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On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 21:56:34 GMT, gregg wrote:
Are there any other things that could be done during a strictly VFR XC that would help? Get really good at being able to fly without any radio aids. Picture yourself on a nice IFR flight where ceilings are about 2000 OVC and 3 to 5 miles in mist and haze. Great for a low time IFR pilot. You're flying along in the soup "fat, dumb, and happy," when you notice an electrical problem. Over the course of the next 10 minutes you lose everything. No navs, no comms, hand held GPS decides to crap out too. You know the terrain below you is under 1000 MSL and fairly flat so you chose to feel your way to the base of the clouds. All of this takes place without anymore undue stress than you're already under. Now, clear of clouds, you take out your sectional (you do carry sectionals when flying IFR don't you?) and need to navigate to a suitable landing facility. Completely stressed and under a low deck, without any navigational aides, can you get to an airport 30 miles away and know where you are while doing it? Or is getting to the destination harder than handling the emergency in the soup? Having written the above example off the top of my head, there may be some holes in it you could pick apart. My intent is that someday you could be left with only your VFR skills and a map to bail you out of a jam and you need those basic skills to be ingrained in you enough that you can do them while under more stress than will ever be placed on you in a training environment. The regs call for added VFR cross country time for a reason. You need to be extremely proficient in these skills. If the law makers wanted to increase your instrument skills for this requirement, they would have made the reg pertain to IFR cross countries, not VFR cross countries. Bottom line, I'd say do your cross countries with the radios off. Use your finger and a map, and make some flights to hard to find grass strips if possible. Your IFR training will do enough for you to function well in the Instrument environment, its up to you to ensure your other skills are up to snuff. Sorry for the book. z |
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