sporty’s instrument rating course
TRANSCRIPT
Sporty’s Instrument Rating Course
Video Training Study Guide and Review Notes
© 2019 by Sporty’s Academy, Inc. All Rights Reserved 08/19
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Sporty’s Instrument Rating Course 1 Chapter 1 – Instrument Flying Fundamentals 5
The IFR Flight to Chicago Midway 5 Getting Started in Your Instrument Training 6 The Instrument Scan 7 Straight & Level, Climbs & Descents 8 Closer Look: Flight Simulators 9 Flying In Turbulence 10 Air Facts: Staying Cool Under Fire 11 Turns and Steep Turns 12 Closer Look: Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) 13 Vacuum & Pressure Systems 14 Partial Panel 15 Air Facts: Glass Cockpit Flying 16 Conclusion 17
Chapter 2 – Air Traffic Control and IFR 18
Separation & Other Standards 18 The Basic Structure 19 Air Facts: Talking to Controllers 20 IFR En Route 21 Departing the Terminal Area 22 IFR Arrivals 24 Closer Look: ATC Technology 25 IFR Communications 26 Air Facts: Radio Pro 27 Learning the System 28 Air Facts: Flight Plans, Fact & Fiction 29 The Pilot’s Role In The System 30 Closer Look: Transponders 31 Global Positioning System 32
Chapter 3 – Instrument Approaches 33
The Goal 33 Approach Chart Details 34 Flying the Localizer 35
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Flying the Glide Slope 36 Air Facts: The Simple Facts 37 Unusual Approaches 38 Air Facts: Vectors 39 Flying VOR Approaches 40 Closer Look: Procedure Turns 41 Holding 42 Circling Approaches 43 Visual Descent Points and DME 44 GPS Approaches 45
Chapter 4 – En Route IFR 46
Flight Planning & Chart Reading 46 Closer Look: FAA vs. Jeppesen 47 Checking Weather 48 Air Facts: A PC 4 IFR? OK 49 Building Margins 50 Air Facts: Conquering Cockpit Clutter 51 En Route Planning 52 Closer Look: Approach Lighting Systems 53 Planning For The Approach 54 Air Facts: Check It Out 55 Closer Look: Designer Approaches 56 Going To An Alternate 57 Air Facts: What Is The Alternative 58
Chapter 5 – Weather for IFR 59
Getting Weather Oriented 59 Ice 60 Air Facts: Ice As A Practical Matter 61 Closer Look: Ice Protection Systems 62 Thunderstorms 63 Closer Look: Thunderstorm Research 64 Cockpit Weather Information 65 Air Facts: ATC Radar For Weather Avoidance 66 Below Minimum Weather 67 Air Facts: Reading The Weather Signs 68 Turbulence 69 Middle Altitude Weather 70
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Air Facts: Nighttime Weather 71 Chapter 6 – Advanced IFR 72
Trainer To High Performance 72 Flight Director and HSI 73 Closer Look: IFR Resources 74 IFR Use Of The Autopilot 75 Air Facts: Night IFR 76 Engine Instrumentation 77 Air Facts: Keep It Running 78 Principles of Turbocharging 79 Oxygen Use 80 Pressurization 81 Closer Look: Flight Level Regulations 82 Air Facts: All-Weather Airplane? 83
Chapter 7 – FARs and Your Instrument Test 84
IFR Weather 84 Closer Look: Computer Testing 85 IFR Weather Data 86 Practical & Oral Testing 87 Closer Look: Test Taking Tips 88 Federal Aviation Regulations 89 Communications Loss Procedures 90 Air Facts: Communications Loss 91 Aircraft Instruments 92 Closer Look: Instrument Failure 93 Clearances And Flight Plans 94 Glass Checkride 95 ATC Expectations 96
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Chapter 1 – Instrument Flying Fundamentals
The IFR Flight to Chicago Midway Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 1
This section takes you on an actual IFR flight. The aircraft is a G1000 equipped Piper Malibu. The trip is from Clermont County Airport to Chicago Midway Airport.
Review:
1. This section stresses the importance of excellent weather planning and getting a proper briefing.
2. The next step is the preparation and filing of a flight plan. This may be done online. 3. The program takes you through the various radio calls en route with ATC and the
importance of occasionally monitoring the weather conditions.
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Getting Started in Your Instrument Training Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 2 In this section you will learn to control the airplane more precisely, to navigate by radio aids, to deal with air traffic control, and to make instrument approaches.
Review:
1. The requirements for an instrument rating are listed in FAR 61 and include both ground and flight instruction. There is a knowledge examination which covers regulations, aircraft instruments, radio navigation, flight planning, en route, approach procedures, and weather.
2. The criteria for the oral and practical portions of the test are listed in the Airman Certification Standards (ACS).
3. The practical test is structured to resemble an actual flight under instrument flight rules in instrument conditions.
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The Instrument Scan Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 3 In this section we will consider the fundamental skills you must develop as you become an instrument pilot.
Review:
1. These skills are instrument scan, instrument interpretation, and airplane control. 2. Most analog instrument panels are arranged in the standard "T" pattern. 3. An effective scan is looking at the right instrument or instruments at the right time.
Instrument flying substitutes the attitude indicator for the natural horizon. 4. During your instrument flying, most of your scan time will be spent on the attitude
indicator. 5. Don’t scan too rapidly, know what you’re looking for – that’s interpretation.
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Straight & Level, Climbs & Descents Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 4 In this section we will consider flying on instruments during straight-and-level, climbs, and descents.
Review:
1. The control panel is grouped into pitch, bank, or power instruments. 2. The attitude indicator gives a direct picture of the pitch attitude of the airplane. The
indirect instruments are the airspeed, vertical speed indicator, and the altimeter. 3. Pitch corrections and limited to half, full, and one and one half bar widths corrections. 4. Pitch, bank, and power control must be coordinated for climbs, turns and descents. 5. The most common error for both pitch and bank control is over controlling.
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Closer Look: Flight Simulators Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 5 In this section we will consider “flying” in a ground training device in order to earn some of your instrument time.
Review:
1. Ground trainers also have the advantage of allowing you to practice the difficult parts of the flight without spending a lot of time on the easy parts.
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Flying In Turbulence Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 6 In this section we will consider some of the difficulties in flying instruments in turbulent conditions.
Review:
1. The attitude indicator is quite important when instrument flying in turbulence - the only instrument that gives a direct indication of bank.
2. An airplane is not so stable in roll. It’s of primary importance to maintain roll control of the airplane regardless of how turbulent the air becomes.
3. If you are in wind shear turbulence, the airspeed variations might be dramatic. 4. In turbulence everything constantly changes. 5. The most severe turbulence comes in or near a thunderstorm.
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Air Facts: Staying Cool Under Fire Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 7 Flying can present conditions that cause stress. Success, in these situations, demands self control.
Review:
1. Some reasons for stress might be turbulence, an accumulation of ice, or a mechanical problem.
2. When a difficult problem occurs, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Run the appropriate emergency checklist, and if necessary, head for the nearest suitable airport.
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Turns and Steep Turns Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 8 In this section we will discuss turns, both standard rate and steep, while flying in reference to instruments only.
Review:
1. The standard rate turn is one which changes the airplane’s heading at the rate of 3 degrees per second.
2. As you roll into a level turn, use the attitude indicator to set up the estimated angle of bank.
3. You'll also practice steep turns, which are made at bank angles of at least 45°, to help further develop your instrument proficiency skills increase your scan rate.
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Closer Look: Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 9 Electronic Flight Bags, which are typically in the form of consumer tablets like an iPad or Android device, can help you plan cross-country flights, provide preflight weather briefings, display electronic approach charts, show G-P-S moving maps and much more.
Review:
1. Even with these advances in mobile computing technology, there’s a good chance your flight instructor will still teach you how to use paper charts, leaving your tablet on the sidelines at least for a few lessons.
2. FAR 91.21 requires that you verify your EFB (or any electronic device for that matter) will not cause interference with the navigation or communications systems installed on the aircraft.
3. You’ll need to follow the guidance of Advisory Circular AC 91-78, which says two important things: it’s ok to use an EFB in lieu of paper charts provided the application you use displays current data, and it recommends (but does not require) bringing a backup source of data (paper charts or 2nd EFB).
