VERSUS VFR?

[turbo]

I AM INTERESTED IN THE PERCENTAGE OF RV PILOTS WHO FILE IFR FLIGHT PLANS. MAYBE DOUG CAN SET UP A VOTING PAGE LIKE THE RV PIC INFO. I SEE A LOT OF HIGH POWER PANELS WITH GREAT AVIONICS. ARE THEY BEING USED TO THERE POTENTIAL OR ARE THEY AN INVESTMENT THAT IS JUST NICE TO HAVE WITH A RESALE VALUE. MY VOTE IS IFR RATED AND VERY USEFULL IN FLORIDAS CLASS B AIRSPACES AND TRAFFIC.

[asav8tor]

Why are you yelling?

[turbo]

i like your sense of humor.

[Ron Lee]

Class B? Just fly over it.

[N941WR]

Just use flight following before you get to the class Brovo and they will usually let you fly through it.

If they aren't busy, they will fit you in. If they are busy, you don't want to be in there anyway.

PS. Ed, check your email.

[Ron Lee]

Once you do they have you under their control

"accepted" should be "accepting" in the title

[Bob Axsom]

I have the most basic (well almost) system for instrument approaches 1 VOR/LOC/ILS and an SL-60 GPS with 360 MAP and a wired in GPS90. If the destination has a 1,000 ft forecast ceiling and three miles of visibility I do not hesitate to launch (well not much anyway) but if I did not have a compatible instrument approach and an IFR capability I would sit at home wringing my hands -Oh my, what if I can't make it VFR? I better stay home for another hour and see if things improve - not yet - well maybe in another hour - Shoot! now it's too late. I do wish I had an SL-30 for on approach cross checks instead of what I have to do now but if you are going to travel seriously you have to have some basic IFR capability and in an RV you also need an autopilot. If you just plan to occasionally pleasure fly with no schedule constraints then VFR instrumentation is fine. Never buy for selling value - what ever you buy will be obsolete when you want to sell unless it is basic IFR instrumentation. Buy what will make you safe and confident.

Bob Axsom

[frankh]

Whenever I go cross country, usually even if its wall to wall blue sky...Keeps me talking to ATC and MOA,s and class a,B,C,D might as well not exist.

I have a GNS 430W

Frank

[bfilarsky]

I can't speak on the RV side of things, but just generally for flying its REALLY nice to have that IFR capability when you need/want it. Today was the perfect example.

Planned a trip to Big Bear for breakfast, flying out of Montgomery here in San Diego, stopping at Palomar on the way. Marine layer here is very common. Flew IFR to Palomar, picked everyone up, departed IFR and canceled once above the clouds, flew VFR up to Big Bear.

Coming back, I didn't even bother to check if the marine layer had lifted. Who cares if it did? I'll just get pop-up IFR if its still there, otherwise I'll go in VFR. That bit of information will not affect my decision to leave at all. Get back, and it was gone.

I was in the clouds a grand total of MAYBE 5 minutes? Would've had to cancel an otherwise beautiful and 99% CAVU flight if it were not for the instrument capability. I do not plan on flying any real weather in my RV when I get it done, but I will have it IFR capable simply so I can blast through the marine layer.

Thats my $.02, its worth what you paid for it

[David-aviator]

Originally Posted by bfilarsky

I can't speak on the RV side of things, but just generally for flying its REALLY nice to have that IFR capability when you need/want it. Today was the perfect example.

Planned a trip to Big Bear for breakfast, flying out of Montgomery here in San Diego, stopping at Palomar on the way. Marine layer here is very common. Flew IFR to Palomar, picked everyone up, departed IFR and canceled once above the clouds, flew VFR up to Big Bear.

Coming back, I didn't even bother to check if the marine layer had lifted. Who cares if it did? I'll just get pop-up IFR if its still there, otherwise I'll go in VFR. That bit of information will not affect my decision to leave at all. Get back, and it was gone.

I was in the clouds a grand total of MAYBE 5 minutes? Would've had to cancel an otherwise beautiful and 99% CAVU flight if it were not for the instrument capability. I do not plan on flying any real weather in my RV when I get it done, but I will have it IFR capable simply so I can blast through the marine layer.

Thats my $.02, its worth what you paid for it

Brian,

Being an active flight instructor, what is your take on the latest PTS?

I am not active but in the process of renewing the CFI certificate (which I do very 2 years for my own education) and find the on line course a major play on words - like it would help to have a PHD in English.

For example, have you successfully gotten your students to "synthesize" what they are exposed to? Maybe I am dated, but synthesize brings to mind building synthetic tires not teaching flying. Anyway, the process is a learning experience just keeping up with changes. This is the first time I've noticed the FAA saying "stick and rudder" skills are not primary. If I get the logic, these skills will follow after a complete exposure to everything else that is presented. Stick and rudder skills have to be primary, in my mind, at some point or the student will not pass the PTS requirements.

The primary effort of course is flight safety as it always has been. It just appears a different philosophical approach has been developed resulting in the changes in the process. This will change again in the future when new and different people come on the scene within the FAA. I've been taking this renew course for many years and it is mind boggling how much it keeps changing and how much emphasis there is on the meaning of words and the structure of the entire process. Clearly the people writing it are not pilots but well trained in the use of language and the structure of words. All for the good I guess, but it still takes a special skill to transfer what one knows to a student. The FAA structure to get that done is daunting to say the least.

With regard to IFR-VFR, the subject of this thread, single engine IFR is outside my safety envelope so I don't do it. To each his own. When I was younger, I did do it but the envelope has become smaller over the years.