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#11
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"Dave Jacobowitz" wrote in message om... | | So on Sunday I have my requisite X-C with my instructor, | and, wham, I feel like I totally unraveled. Good. This is the "bad ride" that you get just before reaching a new level of competence. |
#12
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Thanks for all the supportive posts, guys. I think
you're all correct, that it was a good learning experience, what training is all about. Certainly those mistakes are ones that I am less likely to repeat. I'm looking forward to the time when my ability to scan and fly is so good that I have plenty of time to deal with checklists, etc. Of course, that will only signal that it's time to learn something new! What I enjoyed very much about my primary training was that in-over-my-head feeling that I consistently had, where at first I couldn't fly level and chew gum at the same time, and the instructor always kept me totally "saturated," adding new tasks just as (or before) I was ready to deal with them. I got that feeling again, as I started the instrument training. That had started to fade, too, before we launched on the X-C. But it came back when I did not expect it. I think fatigue was also a factor. The flight was 4.4hrs, PAO-SAC-FAT-PAO. I think I learned a good lesson about mental acuity: if a cockpit is no place for a mentally fatigued pilot, then a cockpit in IMC is much worse. -- dave j |
#14
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Good. This is the "bad ride" that you get just before reaching a new level
of competence. Well put, I was about to say the same thing. On the contrary, this is a sign of progress, everyone reaches a "bad day" point where they screw up and *know* that they did, a big step up from previous blissful ignorance... No reason to get discouraged. |
#15
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(Dave Jacobowitz) wrote in
om: So on Sunday I have my requisite X-C with my instructor, and, wham, I feel like I totally unraveled. Just one mistake after another. Sloppy approaches, forgetting to swtich tanks until the aileron to keep the plane level is unmistakable,... This too is part of your training. Even when you have your rating and significant instrument experience under your belt (and it **does** get better G), there will be times when things start to unravel. It is important to learn, not how to keep it from happening (you can't, you're human), rather how to STOP it as soon as you recognize it and get things back on track. There will be times when it seems like all you can do is make mistakes. With experience they will happen less and less, but they will happen. [Just listen to the airlines enough.] What is important is that you learn to recognize this "accident chain," and learn to take a deep breath. Then "ATC, Barnburner 123 needs a radar vector for a couple of minutes, while we get some problems sorted out up here." Then you find the right map, get the avionics programmed, take another breath, swear NOT to dwell on the PREVIOUS few minutes, only on the ones ahead, and you are back on track again. Don't sweat your XC session - that's why you had an instructor on board. ----------------------------------------------- James M. Knox TriSoft ph 512-385-0316 1109-A Shady Lane fax 512-366-4331 Austin, Tx 78721 ----------------------------------------------- |
#16
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In article , "James M. Knox"
writes: This too is part of your training. Even when you have your rating and significant instrument experience under your belt (and it **does** get better G), there will be times when things start to unravel. It is important to learn, not how to keep it from happening (you can't, you're human), rather how to STOP it as soon as you recognize it and get things back on track. James, I think that this is a very important point that you make. You will never get perfect and never make a mistake. It is the recognizing of "the first" one and correcting rather than complicating with another and another. To me, this is the same point that says that we will never "win" the terrorist war. We need to accomadate to it and realize that an incident will happen. One of these days a GA plane will be involved (God help us, I hope it is a long way off) but that sure isn't a reason to close GA any more than we should stop renting Ryder trucks after Oklahoma. Chuck |
#17
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I just want to thank everyone on this board who has
been supportive. I flew with my CFII again yesterday for the first time since the X/C. (It's been almost two full weeks -- a long time in IFR training, but there were the usual scheduling conflicts.) Anyway, aside from a little sloppiness on climbout, things went well, and I felt like a pilot again. We flew to KAPC, KCCR, KOAK, and flew a variety of approaches, with nary a corrective word from my instructor, or ATC for that matter. The two low pointa were being told by Travis approach that they won't allow practice approaches at Concord anymore. Also, the Oakland people cancelled an ndb 27r approach about 30 seconds after giving me my final vector because I was off course. Okay, I had a sloppy start but I was pretty far out and was just getting established. -- dave |
#18
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(Dave Jacobowitz) wrote in
om: The two low pointa were being told by Travis approach that they won't allow practice approaches at Concord anymore. Also, the Oakland people cancelled an ndb 27r approach about 30 seconds after giving me my final vector because I was off course. Okay, I had a sloppy start but I was pretty far out and was just getting established. It's also possible to create your own instrument approaches. For example, take a VOR appoach to an airport with co-located VOR. Now just pick some VOR out in the boonies and use it instead. If terrain is a problem, add 1000 feet to everything. Yes, you won't be able to "see" the runway at the MAP - but it will still be just as hard to keep the needles centered. [Same thing can be done with an NDB approach and an AM radio tower. Or just make up your own approach to a "virtual" airport.] ----------------------------------------------- James M. Knox TriSoft ph 512-385-0316 1109-A Shady Lane fax 512-366-4331 Austin, Tx 78721 ----------------------------------------------- |
#19
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Don't question your worthiness. Just realize that the stakes
are a little higher when you fly IFR and it's important to stay on top of your game. The PAO - SAC - FAT route is one I've take IFR students on, and 4+ hours is a lot of time under the hood. Did you bring along water and some food? Both are important for long trips like that particularly with the kind of workload you have when IFR. Max T, MCFI So. Anybody else have a bad flight that made them question their instrument rating worthiness? -- dave |
#20
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All you've described is, as you know by now, a part of your learning
experience. I really never had any trouble "flying instruments" or procedures. It was when I had to put it all together that things unraveled. I delayed taking my check ride well beyond the point where my instructor wanted me to do it (he said I had done everything required on the check ride) because I didn't feel like or fly like a confidant instrument pilot in the real world. I wanted to be able and willing to fly IFR/IMC back from my check ride if necessary. I actually changed instructors at that point. The second one said, after the first flight with me, "you're not a confident instrument pilot". I said "bingo, you got it" and we went on from there. A day after the check ride I was returning from a short flight into IMC at the home base. Great fun that instrument approach. A month later coming back from a trip to Colorado, solid IFC for an hour after takeoff from Loveland until the clouds cleared near Pueblo. No problem because I had trained for that. "Dave Jacobowitz" wrote in message om... I just want to thank everyone on this board who has been supportive. I flew with my CFII again yesterday for the first time since the X/C. (It's been almost two full weeks -- a long time in IFR training, but there were the usual scheduling conflicts.) Anyway, aside from a little sloppiness on climbout, things went well, and I felt like a pilot again. We flew to KAPC, KCCR, KOAK, and flew a variety of approaches, with nary a corrective word from my instructor, or ATC for that matter. The two low pointa were being told by Travis approach that they won't allow practice approaches at Concord anymore. Also, the Oakland people cancelled an ndb 27r approach about 30 seconds after giving me my final vector because I was off course. Okay, I had a sloppy start but I was pretty far out and was just getting established. -- dave |
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