4. Beyond the legalities, another important consideration is how to secure the tablet in a way that allows for easy operation during all phases of flight, and to make sure it doesn’t fall out of reach when flying through rough air. The two most common forms are a kneeboard or aircraft mounting fixture.
5. If you’re depending on a tablet as a primary reference for charts, plus situational awareness, weather, and so much more, you need to be proficient with it.
6. A tablet is only a legal replacement for charts as long as the aviation data in the app is current, so get in the habit of updating the databases every month.
7. Finally, resist the urge to focus too much on your tablet and let it become a distraction, no matter how impressive its capabilities are.
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Vacuum & Pressure Systems Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 10 In this section we will discuss why air driven attitude and heading instruments could fail by examining the vacuum and pressure systems.
Review:
1. The air driven gyros, which stabilize the attitude and heading indicators, are usually called the vacuum instruments.
2. Another alternative to the vacuum pump is the electrically operated attitude and heading indicators.
3. Glass equipped airplanes may or may not have a vacuum system. Some manufacturers install a basic vacuum system to drive the backup attitude indicator.
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Partial Panel Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 11 In this section we will discuss partial panel instrument flight. It can be described as controlling the airplane by reference to a limited number of flight instruments. These instruments often consist of the airspeed and turn and slip indicators as well as the clock and magnetic compass.
Review:
1. Instrument failure could be caused by vacuum, electrical, or pitot-static source failure.
2. If your airplane is equipped with digital instruments, an electrical failure may cause you to rely on the standby analog instruments – airspeed indicator, attitude indicator, and altimeter.
3. For Primary Flight Display failures, many glass equipped airplanes are capable of displaying the full instrument panel on an alternate display.
4. The attitude indicator is usually the first instrument to slowly show a pump failure, usually by incorrect pitch indications.
5. When a failure happens in instrument conditions, ask ATC for help. 6. Avoid the tendency to over control the airplane in partial panel conditions. 7. In the event of an actual failure, the track indication on your GPS can provide a backup.
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Air Facts: Glass Cockpit Flying Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 12 Glass cockpit flight instrument systems are becoming more and more common in today’s airplanes and replace the 6 traditional round flight instruments.
Review:
1. Unlike traditional cockpits, which rely on vacuum-powered instruments to display attitude and heading, glass cockpits use solid state sensors.
2. These Attitude Heading Reference Systems (AHRS) drive the attitude displays are much more reliable than mechanical vacuum pumps, and the heading indicator does not require constant resetting.
3. There are some new challenges when flying with glass cockpits - first, there isn’t a lot of “glance value” on an integrated glass cockpit. You’ll need to pause and read the exact numbers on the airspeed and altitude tapes.
4. Set the bugs on the primary flight display whenever possible. Most glass cockpits have knobs that allow the pilot to set bugs for the altitude and heading, and some even have one for the airspeed.
5. Get to know how the trend lines work. These are usually magenta lines next to the tapes on the primary flight display, showing what the airspeed or altitude will be six seconds in the future.
6. Finally, learn the most common profiles for the airplane you fly - you’ll spend less time chasing tapes and adjusting power.
7. Glass cockpits can vary significantly between manufacturers and even models, so you’ll want to spend some time reading the manual for the system you fly.
8. Many newer options replace a single instrument with a digital display. These hybrid glass-steam cockpits are more affordable than complete cockpits and more reliable than vacuum pumps, but it’s critical you understand which instruments are driven by which sensors.
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Conclusion Instrument Rating Chapter 1 – Video Segment 13 And with that, we conclude Chapter 1 of the instrument series. The goal in your first few instrument lessons is to become comfortable with the airplane in the different flight modes while using only the instruments. Soon, you’ll develop a sense of familiarity with this way of doing things and you'll begin to wonder how you flew as well as you did before this training. It's really quite an accomplishment. Undoubtedly, you'll want to review this chapter several more times, because we did present a lot of information.
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Chapter 2 – Air Traffic Control and IFR
Separation & Other Standards Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 1 Let’s look at the beginnings of federal regulations and how traffic was controlled. Today, the air traffic service is responsible for developing plans, establishing standards, and implementing air traffic control systems.
Review:
1. The two ATC functions of most interest to instrument pilots are preflight and in-flight services, and aircraft separation during flight in controlled airspace.
2. A pilot has the sole responsibility to see and avoid other aircraft, terrain, and obstructions when weather permits – with ATC or not.
3. Vertical separation depends on your altitude. It increases from 1,000 feet to 2,000 feet above flight level 410.
4. When you are out of radar coverage, pilots of IFR flights are expected to make position reports.
5. Both the Jeppesen and FAA charts show compulsory reporting points as solid triangles.
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The Basic Structure Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 2 In this section we present an overview of both the air traffic control system and airways. We will also consider what our responsibilities are when under ATC’s control. In subsequent chapters, you'll see, in more detail, how these systems work.
Review:
1. You must file an IFR flight plan and receive an ATC clearance prior to entering controlled airspace when the weather is less than VFR.
2. Aircraft are flown IFR in Class G airspace without a flight plan or a clearance. All the other regulatory and procedural requirements for conducting an IFR flight must be complied with.
3. IFR departures and arrivals for airports, not within approach control airspace, are controlled by the center. If there is no operating control tower on the field, ATC will not automatically close your flight plan, you must.
4. Centers are divided into sectors, the working elements of a center. Each sector has specific geographic boundaries and is under the control of a team of controllers.
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Air Facts: Talking to Controllers Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 3 One of the things that you can do to better understand Air Traffic Control is visit an ATC facility and talk with some of the controllers that work there.
Review:
1. It's ok to file direct routing on your IFR flight plan, but you may get assigned a preferred departure route when leaving from congested airspace.
2. Controllers will often allow you to go direct to your destination while en route, but a different controlling facility further down your route may need to issue you a route change to keep you clear of special use airspace or put you on an arrival procedure.
3. ATC always saves the first IFR altitude for departures and arrivals in terminal airspace. 4. It's ok to ask for an altitude that's wrong for the direction of flight if needed for weather –
the controller can coordinate to make that happen. 5. Pilots need to be forthcoming on the radio when something isn't right, whether it be
in-climate weather, or the failure of a piece of equipment on the airplane.
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IFR En Route Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 4 In this section we’ll investigate the en route portion of IFR flying. To get the most out of the system, you need to understand the constraints of the en route air traffic control system as well as the protection that's built into the system.
Review:
1. The altitude that you filed may not be available in busy areas. The minimum en route altitudes, MEAs, are often low in flat country. The minimum obstruction clearance altitudes, MOCAs, are even lower.
2. Radar coverage is not provided for at these minimum altitudes. 3. When en route, you have to adapt to terminal airspace requirements. Even if you get a
clearance through the terminal area, there will likely be vectoring to keep you clear of arrivals and departures.
4. Notify the controller any time you are unable to maintain a climb or descent rate of at least 500 feet per minute and if your cruising airspeed varies or you experience communication or navigation failure.
5. If you have an approved GPS or other RNAV system, you can often ask to fly long direct legs when en route.
6. Review VOR operation, especially CDI deflection in various situations. For example, one degree deflection of the CDI needle 60 miles from the station equals one mile off the airway centerline.
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Departing the Terminal Area Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 5 In this section we’ll look at the various departure procedures that are in place to help you transition from the runway to the IFR en route system.
Review:
1. A Standard Instrument Departure (SID) is a graphic departure procedure designed by ATC to standardize traffic flow, ensure aircraft separation and provide obstacle clearance from the terminal area to the en route environment.
2. You can find SIDs in your favorite mobile app in the same location as the instrument approach charts. The more complex procedures will be displayed on two separate pages, with the first showing a graphic of the routing, and the second showing a text description.
3. The chart will provide both a departure control frequency and top altitude to climb to during the procedure – ATC may omit these when issuing your IFR clearance to save time.
4. If you don't wish to use standard instrument departures, you should note this in the remarks section of your flight plan.
5. Another type of instrument departure is the ODP, or obstacle departure procedure. Textual ODPs are located in the Takeoff Minimums section in mobile apps, while graphic ODPs are grouped in with the SIDs, and usually include the word “Obstacle” in the title to differentiate them from traditional SIDs.
