IFR Lesson 14 - The Last Mile
12/14/2007 Filed in: Flying
IFR Lesson 14 - The Last Mile
Despite my horrible performance in the last lesson, I have apparently crossed
a milestone. The log entry for today's flight is the first to contain those
fateful words: "Test Prep"
CFII: Anything in particular you want to work on?
Me: I'm still shaky on just about everything.
CFII: Well, we haven't done GPS waypoint holds, so we'll start with that.
We hop into a DA-20 and rocket our way through the harrowing flight to
Murfreesboro (KMBT), a full 10nm away. I pull up the GPS 36 approach and
then...
CFII: (playing ATC) N223NH, hold as published at URACE.
Me: Hmmm. Ok.
The labor contract dispute between my brain and my hands has apparently
finally been resolved as I am able to not only determine the proper hold
entry, but then execute it. Hoffa would be proud.
Round and round we go and then CFII assigns me the GPS 18 approach instead.
Hrm.
CFII: (again, as ATC) Which initial approach fix would you like?
Me: Standby.
I get the plate for that approach and pick a fix that I'm pretty sure is
closest to us. As it turns out, either of two would do the trick, but CFII is
satisfied with my choice.
After flying that approach and going missed, I'm shocked to discover no real
mistakes were made. By the way, if you can't tell, I'm having a major crisis
in confidence after that last flight. It's bad enough that I'm half expecting
to land gear up in our fixed tricycle DA-20 later today.
Moving on, we head towards KSYI again to fly a partial panel DME arc. Now,
let me tell you, it'll have to be a *real* emergency before I'd ever do this
on an actual IFR flight. If I had the choice between a vacuum failure DME arc
and gliding down an ILS after exhausting my fuel, I'd have some real thinkin
to do.
Nevertheless, I fly the approach sans about half the instruments. Ironically,
when you have inop systems, and therefore fewer instructions to actually
watch, you're tremendously more busy. It's realizations like this one that
make me love flying.
After all that, however, this approach, despite being the first time I have
flown it partial panel, was quite good. I was absolutely pegged on the arc
the whole time, nailed the turn inbound, and didn't even screw up the 270
degree compass turn on the missed. Even CFII was on my side this time.
CFII: Excellent job.
Me: Thank you, I'm rather surprised myself.
To show his appreciation for my fine performance, he leaves the stickies on
for another partial panel ILS 32 into Smyrna. This one started out a little
dodgy with the localizer, but I manage to come through before the outer marker
and fly it down moderately above of the capabilities of your typical ILS
virgin. Not my finest example, but I'm satisfied with it.
On the whole, it's been a good day, and I very much needed one after the last
one. As we're taxiing back...
CFII: Now that's checkride passing material right there!
Shame he's not the examiner. We'll see if I can keep this upward trend going
until the fateful day. Oh, and yeah, it's been scheduled but I'm not telling
when :)
Despite my horrible performance in the last lesson, I have apparently crossed
a milestone. The log entry for today's flight is the first to contain those
fateful words: "Test Prep"
CFII: Anything in particular you want to work on?
Me: I'm still shaky on just about everything.
CFII: Well, we haven't done GPS waypoint holds, so we'll start with that.
We hop into a DA-20 and rocket our way through the harrowing flight to
Murfreesboro (KMBT), a full 10nm away. I pull up the GPS 36 approach and
then...
CFII: (playing ATC) N223NH, hold as published at URACE.
Me: Hmmm. Ok.
The labor contract dispute between my brain and my hands has apparently
finally been resolved as I am able to not only determine the proper hold
entry, but then execute it. Hoffa would be proud.
Round and round we go and then CFII assigns me the GPS 18 approach instead.
Hrm.
CFII: (again, as ATC) Which initial approach fix would you like?
Me: Standby.
I get the plate for that approach and pick a fix that I'm pretty sure is
closest to us. As it turns out, either of two would do the trick, but CFII is
satisfied with my choice.
After flying that approach and going missed, I'm shocked to discover no real
mistakes were made. By the way, if you can't tell, I'm having a major crisis
in confidence after that last flight. It's bad enough that I'm half expecting
to land gear up in our fixed tricycle DA-20 later today.
Moving on, we head towards KSYI again to fly a partial panel DME arc. Now,
let me tell you, it'll have to be a *real* emergency before I'd ever do this
on an actual IFR flight. If I had the choice between a vacuum failure DME arc
and gliding down an ILS after exhausting my fuel, I'd have some real thinkin
to do.
Nevertheless, I fly the approach sans about half the instruments. Ironically,
when you have inop systems, and therefore fewer instructions to actually
watch, you're tremendously more busy. It's realizations like this one that
make me love flying.
After all that, however, this approach, despite being the first time I have
flown it partial panel, was quite good. I was absolutely pegged on the arc
the whole time, nailed the turn inbound, and didn't even screw up the 270
degree compass turn on the missed. Even CFII was on my side this time.
CFII: Excellent job.
Me: Thank you, I'm rather surprised myself.
To show his appreciation for my fine performance, he leaves the stickies on
for another partial panel ILS 32 into Smyrna. This one started out a little
dodgy with the localizer, but I manage to come through before the outer marker
and fly it down moderately above of the capabilities of your typical ILS
virgin. Not my finest example, but I'm satisfied with it.
On the whole, it's been a good day, and I very much needed one after the last
one. As we're taxiing back...
CFII: Now that's checkride passing material right there!
Shame he's not the examiner. We'll see if I can keep this upward trend going
until the fateful day. Oh, and yeah, it's been scheduled but I'm not telling
when :)