It costs a lot of time and cash to add an instrument rating to your Private or Commercial Pilot's license. Once you have been awarded it, you don't want to let it lapse and go to waste. Living, as I do, in Hawaii, I find that I don't need to fly on instruments very often. However, island weather can transform all at once and I want to remain competent for those times when I want to file and fly an IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) flight plan.
Instrument flying is not precisely like "never forgetting how to ride a bicycle." If you don't fly IFR on a fairly normal basis, it is easy to become "out of form" and you certainly don't want to endanger your life and those of your passengers because you neglected to practice frequently so as to stay proficient. Repeated schooling can be costly, especially if your IFR flying skills are a bit "out of practice." Periodic IFR competency reviews with an instrument instructor are mandated by the FAA and, certainly, every instrument pilot wants those to go rapidly and smoothly. Much more significant than getting through a check ride is the reality that you really need to keep up your IFR competence for the sake of yourself and those individuals who trust you with their lives.
Even though I can't log the instrument flight time legally, as I could in an FAA-approved flight simulator, I have noticed that utilizing a high-quality flight simulator on my home computer is a great way to prevent myself from getting rusty. I can practice all the instrument approaches I desire, as often as I choose, at no actual out-of-pocket expense. For a long time, I have utilized various versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator to this end but recently I have become interested in the potential of a software program called Pro Flight Simulator. There's much to admire about this simulator and there are very few bad points.
Many persons who use this software have never (and probably will never) will fly a real airplane in their lives. This type of user usually looks at Pro Flight Simulator as a game, which, in reality, it is. The other kind of user is a licensed pilot, like me, who is more concerned with the thought that practice makes perfect.
Over the years, the trouble with home computer-based flight simulators is that they were not very lifelike in terms of lag as it relates to instrument and control response. Personally, I have found the airplanes modeled by these simulators to be actually much harder to land smoothly than their real-life counterparts. When flying a real plane on instruments, there is a lag between the time when a motion is input to the controls and when the result that input will appear on the instrument panel as the aircraft responds. Pilots become accustomed to this, so the more lifelike a simulator is in this regard, the more helpful the software is to the practicing pilot. There is also lag in certain instruments themselves. As an example, it takes a magnetic compass a few moments to read accurately after the completion of a turn. You need it to act this way in your simulator, also.
While there are many nice qualities of Pro Flight Simulator that I could talk about, I will restrict myself to those of most significance to pilots using this flight simulator to keep up IFR competency. In short, the instruments and controls are not only true-to-life; they act very much like the genuine article. In addition, the over two hundred airplanes that are incorporated with Pro Flight Simulator act much like their real-life counterparts do when flying through real air. You can control the weather conditions to simulate the IFR weather you are going to come upon in real life and you can flight plan routes all over the globe to and from 20,000 different airports. For VFR (Visual Flight Rules) flying, Pro Flight Simulator's photo-realistic scenery and landscapes seem very much like the real thing.
There's much more to this fantastic flight simulator. You can learn more by going over the advertising information online. You can purchase it and download it on the Internet but because it is such a large download, I strongly recommend you acquire a DVD from the member's area.
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How to get your Pilot Private Licsence
If you're dreaming of becoming a private pilot, take the time to find out what is required before you go too far. Obviously, you're going to need to make sure you have the most basic requirements met. You'll need to be 17 years old before you can actually have a pilots certificate but, you can start your training any time before then. You won't be able to solo until you're 16. You'll also need to be able to speak, read, write and understand English. Lastly on the list of basics, you'll want to make sure you can pass a third class aviation physical. It's not that tough, but there are plenty of people who can't pass. You'll want to know that before you get too far into your training.
The first step in the process of earning your private pilot license is to find flights schools in your area. Take your time to go in, look around, meet the instructors and take a look at the aircraft. Also, ask for a list of previous students and find out if you can contact them. This is going to be a time of very intense training, so you want to make sure everything with the school checks out. Don't be too freaked out about flying in a plane built in the 1970's as that's not too uncommon. Of course, the newer the plane, the more features you'll have. But, new doesn't always mean safe.