6. An inverse "T" printed in the notes section of FAA approach charts indicates that the airport has a published obstacle departure procedure, and/or non-standard takeoff minimums.
7. The takeoff minimums do not apply to Part 91, not for hire operations, but it is a good idea to abide by them anyway, especially in unfamiliar terrain.
8. The standard takeoff minimums that apply to "for hire" operations are 1 statute mile if an airplane has 1 or 2 engines and one half mile for airplanes with 3 or more engines.
9. Obstacle clearance for a departure is based on the aircraft climbing at least 200 feet per nautical mile and climbing to 400 feet above the departure runway elevation before turning unless otherwise specified in a departure procedure.
10. There is a chart in the Digital Terminal Procedures Supplement that will convert required climb gradient and groundspeed to a required rate of climb, which is the more meaningful value in the airplane.
11. If the controller issues a “Climb via the SID” clearance, you would be expected to comply with all the altitude restrictions on the procedure and then level off at the top altitude noted on the chart.
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12. The main route of a graphical SID is depicted with a thick black line, while the transition routes are shown with a thin black line.
13. You can find SIDs in your favorite mobile app in the same location as the instrument approach charts. The more complex procedures will be displayed on two separate pages, with the first showing a graphic of the routing, and the second showing a text description.
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IFR Arrivals Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 6 Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STARs) are used for IFR arrivals into busy airspace, and generally end at a fix from which you will be vectored to the final approach course.
Review:
1. If you do not wish to fly a STAR, note that fact in the remarks section of your flight plan. 2. Many arrival procedures were created in the days before GPS and relied on VOR and
DME as the primary means for navigation and identifying intersections. 3. Today you’ll see just as many procedures designed to be flown using GPS, which will
include the notation “RNAV” in the title. These incorporate a series of waypoints to fly, just like an RNAV/GPS instrument approach, and are flown using an IFR-approved GPS navigator.
4. The architecture of the system is such that a descent gradient of 250 to 350 feet per nautical mile is expected of arrivals.
5. During the arrival, tune in the ATIS in advance and let the approach controller know you have the latest information on the initial check-in with them.
6. To further reduce ATC communications during the arrival phase, the controller may issue a “Descend Via” clearance when flying a STAR. This requires you to comply with the published procedure’s lateral path, altitude and airspeed restrictions.
7. After accepting a "Descend Via" clearance, you are expected to initiate altitude and airspeed changes on your own until reaching the lowest altitude published on the procedure.
8. There are two approaches that are not procedural and are based on a deal between the pilot and controller. They are the visual approach and contact approach.
9. You must have the airport, or an identified preceding aircraft to follow, in sight, before a visual approach will be approved.
10. You must be clear of clouds and have a mile flight visibility and a mile visibility reported at the airport for a contact approach. The airport must have an approved instrument approach procedure. The pilot is responsible for obstruction clearance during a contact approach.
11. If you are landing at a controlled airport, the tower will automatically cancel your IFR flight plan.
12. At nontowered airports you can either cancel with ATC on the radio before landing or on the ground after landing over a remote frequency or phone number.
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Closer Look: ATC Technology Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 7 As a pilot you aren't expected to know the technical details of air traffic control technology, but there are benefits to understanding the other side of the pilot-ATC relationship.
Review:
1. As you fly along in the company of an air traffic controller, your airplane is a data block on his screen. This basically tells who you are, how high you're flying, your groundspeed and your destination.
2. ADS-B is replacing ground-based radar as the main way for ATC to identify and separate traffic, and it requires each aircraft to be equipped with an ADS-B Out transponder.
3. These ADS-B transmissions are received by a network of over 700 ground stations, then relayed to a controller’s screen.
4. The system will also provided an automated alert to get the controller’s attention if there’s a collision threat between two aircraft.
5. The controller’s radar will also paint precipitation, so don’t hesitate to ask his opinion if you’re unsure about potential weather ahead. Just remember that ATC radar is designed to see airplanes, not weather, so it isn’t as detailed as the NEXRAD radar you’re used to seeing online.
6. A computer is always monitoring air traffic and will alert ATC about the loss of legal separation, 1,000 feet and 5 miles for low altitude en-route traffic between airplanes.
7. The controller has a system that can project flight paths and anticipate future conflicts. If there's a potential conflict, then possible solutions can go into the computer to see whether or not they will solve the potential conflict.
8. If a radar controller in a busy area gives you a round-about IFR routing and the weather is excellent, you might ask about a VFR clearance through the Class B or C airspace.
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IFR Communications Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 8 In this section we’ll investigate the communication process in IFR flying. The measure of success here is found in understanding, on both sides of the conversation.
Review:
1. You must know exactly what the controller wants you to do. Make sure there is understanding before a subject is dismissed as completed.
2. Good phraseology is mostly logical. Use whatever words are needed to get the message across but avoid jargon or CB talk.
3. Try to use words from the Pilot/Controller Glossary. You can find it online and it’s often included with the AIM, when printed. This glossary is also used by the controllers.
4. Some basic communications techniques: Listen for a moment before you transmit, know what to say before you key the mike, if you call and nobody answers, wait a few moments before calling again, and always use your call sign.
5. If you have a radio communications failure in instrument conditions, continue on the last assigned route and altitude, or at the minimum en route altitude or altitude ATC told you to expect, whichever is higher. Set your transponder to 7600, the code for radio failure.
6. If the radio failure occurs in VFR conditions, or if you encounter VFR after the failure, continue the flight under VFR, and land as soon as practicable.
7. The basic format for a radio call is to identify the facility you are calling, identify yourself, and state your message.
8. An IFR clearance should be written down, in rote fashion, to be understood later. Next, read it back to make sure you got it right. Then, try to understand the clearance.
9. Here are a few of the mandatory reporting situations: We must report to ATC when: Encountering hazardous weather and any unforecast weather conditions, with any information relating to the safety of the flight, if any avionics malfunction, if you deviate from your clearance, and when vacating an altitude for a newly assigned altitude. You will want to check out the others as well.
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Air Facts: Radio Pro Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 9 Talking on the radio is an important part of flying IFR, and in this section we'll review seven bad communication habits that can make you sound less professional and potentially lead to safety issues.
Review:
1. Avoid the phrase "with you" when first checking on with a new controller. 2. When ATC clears you for something, they usually expect a readback of that clearance,
just to make sure both sides understand what’s about to happen. Simply stating "Roger" is not acceptable.
3. Avoid starting every transmission with "Ah" or "And" when talking to ATC. 4. Avoid giving too much information to ATC when you have a request, since they may not
be ready to process it all right away when the frequency is busy. 5. Use the guard frequency, 121.5 MHz, for official business only. 6. Refrain from giving position reports in reference to IFR fixes at nontowered airports –
distance and direction will be much useful for non-IFR pilots in the pattern. 7. Do not use the phrase "Any traffic in the area please advise" when first switching over to
a nontowered airport CTAF frequency.
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Learning the System Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 10 In this section we’ll investigate instrument charts, some rules for IFR, and the procedures for operating in the air traffic control system.
Review:
1. Always use current charts. Airways, approach procedures, NAVAID frequencies, and locations as well as a lot of other data that is on the charts may change.
2. Some of the rules for IFR are in Part 61 of the regulations, such as the recent experience requirements, logging of flight time, and the requirements for an instrument rating.
3. Part 91 has the rules for IFR operations, equipment, and the inspections required. 4. NTSB Part 830 covers pilot responsibilities for aircraft accident and incident reporting. 5. Air traffic control procedures are in the Aeronautical Information Manual, AIM. 6. The AIM is designed to provide pilots with basic flight information and ATC procedures
required to fly in the national airspace system of the United States. 7. Another resource for the pilot is the Notices to Airmen publication, available on the
internet and by subscription. It includes amendments to instrument approaches, the Airport/Facility Directory, and other current charts.
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Air Facts: Flight Plans, Fact & Fiction Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 11 A lot of the information on an IFR flight plan is for purposes other than air traffic control, and in this section will explain the purposes of each.
Review:
1. The ICAO flight plan form that has become the standard way to file a flight plan - it asks for detailed avionics specifications, survival equipment and much more, but the controller doesn't really need to know the color of your airplane or how many life rafts you have.
2. ATC is mainly concerned with the proposed route, altitude, and speed. The other items on your flight plan are for search and rescue purposes, should you fail to arrive.
