Waypoints

Six, six, six. The FAA's requirements for instrument currency are pretty straightforward. Six hours of simulated or actual instrument time and six approaches every six months.

As is always the case — whether it's airplane certification criteria or pilot medical requirements, the FAA's standards are minimums, a floor below which we must not go.

Pilots who fly only occasionally or who, by luck, good planning, or happenstance, seldom meet up with instrument conditions may find it difficult to meet the six, six, six rule. A solution is some flight time under the hood with a safety pilot in the right seat or an instrument competency check with an instructor. The ICC buys the pilot another six months, but also is a good time to hone some of the seldom-used skills in day-to-day instrument flying.

A familiar instructor who knows your weaknesses can really put you through the paces in a hurry, but sometimes it's good to fly with a stranger who may challenge you in other ways.

I recently took John O'Brien, president of Professional Instrument Courses, up on a long standing offer to try out one of the company's instrument refresher courses. I usually manage to stay instrument current, but felt that the luster was off some of the lesser-used skills, such as intersection holds and NDB approaches, compared to those demonstrated in my instrument checkride nearly six years ago.

Typical of all PIC courses, the instructor came to me, his ATC 610 desktop simulator in tow.

In the 15 years since the company was started, PIC has become nearly synonymous with the 10-day instrument course. Give 'em 10 days and enough sweat and they'll prepare you for the instrument checkride. Nearly 10,000 pilots have received their instrument ratings after PIC training.

Peter Dogan started the company in 1980 when he grew tired of working as an instructor at a flight school. He struck out on his own to specialize in concentrated instrument training. Within a few months, a friend and former colleague at the flight school, Tom Seymour, joined him in the effort. The two canvassed the country, providing 10-day instrument courses to private pilots who could not spare the time for more conventional training. In those days, the idea of such compressed training was fairly radical, as was the extensive use of desktop simulators. Traditionally, the training had been spread over many months and was done almost exclusively in the airplane.

Today, PIC employs more than 60 contract instructors around the country who, like nomads, move from student to student. In addition to the now-traditional 10-day instrument rating, the company also offers instrument refresher courses, type-specific training in complex aircraft, and insurance company-approved training in certain high-performance kitbuilt airplanes (most notably the Stoddard-Hamilton Glasair III).

PIC's instructors tend to have much real-world experience and are usually older than the garden-variety CFII at the conventional flight school. The average age of PIC instructors, for example, is 50. Alfred M. Adams, my instructor for the three-day instrument refresher course, is typical: mid-fifties, an airline transport pilot rating, former airline pilot, and all-around excellent teacher.

PIC's instrument training course is highly structured, a necessity when attempting to assure that a student can meet all the criteria of the Practical Test Standards in just 10 days. The refresher course curriculum, though, is loosely configured. We started the course by discussing the type of flying I do and the areas where I thought I was weak. From that, Adams developed a curriculum that strengthened the weak areas and thoroughly covered all the skills necessary for instrument flying.

Over the next two-and-a-half days, we spent about 8.5 hours in the airplane, two hours in front of the ATC 610 (mostly trying to refine my NDB approach skills), and about nine hours in ground school. Though I initially considered the course to be just an instrument refresher, it turned out to be more of an aircraft type-specific refresher course. The company has course materials and curriculum developed for virtually every piston-powered aircraft — single and twin — in the fleet. The instructors for each course are selected based on their expertise in the customer's aircraft.

Some of the ground school was spent reviewing the systems in the Beech A36 Bonanza we would be flying and in brushing up on the FARs relevant to instrument flying. Much of the time, though, was spent discussing the practicalities of the air traffic control system and instrument flying. Adams was quick to share his flying experience spanning tens of thousands of hours in all manner of aircraft. Such varied experience allows the PIC instructors to be comfortable in about any aircraft. I was impressed with Adams' knowledge of both the Bonanza and its avionics. He showed me several flight director tricks that I've found very helpful in the last few months.

Like all of the PIC instructors, Adams was hired for his varied background and teaching ability, according to Seymour, who now serves as PIC's vice president. Dogan moved on to other business ventures in the early 1990s before he died about three years ago.

After the two-and-a-half days of tutelage under Adams, I ended up earning PIC's highest rating — the "Four-striper" endorsement — after completing the "Bonanza A36 Series Syllabus Safety Program." Included besides the ICC was a biennial flight review. We did one of the flights at night, which not only renewed my night currency but also gave me valuable experience flying instruments after dark, something I tend not to do regularly.

PIC charges $1,395 for the refresher course when flying in a non- pressurized aircraft such as the Bonanza. The rate for pressurized aircraft is $1,785. A four-day type-specific initial training course, popular with new owners of cabin-class aircraft, runs $2,230. The 10-day instrument course costs $3,695. A Finish-Up Course for instrument students who never quite completed the rating starts at $1,395 for three days. When necessary, additional days of training are $325 each. In all cases, the charges include the instructor's round-trip transportation, his time, the course workbook, and unlimited simulator time. The customer must pay for the instructor's hotel bill and local transportation and provide the airplane. The instructor pays for his own meals.

Seymour points out that the PIC refresher and type-training courses often result in significant aircraft hull and liability insurance premium reductions that partly offset the training charges.

For me, the PIC course provided a refreshing change from the usual 1.5-hour ICC or ride with a safety pilot. Adams thoroughly wrung out my instrument skills and also taught me much about the ATC system and instrument operations.

For the pilot whose skills have dulled over the years and whose instrument currency is years out of date, the PIC program provides a quick return to the world of instrument flying. The pilot who often flies instruments may find it a bit more intense than he needs on a regular basis. Such a thorough and comprehensive review every couple of years, though, is sure to increase the confidence level and correct the bad habits of any pilot.

Professional Instrument Courses, Inc., is located at 30 Plains Road, Essex, Connecticut 06426; telephone 800/I-FLY-IFR (435-9437).