Once you've found a school, look for an instructor who you can trust and seems to match your personality type. You're going to be spending a lot of hours together in very closer quarters, so you want to make sure you enjoy each others company. You'll also want a flight instructor who actually enjoys teaching people to fly. Unfortunately, a good chunk of CFI's are only there to get the hours they need and then move on to one of the regional airlines. They don't always make the best instructors. Of course, sometimes they do, so don't let that be your only deciding factor.
There is a great debate that goes on among students and instructors over when to do your ground school. Some believe you should finish up your ground school and take your written exam before starting your flight training. The theory is, you'll have the knowledge you need for every step in the process and can focus on the flight portion of your training. Others believe it's best to keep your ground school training a step or two ahead of your flight training, so you learn the theory and then reinforce it immediately with the actual flight time. Either way, you have to get it done, so do what you need to make it fit into your schedule.
If you're attending a part 61 flight school, you'll need to complete 40 hours of flight training before you can take your practical exam or checkride. Of that time, 20 hours must be dual instruction with a certified flight instructor and 10 hours of solo time. You'll also need to have some other time requirements met, such as night flight, instrument time and cross-country flights. These will all come together as your CFI instructs.
The last hurdle to getting your private pilot license is your checkride or practical exam. This will include an oral exam as well as an evaluation of your flying ability. The oral portion will typically take 2 or more hours of time. It will include a good dialog with your examiner about all areas of knowledge you're expected to have. It can be quite stressful, but a wonderful learning experience at the same time.
Your actual flight exam will be spent going over the practical test standards or PTS which you should have reviewed several times with your CFI. Remember, your examiner is NOT trying to trip you up or see if he or she can fail you. They're there to make sure you're going to be safe sharing the sky with them and the other pilots in the world. This is also a wonderful opportunity to learn from this experience.
Having passed all these skills tests, your examiner will reach out his hand to congratulate you as a new pilot. He'll then issue a temporary certificate while you wait for the FAA to issue the real deal. It will be one of those moments in your life you won't soon forget. Congratulations pilot!
The first step in the process of earning your private pilot license is to find flights schools in your area. Take your time to go in, look around, meet the instructors and take a look at the aircraft. Also, ask for a list of previous students and find out if you can contact them. This is going to be a time of very intense training, so you want to make sure everything with the school checks out. Don't be too freaked out about flying in a plane built in the 1970's as that's not too uncommon. Of course, the newer the plane, the more features you'll have. But, new doesn't always mean safe.
Once you've found a school, look for an instructor who you can trust and seems to match your personality type. You're going to be spending a lot of hours together in very closer quarters, so you want to make sure you enjoy each others company. You'll also want a flight instructor who actually enjoys teaching people to fly. Unfortunately, a good chunk of CFI's are only there to get the hours they need and then move on to one of the regional airlines. They don't always make the best instructors. Of course, sometimes they do, so don't let that be your only deciding factor.
There is a great debate that goes on among students and instructors over when to do your ground school. Some believe you should finish up your ground school and take your written exam before starting your flight training. The theory is, you'll have the knowledge you need for every step in the process and can focus on the flight portion of your training. Others believe it's best to keep your ground school training a step or two ahead of your flight training, so you learn the theory and then reinforce it immediately with the actual flight time. Either way, you have to get it done, so do what you need to make it fit into your schedule.
If you're attending a part 61 flight school, you'll need to complete 40 hours of flight training before you can take your practical exam or checkride. Of that time, 20 hours must be dual instruction with a certified flight instructor and 10 hours of solo time. You'll also need to have some other time requirements met, such as night flight, instrument time and cross-country flights. These will all come together as your CFI instructs.
The last hurdle to getting your private pilot license is your checkride or practical exam. This will include an oral exam as well as an evaluation of your flying ability. The oral portion will typically take 2 or more hours of time. It will include a good dialog with your examiner about all areas of knowledge you're expected to have. It can be quite stressful, but a wonderful learning experience at the same time.
Your actual flight exam will be spent going over the practical test standards or PTS which you should have reviewed several times with your CFI. Remember, your examiner is NOT trying to trip you up or see if he or she can fail you. They're there to make sure you're going to be safe sharing the sky with them and the other pilots in the world. This is also a wonderful opportunity to learn from this experience.
Having passed all these skills tests, your examiner will reach out his hand to congratulate you as a new pilot. He'll then issue a temporary certificate while you wait for the FAA to issue the real deal. It will be one of those moments in your life you won't soon forget. Congratulations pilot!
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