3. The factual parts of the flight plan include the airplane number, type, speed, departure point, fuel on board, our name and address, the number of people on board, and the color of the airplane.
4. Some of the changeable items might include, the requested cruising altitude, route of flight, the time of departure, the destination, the time en route, and the alternate airport.
5. The clearance is kept on file for two hours after your proposed time off. 6. Your ultimate alternate should be based on a continuous check of weather while en
route. 7. Our flight plan is an outline of what we propose. Items can change.
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The Pilot’s Role In The System Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 12 In this section we’ll investigate the pilot’s role in the ATC system.
Review:
1. The responsibilities of pilots and air traffic controllers are clear. The pilot is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the safe operation of the aircraft.
2. The pilot is authorized, in an emergency requiring immediate action, to deviate from a clearance or from regulations.
3. The controller is responsible to give first priority to the separation of aircraft and the issuance of radar safety alerts which include terrain, obstruction, and aircraft conflict alerts.
4. The pilot should normally always comply with the controller’s command. Sometimes it may be necessary to deviate from the command and declare an emergency. In this situation the controller will do whatever it takes to help resolve the emergency.
5. A controller can declare an emergency for a pilot if the controller feels the situation is getting out of hand and the pilot is not acting appropriately.
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Closer Look: Transponders Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 13 In this section we investigate the transponder. It’s a simple device to use. All you have to do is set in the number which is assigned by ATC for identification purposes.
Review:
1. The latest advancement is Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast, or ADS-B. This transponder type sends your aircraft GPS position data, altitude, track and speed.
2. As of January 1, 2020, it is required inside Class A, B, and C airspace, as well as within 30 nautical miles of Class B and the space above all Class C areas. The equipment is also required at or above 10,000 feet MSL, excluding the airspace within 2,500 feet above ground level.
3. You should leave your transponder on while taxiing, since larger airports use it to track your location on the runways and taxiways to prevent runway incursions.
4. Transponders and altitude reporting equipment must have been tested by a certified repair station within the preceding twenty-four calendar months.
5. If you have an ADS-B In receiver, either portable or installed in the panel, you can view in-flight radar, text weather reports, and nearby traffic.
6. Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) are installed on all airliners and most corporate aircraft and actively interrogate the transponders on nearby aircraft - regardless of radar coverage or ADS-B ground stations - and display the relative position and altitude of traffic.
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Global Positioning System Instrument Rating Chapter 2 – Video Segment 14 In this section we’ll take a look at GPS and how to use it for IFR navigation.
Review:
1. Global Positioning System, GPS, and the Wide Area Augmentation System, WAAS, are a part of the Global Navigation Satellite System also known as GNSS.
2. WAAS GPS navigators may be the sole IFR navigation source, but a backup is still a good idea.
3. IFR-approved non-WAAS GPS receivers require that you have an alternate form of navigation installed, like a VOR receiver.
4. WAAS uses two additional geostationary satellites to improve the accuracy of GPS. WAAS augmentation allows more precise position locations in both the horizontal and vertical planes.
5. The FARs require you to have another form of navigation available to fly an instrument approach at the filed alternate airport if the unit is a non-WAAS GPS (e.g. VOR approach).
6. When flying direct, use charted fixes – VORs, intersections, NDBs, or airports – to identify the points between which you will be flying direct.
7. Most of the airports in the U.S. have one or more GPS approaches. These often allow lower minimums than other nonprecision approaches.
8. For en route and terminal use you do not have to have a current database but you do have to ascertain that the waypoints you use in the flight plan are current. A current database is required to fly GPS approaches.
9. The navigator will not allow an approach if a feature called Random Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) is not operating. RAIM needs a minimum of five satellites in view, or, four and a barometric altimeter input from an altitude encoder.
10. Because navigators contain so much information and capability, you do have to learn to use each unit. You should read the GPS manual and utilize available training software. Practice is the key here.
11. One of the easiest functions to use is the DIRECT function. Press the button and it’ll ask you where you would like to go. Follow your GPS instructions from there.
12. Steering information for the navigator is displayed on the Default Navigation screen and, on an installation with navigational approval, it is also displayed on the airplane’s CDI, HSI, or PFD.
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Chapter 3 – Instrument Approaches
The Goal Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 1 In this section we investigate some general aspects of the instrument approach.
Review:
1. An instrument approach is three dimensional. The TERPS prescribe altitudes and required obstruction clearances in terms of the horizontal, vertical, and lateral dimensions for standard approaches.
2. An instrument approach procedure is best described as a transition from the en route system to a place and altitude where the airport or runway is in sight.
3. You are relatively fresh during the departure, but the opposite is true when you make the approach after several hours en route with some possible weather complications.
4. Your basic instrument skills must overcome the fatigue and you must fully understand what you are doing during each part of the approach.
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Approach Chart Details Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 2 In this section we investigate instrument approaches. They are divided into precision, nonprecision, and approaches with vertical guidance.
Review:
1. A nonprecision approach is a clearance to descend, at a fix, to an MSL altitude called a minimum descent altitude, or MDA, and fly in level flight until you see the airport or the time runs out.
2. The missed approach for some nonprecision approaches starts on the basis of groundspeed and time to fly from the final approach fix to the missed approach point. Other approaches have a fix where the missed approach begins.
3. On precision approaches, the airplane intercepts and follows the glideslope to an MSL altitude called the decision altitude or DA. If the runway environment is not in sight at the DA, the missed approach comes next.
4. Like a precision approach, an approach with vertical guidance has both course and glidepath information, but it is not as accurate as a precision approach.
5. Approach charts are a detailed blueprint for an instrument approach. There are specific instructions for each part of the approach.
6. Approach categories, the heading of the minimums section, divide aircraft according to speed.
7. The airport sketch depicts runway dimensions, airport obstructions, location of the airport beacon, approach and runway lighting, and other airport topographic details.
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Flying the Localizer Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 3 In this section we investigate flying the localizer. It’s divided into three parts; guidance, range, and visual information.
Review:
1. Guidance is provided by the localizer and glideslope. The localizer is for left/right and the glideslope for up/down guidance. Range information really means distance information which is provided by the outer and middle markers.
2. On some ILS approaches, DME or other fixes may be substitutes for markers. Approach lights, touchdown zone lights, centerline lights, and runway lights provide the visual information.
3. A localizer is an electronic extension of the centerline of the runway. A typical localizer has a width of 5 degrees for a full scale right CDI deflection to a full scale deflection to the left.
4. The localizer has two close relatives, the localizer directional aid, LDA; and the simplified directional facility, SDF. Operationally, SDFs and LDAs are flown like localizers.
5. The CDI shows whether the airplane is on the centerline. The CDI cannot be centered by turning the OBS.
6. Localizer signals are transmitted on the front and the backside of the antenna. These signals are called the front course and the back course.
7. Without reverse sensing equipment on the back course, the indicator will point to the opposite side. To find the centerline you must fly opposite the needle.
8. The most common error when tracking a localizer is making large heading corrections. This results in making s-turns across the centerline.
9. Because the localizer gets narrower as you fly closer to the runway, heading corrections should be proportionally smaller.
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Flying the Glide Slope Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 4 In this section we investigate flying the glideslope and the other components of the ILS.
Review:
1. Marker beacons provide distance information. Outer markers are located between 4 and 7 miles from the approach end of the runway. Interception of the glideslope usually happens near the outer marker.
2. Some ILS approaches have a middle marker. Middle markers are situated about 3500 feet from the approach end of the runway.
3. ILSs are categorized according to decision height and flight visibility. Touchdown zone lights are lights embedded in the first 3,000 feet of the runway, while centerline lights illuminate the middle of the runway along its entire length.
4. Some runways have an inner marker located between the middle marker and the runway.
5. Back course markers may be used for a final approach fix on a localizer back course approach.
6. To enable aircraft to navigate to markers, nondirectional beacons have been situated at many marker sites. These are called compass locators.
7. The glideslope provides vertical navigation for the approach. A glideslope is like a localizer laid on its side, instead of left/right guidance, it provides up/down information.
8. The glideslope is even more precise than the localizer. 9. The part of the glideslope that intersects the localizer is called the glidepath. 10. The rate of descent to stay on the glidepath is a function of the groundspeed. For
example, at 90 knots groundspeed, the descent needed is 478 feet per minute for a 3 degree glideslope.
