IFR student: circling approach struggles

I think this topic brings up another good point. Start practicing VFR
landings using non-standard approaches. I find a nice, out of the way
airport, with no traffic and practice right traffic, straight in, close
downwind, 180 turns to final,etc.... I also had a problem with
getting in the Downwind, base, final rut and needed to get some
practice doing funny approaches. Many VOR IAP do not line you up for
the runway.
This practice has actually helped me to land the airplane on nice days
as well as during IMC.

Just slow down. That will decrease your turm radius & give you more time to
do everything else. You can also put in half flaps if you dont like flying
slow with your nose in the air. So far as distance from the runway, normal
pattern distances will always be within the 1.3 miles alloted. Its
distracting for sure to be lower than usual TPA, so all the more reason to
just increase the pitch angle & slow it down.

Good luck !!


"xyzzy" wrote in message
...
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 downwind and still get it around to final lined
up, I have to bank pretty steeply and sometimes even do slipping turns to
final. Plus I'm starting from an altitude about 400-500 feet lower than
the pattern altitude I am used to. so suddenly I am being called upon to
do steep turns in the pattern, sometimes uncoordinated, and significantly
lower than I usually fly patterns. I'm find it hard to unlearn and as a
result my circling approaches are all overshooting final. So far I have
always been able to get back to it while staying coordinated and land with
plenty of runway left. I'm finding myself having an easier time doing
that than banking more than 30 degrees in a slip while only 300-400 feet
AGL.

Did other IFR pilots have this difficulty in training and if so how did
you overcome it. Right now my plan is to go up to altitude and practice
slipping turns and just work at it with my instructor.