Yesterday we finally had a chance to do the long X/C. For those of you that don't know, I have about 50 hours of dual instrument and I'm fairly close to the checkride. At least that's what my instructor proposes. So as you can see my long X/C came later for me than most. I've also had an...

Took three of my recent flights where I was flying just above the cloud deck conducting approaches, intermingled them throughout the video and put them to the tunes of Eric Clapton. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsV-iTQaZFU IMC or VMC? LOL Figure I'd toss that here for all the ruckus going on...

Let's say your 15 miles from your home airport in VMC, not on a flight plan. You know the area well. On your way, unforecast conditions (snow) causes visibility to start dropping below 3 miles. Ceilings are at 1800. You are just below the ceiling. You know the area well enough to do a contact...

What are your standards for taking passengers up into actual conditions? I've developed a decent feel for what people will tolerate VFR- who can take a few bumps, who will get scared if its windy, etc. But I haven't got any idea what to make of taking pax into the soup. Is it as disorienting...

So I'm reading my ASA Practical test standards booklet for Instrument Airplane and it says: (pg.6) 2. pass the appropriate instrument rating knowledge test SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE 24TH MONTH BEFORE THE MONTH IN WHICH THE PRACTICAL TEST WAS TAKEN. This means if I took the knowledge test...

Today I learned a lesson about practicing IFR flight. I was practicing with another member of our flying club who is a private pilot, but not instrument rated, coming back from Rogers, AR to Fort Smith after a pancake breakfast fly-in. Fort Smith was landing 7. My safety pilot wanted to fly just...

Am finishing up Machado's exellent Instrument Flying Handbook now. Really enjoyed that - lots of good stuff on approaches (especially) that you don't get in the training materials. So, what else is must reading for the newly-minted IFR pilot?? Thanks for all the replies on the staying-current...

So I spent a couple years studying IFR regulations, procedures, etc. and after I got my IFR rating, I didn't look at anything IFR related for many months. Then one day I went up with a CFI, and I couldn't remember basic things such as the 1-2-3 alternate airport requirements. Anyone know of...

Ok, this isn't the first time this has happened, but this month's quiz asks you for the airport ident of the airport you use if you can't get the local altimeter settings. Ok, the plate says to use "Whichita Mid-Continent", that part I got. But then the quiz answer says to look on the en route...

Yesterdays flight to GWO broken down into 2 five minute videos.(trying to reduce the length of my videos without sacrificing quality) http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N1943L/history/20091211/1610Z/KMBO/KMBO KMBO to KGWO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLwGLGMXE6E KGWO to KMBO...

Anybody know of an IFR route that you've used to go from the Boston area(just south of Boston) to the Baltimore area(Dulles)? I always seem to get routed up to the north or they want to send my out over the water. When VFR I'm always given direct JFK, then turn when past JFK. The TEC route is V44...

Hi everyone, We have a vacation planned in September to Ocracoke Island. We'll be departing from Spartanburg, SC (SPA). I have flown to Ocracoke once before but that was VFR from the north. Any idea what routing to expect when IFR from the west? Richard

Just got my rating a few months ago and have a few questions; I want to fly from Toronto City Center (CYTZ) to Windsor (CYQG) IFR. The CFS shows a preferred route of: V443 YQO HADAR ARRIVAL I assume I would be cleared via the Island 8 departure and vectored to V443. The HADAR arrival says DME...

I'm getting ready to buy a new PC and want to set it up for a little IFR simulation work. Not looking for a PCATD or anything. I'm thinking the latest version of MS Flt Sim and the appropriate control peripherals. I'm not a gamer - really just looking for a little procedure training. Looking...

I'm close to completing my PPL (9 days for my checkride) and planned to go onto to get IFR training in a 6-7 months. The weather in the San Francisco Bay area has been quite cloudy and rainy and was thinking about starting my IFR training immediately in order to take advantage of the IMC...

All through my primary training I learned never to turn more than 30 degree bank in the pattern, and keep that ball centered. For four years and about 230 hours I've flown by that doctrine. Now I'm doing instrument and on circling approaches I'm learning that to keep it close enough in on...

Hi All, I recently started working on an instrument rating and found that the www.naco.faa.gov website is little cumbersome to download and print approach plates. So I created a little tool that simplifies the process and thought others might find it useful. The tool will assemble a single PDF...

Here's a kinda stupid question for SF Bay Area pilots. Today is a nice day for some practice approaches in actual. We've got ceilings in the 1800-2000 level, stratus, no precip or wind, generally benign. Okay, so I thought I'd head over from PAO and log some approaches at the usual suspects:...

I'll be heading from Toledo to Buffalo late in June and I'm wondering if the Cleveland class B is accomodating for IFR flights through their area, or if I should expect to be vectored well around the area. Since I won't have life rafts or jackets onboard, I want to make sure that I get vectored...

I am planning a trip to PTK (Oakland County) which is about 25 miles north of Detroit. I will be coming from the south. The route is V493 to CRL and then direct to the PSI VOR. Planned altitude is 6000'. This will take me almost directly overhead the DTW airport. What are the chances of...