11. You should know the power setting for a 3 degree descent at groundspeeds appropriate for your airplane in the approach configuration.
12. On the profile view of the approach chart the glideslope intercept altitude, which is also the final approach fix, is shown by the lightning bolt.
13. Approaches with vertical guidance provide a glideslope that may not be as precise as an ILS.
14. Some advanced GPS navigators can provide vertical guidance on procedures called LNAV/VNAV or LPV.
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Air Facts: The Simple Facts Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 5
A lot of the errors a pilot makes on the ILS approach are due to being uptight – it’s his state of mind.
Review:
1. Chasing something on that instrument panel will result in flying from the left of the localizer through the center and to the right, and possibly going from above the glideslope, through it, and then below.
2. A few small corrections on the way in, to fine tune the heading and the descent rate, willusually make it perfect.
3. Often, if the approach is going poorly, the pilot will be fixating on the localizer andglideslope needles, to the exclusion of the other instruments.
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Unusual Approaches Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 6
Approach procedures are designed to standards defined in the terminal procedures manual. The TERPS manual also describes conditions required to approve deviations from the standards, which are only granted if they don't compromise safety.
Review:
1. This section looks at individual nonstandard approaches. They are unusual because they feature significant variations from typical instrument approaches, in terms of external cues needed, altitudes or other nonstandard procedures.
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Air Facts: Vectors Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 7
In this section we will look at vectoring. The common procedure is to vector aircraft to the final approach course, though vectoring is also used for sequencing traffic.
Review:
1. Generally, the controller will clear you for the approach just before or just after you intercept the final approach course.
2. While vectors seem automatic, with the controller issuing headings and you flying thoseheadings, it’s good to maintain situational awareness while being vectored. It’s easy toget turned around.
3. Most vectors will put you on the final approach course a few miles outside the finalapproach fix.
4. Remember, that a GPS driven map will tell you where you are when viewed from above,it will not tell you the correct altitude to fly.
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Flying VOR Approaches Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 8
In this section we will look at flying some VOR instrument approaches using the Jeppesen series charts rather than the FAA ones.
Review:
1. Both FAA and Jeppesen charts meet the FAA requirements for approach charts. The same information is shown but with some differences in the presentation.
2. On some VOR approaches you may substitute a GPS for the VOR receiver. Having bothtypes of navigation is not required.
3. Note the memory device signified by the 5 Ts when passing over a VOR for anapproach. They are; time, turn, twist, throttle, and talk.
4. Time and turn are self-evident, twist is changing the OBS to the appropriate course,throttle is making the power reduction to the setting for approach speed. Remember tofly and navigate the airplane before talking.
5. Bracketing consists of splitting the difference between a heading that took you off courseand a heading that brings you back to a course.
6. Close to the station, the heading change should not be more than 10 degrees.
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Closer Look: Procedure Turns Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 9
In this section we will look at the procedure turn aspect of an instrument approach.
Review:
1. Procedure turns are used to reverse direction and establish the aircraft inbound on an intermediate or final approach course.
2. The altitude shown on the chart for a procedure turn is a minimum and the maneuvermust be completed within the distance shown on the chart.
3. Both this distance and the side of the course on which the procedure turn are chartedare critical because only by following the procedure are you assured of terrain andobstruction clearance.
4. A procedure turn is a required maneuver for a course reversal except when the symbolNO PT is shown, when the aircraft is being radar vectored for the approach, whenconducting a timed approach, or when the procedure turn is not authorized.
5. The most common procedure turn is the 45 degree type. Fly outbound, do a 45, a 180and then intercept.
6. Many of the procedure turns charted now appear as holding patterns at an intermediatefix or the final approach fix. The holding pattern maneuver is considered complete whenthe airplane is established inbound after the appropriate entry.
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Holding Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 10
In this section we take a look at holding. Realize that holding may be encountered on any phase of an IFR flight.
Review:
1. Some departure procedures call for climbing in a holding pattern. En route, you must hold if you’ve not been cleared to your destination and have reached your clearance limit. On arrival, many approach procedures use a holding pattern for the course reversal, and all missed approaches end up in a hold.
2. For a hold that is not charted, the controller will tell you what direction to hold, theholding fix, the bearing or airway upon which to hold, leg length if necessary, the turningdirection if it is left, and the expect further clearance time.
3. The standard holding pattern uses right turns and a one minute inbound leg.4. Start timing the outbound leg when either above or abeam the fix, whichever is later. If
you can’t determine when you’re abeam, start timing when the outbound turn iscompleted. Turns should be standard rate, but not more than 30 degrees.
5. Except when turning, you should compensate for the wind. Outbound you should triplethe wind correction angle used to track the inbound course. This will distort the racetrackshape, but keep you inside the holding pattern protected airspace.
6. For the instrument knowledge test you must know when to use the parallel, teardrop,and direct entries. Review these turns in the Instrument Flying Handbook.
7. A nonstandard holding pattern uses left turns, and the entry procedure diagram has tobe flipped.
8. These diagrams can be difficult to visualize in the cockpit, so some instructorsrecommend simply flying a teardrop anytime that you can’t use a direct entry.
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Circling Approaches Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 11
In this section we take a look at circling approaches. These are approaches which either do not meet runway alignment criteria or approaches which provide for landing on a runway other than the one aligned with the final approach course.
Review:
1. The approach chart designates a straight-in landing runway if there is one. Landing on another runway requires circling and different minimums apply.
2. A "circling only" approach is either not aligned with a runway, or in the case of a fewprocedures, one where a straight-in would require an excessive descent on the finalapproach segment.
3. At an airport which has straight-in minimums, a circling approach might be preferred ifthe straight-in runway is not usable because of wind or other reasons.
4. Some approaches are classed as circling because the angle between the final approachcourse and the extended centerline of the runway exceeds 30 degrees.
5. One of the ground rules for a circling approach is that the pilot must maintain visualcontact with the airport during the circling maneuver.
6. On a circling approach, you are expected to maneuver by the shortest path to the baseor downwind leg. There is no restriction against flying over the airport or other runways.
7. If the ceiling permits, fly over the airport to observe the wind direction indicators and lookfor other traffic.
8. If visual reference is lost while circling, the missed approach should start with a climbingturn toward the landing runway. The turn should be continued until established on themissed approach course.
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Visual Descent Points and DME Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 12
In this section we take a look at visual descent points and DME.
Review:
1. Landing from a nonprecision approach at night takes a lot of care.2. Visual descent points, VDPs, have been added to many nonprecision approaches. They
are a defined point on the final approach course from which, providing the runway is insight, a normal descent from the MDA to the touchdown portion of the runway would beobstruction free.
3. VDPs are usually DME or GPS fixes, but could be any approved navigational fix.Approach charts show the VDP as a V on the profile view.
4. No special technique, other than identifying the VDP, is required to use the visualdescent point.
5. The VDP is not a mandatory part of the procedure. If the aircraft is not equipped toidentify the VDP, fly the approach as though the VDP isn't there.
6. While the fixes used for VDPs are not mandatory, DME is often used on ILS, localizer,and VOR approaches to define required fixes.
7. If you are using GPS, double check that the distance shown is from the correct waypoint.
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GPS Approaches Instrument Rating Chapter 3 – Video Segment 13
GPS approaches are available at nearly every airport in the US, and can provide both lateral and vertical approach guidance comparable to the precision of an ILS approach.
Review:
1. Since they do not rely on the limitations of ground-based radio navigation aids, most GPS approaches are designed to be straight-in approaches to the runway they serve.
2. In order to fly a GPS approach using the GPS as your primary navigation source, thedatabase in the receiver must be current. The approach must also be defined in thedatabase and loaded from there.
3. LNAV is the most basic type of approach and provides left/right course guidance to therunway, and relies on step-down fixes for descents down to the MDA.
4. The most accurate GPS approach is LPV, which stands for Localizer Performance withVertical Guidance and provides both lateral and vertical guidance down to the runway,similar to an ILS. This type of approach requires a WAAS-capable GPS navigator.
5. Another significant difference between LNAV and LPV is that the LPV approachterminates at a Decision Altitude, or DA, whereas the LNAV relies on a MinimumDescent Altitude, or MDA.
