Logging instrument approaches in simulators
I've got a question about simulator time. I'm a CFI and have occasionally jumped into an FAA-approved simulator and done some approaches. The simulator has no TV screen, so it's all instrument flying. I just take off and aim for a navaid and set myself up for the approach on my own. Can I log those approaches for instrument currency, even though there is no other instructor present?
Thanks,
Bart
Greetings Bart:
The FAA is pretty clear on this one. The short answer is, no. That's the long answer, too. In order to log an approach in an approved simulator or flight training device for the purposes of instrument currency, the person operating the sim must be accompanied by a CFII, IGI, AGI, a Part 142 training center instructor who is appropriately rated and qualified, or an examiner, just to name a few. And strangely, some folks actually think that their being a CFI would satisfy the CFI requirement. You may love the one you're with, but you can't accompany yourself -- at least for this purpose. That's like believing that pre-ignition is the ability to see sparks from the future. So sorry, amigo.
Are IGI IPCs OK?
Dear Rod:
Is it OK for an instrument ground instructor (IGI) to perform an instrument proficiency check (IPC) in an approved simulator or flight training device (FTD)?
Sincerely,
C.K.
Greetings C.K.:
Outside a can of alphabet soup, I didn't know it was possible to squeeze that many capital letters in the small space of a single sentence. The answer to your question is, yes. An IGI can do an IPC in an AS/FTD.
Transportation for the ground-bound
Dear Rod:
I am 19 years old and hold a private pilot certificate. What do you recommend for transportation once I arrive at my destination? Many of the car rental companies set a "25 years or older" policy, and they do not make exceptions for young pilots. Please let me know what you think about this, because I'm pretty sure I didn't get a discount card for hitchhiking when I joined AOPA.
Thanks,
Greg
Greetings Greg:
Yes, that's thumb problem you have. Perhaps you can land at a place near a pizza parlor, order a pizza by phone, and give your desired destination as the delivery location. You'd then run over to the parlor and ask to ride with the delivery guy for the drop. OK, I'm trying my best here.
There are several practical solutions. First, some airport FBOs still offer a "courtesy car." These are usually remarkable specimens of auto antiquity, but they get you where you're going, often for only the price of refilling the tank when you bring it back. And you don't have to worry about getting a ticket because most of them don't have windshields. You're more likely to find these vehicles at smaller airports.
Second, call the FBO and ask if someone might be going your way or might be able to give you a ride. There may be a gas guy who'd love to earn a small tip for transporting you to town on his lunch hour. A third option is public transportation. It exists, and in many places its is an effective way to get around. You're likely to find a fellow pilot willing to give you a ride to the nearest rapid transit and/or bus stop. It may take a little more of your time, but this method of transportation is a lot less expensive. The only other practical suggestion I have for you is to take a cab or a shuttle. Yes, it could cost more than a car rental, but cars cost a lot, too. Then again, you probably have the option of landing closer to your actual destination than do airline passengers. This should make the cab fee a lot less expensive.
Will night currency requirements carry the day?
Dear Rod:
Regarding the 90-day rule to satisfy requirements for carrying passengers, if I do the three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop at night, will that satisfy the daytime requirements as well, or must I log those separately?
Thanks,
Mike
Greetings Mike:
Yes, if you get current at night you are current for day flying. There's no need to log those separately. Night currency applies to day currency, but not the other way around.
Parallel vs. teardrop entries
Dear Rod:
I don't see any reason why we are taught to distinguish when to use a parallel entry from when to use a teardrop entry when entering an IFR holding pattern. It seems to me that if I were approaching the holding fix on a heading where you would normally prescribe a teardrop entry, I could use a parallel entry and be equally safe.
Wouldn't it be much simpler (and thus safer) just to say that if the holding pattern is ahead of you when you arrive at the fix, use a parallel entry? This seems like another one of those things that has become unnecessarily complex and doesn't lend anything to safe flight.
Thanks, G.W.
Greetings G.W.:
You must be speaking figuratively, because there is a very good reason for using a parallel over a teardrop entry. If, for instance, you always insist on using a parallel entry when a teardrop is called for, you'll often find yourself having to make an additional turn to keep parallel to the inbound course. Most instrument pilots understand this. On the other hand, as a practical matter, there's nothing wrong with entering the holding pattern as you describe, as long as the pilot isn't on an instrument or ATP checkride. The practical test standards are quite clear about all applicants entering the holding pattern in the manner recommended in the Aeronautical Information Manual.
How much time between flights is safe?
Dear Rod:
I'm a second-year medical student, and while my first year allowed me some time to pursue my interest in flying, this year I'm finding it difficult to find time to fly. Though I'd like to fly every other week, it's become three or even four weeks between flights. I still feel comfortable in the airplane, but I do find my skills get rusty with so much time off. I'm afraid I might be compromising safety by not flying regularly.
Do you think this is too much time between flights? If I do need to take a break from flying because of school, is it just a matter of retraining a bit for my flight review once the time comes? I'd appreciate any advice you might have; I'm feeling a bit conflicted.
Thanks.
Charles
Greetings Charles:
Suggesting the amount of flying time necessary for you to keep proficient is tough, given that a lot depends on your personal qualities and experience. My experience suggests that it's not your proficiency (flying skills) that degrades as quickly as the confidence you feel at using your flying skills. In other words, you're more likely to lose confidence in your ability to fly than to experience a substantial degradation of flying skills.
As a flight instructor, I can take someone who hasn't flown in a year and have him reasonably proficient again with as little as two to three hours of training. What I can't do is make him as confident as he was when he was flying 10 hours a month. The real question here is, what can you do to help sustain your confidence in your flying abilities?
Let's look at the solution this way. As an instructor, I could fly for many hours with advanced students and never land an airplane or even touch the controls. Yet, I was always mentally involved with the student and the airplane. I was always thinking, plotting, scheming, planning, and anticipating.
Despite all the looking but not touching, there was never any doubt in my mind that my confidence and my proficiency had not diminished in any appreciable way. The point here is that by keeping mentally engaged in thinking about the airplane, you sustain your confidence and, most likely, keep your physical skills from degrading as quickly as they normally would.
What can you do to keep mentally engaged in flying when you can't actually fly? The very best suggestion, I believe, is to use a VFR-type flight simulator to keep those aviation neural pathways stimulated. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 comes to mind. I know several folks who fly the Beech Baron to help maintain their proficiency. A few even use the Boeing 737, because they like the challenge. There's no doubt in my mind that this will help to maintain your confidence and minimize the natural loss of flying skill that comes with time away from an airplane.
Turn techniques
Dear Rod:
I recently had a flight review student in a Piper Warrior who insisted on always looking in the opposite direction before making a turn. If I asked him for a turn to the right, he'd look left, then look right, then turn. He said that he was taught to look opposite before turning because the low wing would block his view of any converging airplane from that direction while in a turn. Is this an acceptable procedure?
No Name,
Thanks
Greetings N.N.:
I do the very same thing myself in my Beech Bonanza. It's an excellent technique, and your student's reasoning is perfectly sound.
Rod Machado is a flight instructor, author, educator, and speaker. A pilot since 1970 and a CFI since 1974, he has flown more than 8,000 hours and owns a Beech A36 Bonanza. Visit his Web site
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