IFR just 5.4% of the time

On 2/28/2007 4:00:54 PM, "Jay Honeck" wrote:

and I can count just TWO that are both current and
proficient instrument pilots.

Did you count me into that mix? I met you last summer. Flying IFR twice
per week since I met you, I am definitely both current and proficient.

Yep.

So you only know one other IFR-rated pilot out of your "helluv a lot of
pilots" group who is both current and proficient? I find that difficult to
believe.

--
Peter

In article om,
"Jay Honeck" wrote:

As another VFR pilot I am not surprised.

I know you're not, Gene -- but you're the exception. You've flown
more cross-country VFR flights than any active pilot I know.

One thing I think the IR *does* give many pilots is the confidence
boost they needed to launch on a truly cross-country flight.

A current instrument rated pilot also has more safety margin when
flying in less than CAVU. When I'm current (in a practical way, not
just FAA recent experience), I have more options than you do
(if we ignore the fact that Atlas can fly a bit higher and faster than
my cherokee).

The fact
that their enhanced weather-handling ability is largely illusory
(again, unless they're flying a Pilatus) is irrelevant --

say what? You think me and my cherokee can't handle IMC?
IMC isn't just ice and thunderstorms.

I guess the northeast gets more IMC days than Iowa.

--
Bob Noel
Looking for a sig the
lawyers will hate

I heard that the corn oil STC is about to be approved on the PC-12.
Corn oil is about $1/gallon cheaper than Jet-A in Iowa, right?

:-))


On Feb 28, 9:27 am, "Jay Honeck" wrote:


The cool thing is, a PC-12 is so fast that a multi-state partnership
would actually WORK!

On 2/28/2007 4:39:47 PM, "Jim B" wrote:

Right now I'm confident that I'm proficient in all areas of departure,
climb, cruise, decent, and arrival procedures and also proficient to shoot
most precision and non precision approaches down to minimums in non
mountainous terrain, both in radar and non radar environments.

Wait a minute... you know Jay, too, so you are the second of the two
instrument-rated pilots he knows. That means there are no pilots in Iowa City
who are proficient and current.

--
Peter

I always say currency is black and white while proficiency is always grey.
A current instrument pilot must be aware of his level of proficiency.

Right now I'm confident that I'm proficient in all areas of departure,
climb, cruise, decent, and arrival procedures and also proficient to shoot
most precision and non precision approaches down to minimums in non
mountainous terrain, both in radar and non radar environments. Some times I
don't feel confident that I am as proficient as that, and when not, my
weather minimums go up, my landing airports get more runways and better
services, and the entire flight's acceptable level of complexity goes down.

Many times an IR will give you more options, but with those options comes an
increased responsibility to know your current level of ability and
proficiency.

Jim

Lol! I know nothing
Jim

Jay Honeck wrote:


1. VFR conditions prevail roughly 95% of the time, even here in the
rough-and-tumble Midwest.

Rough and tumble? You were joking, right? The weather in the northeast
is much worse then the midwest.

Matt

Jay Honeck wrote:

As I sit on the ground, on a day off, not flying due to (yet more)
ice, I thought I'd share these interesting results with the group...

Here is my way of looking at it. I've flown 421.2 hours since getting
my instrument rating. Of that, 23.9 was simulated instrument for
training so I'll exclude that. A lot was local flying, but I don't have
any easy way to exclude that so I won't, but that would change the
numbers even further.

I have flown 95.7 hours of actual. So the percentage of my flights that
were in actual is 95.7/397.3 = 24%. And these are mostly flights I
couldn't have made VFR. The percentage would be even higher if I was
counting only my cross country flight time, but that would take a while
to figure. Even so, 24% is a significant increase in dispatch rate.
And trust me, when I was flying on business, it seemed that the bad
weather always occurred on a day I needed to be at a meeting 500 miles away!

So, I think in the northeast your 9% rate is way too low. And it is
probably way too high for the southwest!


Matt

Jay Honeck wrote:

4. This explains why just half of all pilots have pursued the
instrument rating, and why a very small percentage of instrument rated
pilots are current or proficient.

And the numbers for that can be found where?


First, Thomas, let me congratulate you on the civil tone of your
response. It's quite pleasant, thank you!

The low number of current/proficient IFR pilots has been discussed by
Richard Collins in Flying magazine (I don't remember the source of his
data, sorry), and it's backed up by my personal observations. After
five years of catering to pilots at the hotel, of being our AOPA
Airport Support Network Volunteer, and of running our airport advocacy
group, "Friends of Iowa City Airport", I know one helluva lot of
pilots -- and I can count just TWO that are both current and
proficient instrument pilots.

I think that is somewhat unique to your location. Where I live, a
1,000' ceiling above the airport barely clears some of the nearby
mountains. So, while you could fly all over Iowa with 1,000', I
couldn't get out of the pattern. I'm exaggerating just slightly, but a
1.000' ceiling above ELM isn't very comfortable for flying out of the
vicinity of the airport.

Matt

Jim B wrote:

I always say currency is black and white while proficiency is always grey.
A current instrument pilot must be aware of his level of proficiency.

Right now I'm confident that I'm proficient in all areas of departure,
climb, cruise, decent, and arrival procedures and also proficient to shoot
most precision and non precision approaches down to minimums in non
mountainous terrain, both in radar and non radar environments. Some times I
don't feel confident that I am as proficient as that, and when not, my
weather minimums go up, my landing airports get more runways and better
services, and the entire flight's acceptable level of complexity goes down.

Many times an IR will give you more options, but with those options comes an
increased responsibility to know your current level of ability and
proficiency.

Jim



I agree. I'm current. I'm proficient, other than GPS and NDB
approaches. However, I'm not as skilled as I'd like to be and as I was
when I owned an airplane and flew IFR in IMC and into large airports
(PHL, BOS, BWI, etc.) on a regular basis. I'd not feel real comfortable
flying into a busy airport in IMC at the moment, but flying into a small
airport wouldn't be a problem.

I used to get bored flying an ILS as the Skylane was so slow I thought
I'd never get to the ground. Now, I still have to concentrate to make
sure I'm staying ahead of the airplane. I'm safe, but I'm not at the
level where I can almost fly an approach subconciously.

Matt