6. A variation of the LPV approach is the LP approach. This requires a WAAS-capableGPS and provides the same precise, angular final approach course as the LPVapproach. The difference is that it uses step-down fixes for the descent and terminatesat a Minimum Descent Altitude, like an LNAV approach.
7. When flying an LNAV or LP approach, a WAAS-capable GPS receiver can also provide an advisory vertical guidance via an electronic glidepath.
8. When receiving advisory vertical guidance on the Garmin GTN650, it will displayLNAV+V or LP+V to indicate that an electronic glidepath is available.
9. Many procedures for "T" shaped GPS approaches use Terminal Arrival Area, or TAA,quadrants to define minimum safe altitudes. When proceeding direct to one of the initialapproach fixes and cleared for the approach by ATC, you may descend at yourdiscretion to the altitude listed in the TAA quadrant.
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Chapter 4 – En Route IFR
Flight Planning & Chart Reading Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 1 In this section we take a look at flight planning and charts.
Review:
1. The FAA publishes an IFR/VFR planning chart for flights below 18,000 feet, and Jeppesen publishes IFR planning charts for both low and high altitude flight. Among other things, the charts show radio aids to navigation, airways, mileages on airways, and special use airspace.
2. Low altitude en route charts provide navigation information for IFR flights on victor airways and RNAV routes.
3. One or more panels have an alphabetical listing of the airports on the chart. Next to each name is the FAA identifier for that airport. Beside the ID is a letter that tells you what panel on which the airport can be found.
4. Position reports are not made when in radar contact. The triangles are on the chart because radar can fail. Anytime you are not in radar contact you must make position reports.
5. MOCAs, minimum obstacle clearance altitudes, are included on the chart. GPS users may fly at the MOCA for the entire route.
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Closer Look: FAA vs. Jeppesen Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 2 In this section we take a look at FAA and Jeppesen charts. They both meet the standards of the terminal procedures manual and other FAA requirements, so the differences between FAA and Jeppesen charts are those of style rather than substance. In this section we take a look at flight planning and charts.
Review:
1. For complete flight planning, FAA chart users may have to refer to Airport/Facility Directories, area charts, low altitude en route charts, and the terminal procedures publications, TPP.
2. On en route charts, Jeppesen shows overlying Jet Routes in green. FAA charts do not show these. Jeppesen shows airports with instrument approaches using blue ink and capital letters for the city name. FAA charts use blue or green ink for airports with an approach.
3. Complete information is available in the legend for either series of charts. 4. On a straight airway, changeover of navigation is usually made at the midpoint. In this
case, the changeover point is not charted. If a straight airway changeover point is somewhere other than the midpoint it is charted.
5. Blue and green airports have a published instrument approach available for civilian aircraft. Brown airports are charted for emergencies – they don't have a published approach but do have runways at least 3,000 feet long.
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Checking Weather Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 3 In this section we take a look at how to get the weather information we need.
Review:
1. Visibility and ceiling are important especially at the destination and the alternate. And you can't ignore the visibility and ceiling en route.
2. The most basic necessity is a knowledge of the synopsis. Where are the highs, the lows, and the fronts?
3. The advent of DUAT and other computer weather briefing systems makes weather information gathering easier and more convenient.
4. The TV maps usually include information from the convective outlook. A convective outlook is a national thunderstorm forecast. It describes areas with a risk of severe thunderstorms, as well as areas of general thunderstorms.
5. Either by briefer or computer we need to get the area weather, winds aloft forecasts, METARs, PIREPs, radar, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, and especially convective SIGMETs on thunderstorms. These tell you what we need to know before flying.
6. Forecasts are based largely on computer models of the atmosphere and it is important that you know what is anticipated.
7. The whole purpose of checking weather is to ensure that, before takeoff, there is no weather condition out there that you can't deal with.
8. If the synopsis calls for fronts to occlude, beware of that. The wind shear in those areas can beat you up pretty thoroughly. Do be aware of the forecast surface winds, too.
9. Once airborne, the process of checking weather should continue to destination.
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Air Facts: A PC 4 IFR? OK Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 4 In this section we’ll take a look at the use of personal computers for weather briefings and flight planning.
Review:
1. There are some things that we do have to watch when using a computer as our sole source of weather. The most important one is to be sure that the information is understood.
2. Decode software will put everything in plain language. Or you can learn the contractions and identifiers and translate the items yourself.
3. One of the more valuable briefing tools is the NEXRAD radar picture. This is enhanced on some services to show movement, tops, and severity of the storms.
4. Many computer systems can be used to file your IFR flight plan as well.
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Building Margins Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 5 In this section we’ll take a look at building margins. It’s in the en route portion of your IFR trip that you can do a lot more than just ride along. What if your plans need to change?
Review:
1. The main reason that we would change plans would be weather. A second reason might be suspicion of the mechanical condition of the airplane. A third reason might be a passenger with a compelling reason to be on the ground instead of in flight.
2. A pilot who had a plan formulated in advance and who had good knowledge of the weather all over the area would be simply flying with better margins.
3. Being a wise pilot, you add some margin to the legal requirement and plan to land with a one-hour fuel reserve.
4. Going to an airport with no weather reporting, means always considering the alternate fuel requirement as well – just as a matter of good practice.
5. Night is a time when we need greater margins. This is especially true for those who don't fly a lot of night IFR.
6. There are things you can carry in the airplane to increase safety margins. At night, flashlights are a necessary backup.
7. If a pilot goes instrument flying when he doesn't feel well, there is little mental and physical margin. Fatigue has to be acknowledged as each of us develops a plan to maintain good safety margins.
8. A system of checks and double checks can help catch any mistakes as soon as they are made and before they affect flight operations.
9. Building a safety margin in proficiency and ability is something that is done on every flight by striving for perfection, as well as in a program of recurrent training.
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Air Facts: Conquering Cockpit Clutter Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 6 In this section we’ll take a look at ideas on how to organize your cockpit. There are a lot of items developed for this purpose.
Review:
1. How you organize is strictly a matter of personal preference but there are some good practices to follow. One is to have a flight bag of adequate size to carry what you need.
2. Flight logs are a part of organization. Be sure whatever you prepare is accurate, available, and legible.
3. The approach chart for the departure airport or the takeoff alternate should be available and ready whether it is an electronic or paper chart. So should the airport diagram if it's a complicated place to taxi.
4. The en route chart for the area should be folded open and ready for reference. 5. En route organization means at all times having the chart folded and displaying the
present position and route for some miles ahead. If there is a GPS on board with a map, this can be used for en route orientation.
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En Route Planning Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 7
In this section we’ll take a look at en route planning. The en route low altitude chart, or area charts are used for the details of en route planning.
Review:
1. Area charts are expanded charts used where there is too much airspace and navigation information to print on the smaller en route chart scale.
2. The FAA en route charts show area chart coverage with a box made up of dashed lines. 3. For departure you may need a standard instrument departure or SID chart. SIDs are
preplanned and coded departure routes. 4. If your flight is from, to, or between major airports, you need to check the Airport/Facility
Directory for preferred routes. 5. While pilots are not required to use preferred routes, the AIM suggests that it’s to the
pilot's advantage to use them. 6. If a preferred route begins or ends with a fix, you can expect a SID, STAR, or radar
vectors between the fix and the airport. 7. En route charts do not indicate parent facilities of en route flight advisory service, also
called flight watch.
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Closer Look: Approach Lighting Systems Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 8 In this section we’ll take a look at approach lighting systems.
Review:
1. These systems are important since they provide the basic means to transition from instrument flight to visual flight for landing.
2. The TPP will tell you what adjustments to make to the landing minimums due to inoperative components.
3. You can also check the Airport/Facility Directory for the particular type of lighting facilities at your destination.
4. Approach light systems are a configuration of signal lights starting at the landing threshold and extending into the approach area.
5. Approach light systems deserve special attention twice during each flight. First is during your preflight preparation, when you can determine which system you'll see for a particular runway. The second is at the end of the trip.
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Planning For The Approach Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 9 In this section we’ll take a look at planning for the approach. The instrument approach and landing is the part of the flight that requires the most attention to detail and the most precise flying.
Review:
1. Planning for the approach starts on the ground as part of preflight planning. 2. If you are flying into a terminal area you might be issued a STAR, as part of the transition
from the en route system to the approach itself. STARs are preplanned arrival procedures published in graphic or textual form.
3. If your destination airport has a number of instrument approaches, either the ATIS or the controller will tell you in advance which approach to expect.
4. If there are several approaches available, the ILS will be preferred over nonprecision approaches.
5. Besides the various approaches, the A/FD also lists information about communications frequencies, runway dimensions, and fuel services available. In addition to the airport sketch, the A/FD has a detailed airport diagram in the back of the book for select towered airports.
6. You can use an approved GPS to substitute for DME if the fix names are in the GPS database.
7. The inoperative components or visual aids table in the TPP has to be checked to find out if the inoperative component affects the minimums for the approach.
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Air Facts: Check It Out Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 10 In this section we’ll take a look at the checklist. It’s important in all flying, but especially in IFR flying.
Review:
1. Using a checklist can't be a mindless exercise. It has to be a methodical way of preparing the aircraft for what comes next and making sure that everything is set properly.
2. You might want to enhance your checklist and add features important in your type of flying.
3. Where you can often improve on a checklist is in organization – some lists jump about the cockpit.
4. There are checklists for all the phases of flight, not just the preflight ones. 5. You might consider creating an in-range checklist. This would be the point that you make
the final fuel tank selection for landing, make sure the airplane is lit up well, listen to the ATIS broadcast, and handle the final chart configuration for the approach.
6. Many pilots use the GUMP memory device as a last minute reminder that the gas needs to be on the best tank, the undercarriage should certainly be down for landing, the mixture should be as desired, and likewise for the prop.
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Closer Look: Designer Approaches Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 11 In this section we’ll take a look at how approaches are created. Pilots don't design approaches and should not attempt to create their own private approaches. However, as users of approach procedures, we ought to know some of the standards to which they are designed.
Review:
1. Obstacle clearance for the initial segment of the approach is 1,000 feet in the entry area, maneuvering zone and the primary area.
2. During the initial segment, the optimum descent gradient is 250 feet per mile and allows a maximum of 500 feet per mile.
3. The procedure turn completion altitude should be as close as possible to the final approach fix altitude.
4. Obstacle clearance for the intermediate segment can be reduced to 500 feet in the primary area and it tapers to zero at the extreme edge of the secondary area.
5. For a straight in approach, the minimum obstruction clearance in the final approach primary area is 250 feet.
6. Obstacle protection for the missed approach is predicated on the assumption that the missed approach is initiated at the MDA or DH and at the missed approach point.
7. Minimum obstruction clearances in the primary area vary from 720 feet, 5.5 miles from the runway, to 135 feet at the DH.
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Going To An Alternate Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 12 In this section we’ll take a look at alternates.
Review:
1. In the rule about required fuel, it states that, considering weather reports and forecasts, you must have enough fuel to fly to the first airport of intended landing, fly from that airport to the alternate airport, and fly after that for 45 minutes at normal cruising speed.
2. The requirement for an alternate airport is waived for a destination ceiling of at least 2,000 feet and a visibility of at least three miles.
3. Further, the rules require that, to be used as an alternate, an airport must have a forecast of conditions equal to or better than the alternate minimums listed for the airport.
4. If no alternate minimums are specified, the basic requirement is for a ceiling of 600 feet and a visibility of two statute miles if the airport has a precision approach, or an 800 foot ceiling and two miles visibility if there is a nonprecision approach.
5. If an airport has no instrument approach, it can be used as an alternate if conditions are forecast to be such that the approach and landing can be made in basic VFR conditions from the minimum en route altitude.
6. If you do go to the alternate, the weather only has to be good enough for the instrument approach used.
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Air Facts: What Is The Alternative Instrument Rating Chapter 4 – Video Segment 13 Where you actually go after the missed approach, may not be your designated alternate.
Review:
1. Alternate airports are good for two things. One, they make you carry extra fuel. Two, they make you go to the trouble of finding out where the weather is pretty good.
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Chapter 5 – Weather for IFR
Getting Weather Oriented Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 1 In this section we take a quick look at getting weather oriented. Weather flying – that's what instrument flying is all about.
Review:
1. Information that was good one minute is often superseded by events. 2. Looking at conditions aloft, the pressure altitude that is often considered is 18,000 feet,
or the 500 millibar level. A chart is prepared for this level as well as others aloft. 3. Contours on the chart depict highs, lows, ridges, and troughs aloft. 4. Remember, the more rapidly air cools with altitude, the greater the instability. 5. The phrase, upper level support means that conditions aloft are favorable for the
development of a storm system.
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Ice Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 2 In this section we take a look at ice and some of the problems it creates for the instrument pilot.
Review:
1. Even with good deicing equipment, wise pilots put every effort into staying out of the ice, or fleeing if ice is encountered. The technique is to take action at the first sign of ice.
2. Continuing into icing conditions, hoping for improvement, can definitely be hazardous to your health.
3. Icing occurs when super cooled water droplets are splattered by the airplane. They then freeze. A super cooled water droplet is one that has been lifted from an above freezing temperature to a below freezing temperature. There it will remain liquid for a while, until disturbed.
4. This tells you that the most severe icing will likely be encountered where there is moisture and where there is lifting.
5. Because the severity of ice is directly related to instability or mechanical lifting, you can draw one conclusion: If the air is turbulent and ice is encountered, there will likely be a lot of ice.
6. Ice can also be present in smooth stratus clouds. Accumulations would be more gradual here but could still be substantial and require immediate action.
7. Ice is classified as clear, rime, or mixed. Clear is more likely found in cumulus clouds, very unstable air, or with strong mechanical lifting over mountains.
8. Rime ice is milky looking, and is created by much smaller super cooled water droplets as might be found in stratus clouds.
9. Mixed is a combination of the two. Most ice looks at least a little mixed. The exception might be what is classified as light rime that accumulates slowly in stratus clouds that are five or ten degrees below freezing.
10. When you are flying in visible moisture and the temperature is low, be alert for the formation of ice.
11. The one form of precipitation that does create airframe ice, and can coat an airplane quickly, is freezing rain. This is an absolute hazard.
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Air Facts: Ice As A Practical Matter Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 3 In this section we take a look at ice and a few ideas to help you deal with it.
Review:
1. Try as you might to stay out of ice, the day might come when some is accumulated. If this happens, you need to have an understanding of what ice does to the airplane.
2. Ice changes the shape of the flying surfaces of the airplane, accumulating as it does primarily at the leading edges. Ice adds to the weight of the airplane. Ice can also change the shape of the propeller's airfoil.
3. If you have ice on your airplane make your approach at a higher than normal airspeed. The weight of the ice and the disfiguration of the airfoil increase the stalling speed.
4. Either restrict flaps settings or use no flaps if there is a lot of ice on the airplane. 5. If the windshield is iced over and the surface temperature is below freezing, you will
have to land with little or no forward visibility. A landing with an iced windshield would best be made on a runway with an ILS.
6. When the airplane starts shedding ice there can be some loud noises as the ice from the wings bangs into the tail and as the ice from the nose hits the windshield.
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Closer Look: Ice Protection Systems Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 4 In this section we’ll take a look at deicing systems.
Review:
1. The common deicing tool is the boot system. Inflatable boots are affixed to the leading edges of the wings and the tail. Using air pressure, the boots are inflated. This breaks off any ice that might have accumulated.
2. Propellers are handled either with heating elements, or by slowly discharging fluid onto the prop. This is actually an anti-ice system, to prevent formation. Windshields usually have electrically heated segments though some systems use fluid.
3. Another form of deicing for the wings and tail uses fluid. Dubbed a weeping wing system, it utilizes a porous leading edge through which fluid seeps.
4. If you are using the boot system, follow the recommendations of the manufacturer. 5. For an aircraft to be certified for flight in icing conditions, it must have a complete system
that has been tested in a prescribed variety of icing conditions.
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Thunderstorms Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 5 In this section we’ll take a look at thunderstorms and why you should avoid them.
Review:
1. A thunderstorm is simply something that can beat you up badly, regardless of the size airplane you're flying. Given a strong enough storm, the airplane might not be controllable or might not have the structural strength or performance to make it through the storm.
2. The greatest turbulence is often found around the outside of a storm, where the inflow into the storm is mixing it up with the outflow from the storm.
3. Usually, the greatest turbulence is found on the front side of the storm, the side on the direction in which it is moving, as well as the side from which it is being fed moisture.
4. The gust front, where the surface wind freshens and shifts as the effect of the downdraft from the storm arrives, can extend out as much as 15 or 20 miles in front of a strong storm.
5. The best in-flight aid is the convective SIGMET. These define where thunderstorms are located and cover tornadoes, lines of thunderstorms, embedded thunderstorms, and the like.
6. If flying in instrument conditions, continuing into an area covered by a convective SIGMET for embedded thunderstorms would certainly be putting yourself at risk.
7. Embedded thunderstorms are usually found in warm or stationary frontal zones. They lack the clear definition of squall line or air mass storms.
8. Keeping up with the convective SIGMETs helps on avoidance. So does looking out the window. Except where thunderstorms are embedded in other clouds, what you see counts for a great deal.
9. The most common rule of thumb for storm avoidance is five miles except when severe storms are forecast. Then 20 miles are recommended.
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Closer Look: Thunderstorm Research Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 6 In this section we’ll take a look at some interesting thunderstorm research.
Review:
1. The understanding of severe storms begins with observations of their behavior. 2. Numerical models of thunderstorms can be used to complement this understanding.
These models consist of mathematical equations which can be solved on a super computer.
3. Wind, temperature, pressure, and other values are calculated every few seconds for several hundred thousand locations in the area of the storm's development.
4. A storm grows quickly from a small cumulus cloud as warm air rises in an updraft. This upwardly moving air reaches a height where it can no longer rise without restraint. It then spreads out creating a growing anvil.
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Cockpit Weather Information Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 7 In this section we’ll take a look at some of the devices that present us with weather information in our cockpit.
Review:
1. Regardless of what you have in the panel, it has to be used in conjunction with every other available bit of information.
2. Radar is an active device that sends out energy that reflects off precipitation and returns to the set, giving, on a radar screen, a picture of what is ahead.
3. The Stormscope and Strike Finder are passive devices. When they detect an electrical discharge in the atmosphere it is plotted on a display in the airplane, thus giving information on the location of activity.
4. Downlink weather information operates through satellites. 5. Nexrad information is not immediate like that from airborne weather radar or lightning
detection devices. The radar returns have to be gathered, made into a composite, and then broadcast to the system in the airplane.
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Air Facts: ATC Radar For Weather Avoidance Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 8 In this section we’ll take a look at how ATC can inform you of weather conditions and advise of ways to avoid it.
Review:
1. Pilots often ask air traffic controllers about the weather up ahead. This is another piece of information that should be used in making decisions.
2. The controllers in air route traffic control centers have available what is basically an overlay of the Nexrad picture, or, about the same thing that is available on your downlink system.
3. Pilots have always found approach control radar to be useful for weather avoidance. It is more like airborne weather radar in its depiction of rainfall rates.
4. Regardless of who you’re talking with or what you’re looking at, the riskiest use of information on rainfall rates comes when you ask to be vectored through, or decide to fly through, the lightest spot in an area of active weather.
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Below Minimum Weather Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 9 In this section we’ll take a look at how to think about weather that is below minimums. The first thing you have to know is what the minimums are for the approach to be flown.
Review:
1. For an ILS approach, you normally need a half mile visibility. At some airports your minimum is a runway visual range of 1800 feet, about three eighths of a mile. The decision height is usually 200 feet.
2. Some nonprecision approaches, mainly localizers or straight-in VOR approaches, have a half mile visibility minimum with MDAs in the 400 to 600 foot range. The lowest possible MDA for a VOR approach is 250 feet.
3. Most below minimum conditions are caused by fog. Most often fog develops in the morning but it is entirely possible to have fog that lasts all day long.
4. Cold or snow-covered ground with a low and strong temperature inversion can cause this as warm moist air flows over the cold surface. This is called advection fog.
5. Ground fog, or radiation fog, usually forms on clear nights with light or no wind and a small temperature-dew point spread. This fog usually forms at night or near daybreak. Often it forms, or thickens significantly, right after sunrise.
6. It's difficult to make an accurate determination of when fog will lift. Radiation fog is probably the easiest to forecast, advection fog the most difficult.
7. Takeoff minimums do not apply to Part 91, not for hire, flight operations. There are no below-minimum conditions here. It's perfectly legal to take off in zero-zero conditions. But it’s not necessarily safe or a good idea.
8. While the visibility minimum is the only true minimum, the decision height on an ILS is also a minimum in the sense that if you can't see the runway or the lights to make a normal landing from there, the approach becomes a missed approach.
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Air Facts: Reading The Weather Signs Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 10 In this section we’ll take a look at how to read weather signs.
Review:
1. For fog formation we know the temperature and dew point are important. So is what we see. The development of fog is often heralded by halos around lights and initial collections of fog in low-lying areas.
2. Wind is an excellent weather sign. Put your back to it in the northern hemisphere, point left at low pressure.
3. Aloft, remember that if the wind is more southerly and stronger than forecast then the low pressure system to the west is stronger than forecast.
4. Perhaps the other meaningful weather signs come when we consider what the weather was forecast to do and what the weather is actually doing.
5. If you can't figure it out with new information gathered in flight, and you aren't quite sure what is going on, perhaps it is best to go to the nearest suitable airport, land, and start a new information-gathering campaign.
6. A time when reading the signs is most important is early in the day. The information you get then is not as complete because a lot of stations don't report overnight, though automated stations are available 24 hours a day.
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Turbulence Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 11 In this section we’ll take a look at turbulence and why you want to avoid it.
Review:
1. Light turbulence causes slight erratic changes in altitude or attitude. Occupants may feel a slight strain against belts. Items that aren't secured might move about slightly.
2. In moderate turbulence, there are definite strains against belts and unsecured objects are dislodged. Moderate chop is defined as rapid bumps or jolts without appreciable altitude or attitude changes.
3. Severe turbulence causes large, abrupt changes in altitude and/or attitude. It usually causes large airspeed variations and the aircraft may be out of control momentarily. Occupants are forced violently against belts and unsecured objects move freely about the cabin.
4. Extreme turbulence is where the aircraft is violently tossed about, is practically impossible to control, and may be damaged structurally.
5. After thunderstorms, another turbulent place is downwind of mountain ranges when the wind is strong and perpendicular to the range.
6. Convective turbulence is almost always there during warm days and is most active on warm summer afternoons when winds are light.
7. The cumulus clouds that form in convective turbulence demand respect because they are quite turbulent by the time their tops reach 10,000 feet.
8. Most IFR pilots try to avoid all fair weather cumulus, at least to the extent possible. 9. To really understand wind shear turbulence, a pilot has to at least partially immerse
himself in the basic study of weather. 10. Perhaps the occlusion, where a cold front overtakes a warm front because of a strong
circulation around a deepening and slow moving low, creates the greatest atmospheric confusion and low-level wind shear, and thus the most turbulence.
11. When mechanical or convective turbulence is considered, the faster an airplane encounters a vertical current, the greater the airplane's reaction to that current.
12. If you are flying at maneuvering speed and you encounter a strong vertical gust, the airplane would theoretically stall and relieve the loads on the flying surfaces before it would break.
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Middle Altitude Weather Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 12 In this section we’ll take a look at the weather when flying in the middle altitudes.
Review:
1. Pilots flying in the middle altitudes spend about the same amount of time in clouds as they did in their previous lower flying airplane.
2. Probably the best weather avoidance use of altitudes in the 15 to 20 thousand foot range comes over the mountains of the eastern U.S., following the passage of a strong cold front.
3. One of the big considerations of middle altitude flying is wind. In the wintertime, the jet stream cores affect the winds where it’s possible to see velocities close to 100 knots.
4. Ice can be a big middle altitude problem, not so much in the wintertime as in warm fronts in the other seasons. The freezing level in these fronts is often between 15 and 20 thousand feet and the moisture supply is good.
5. Another big consideration of flying high is that we can put a lot of weather between the airplane and the ground.
6. In middle altitude flying, even with good surface weather, we can get the worst of a trough aloft because the clouds that are associated with such a trough usually span this altitude range.
7. Wind shear turbulence aloft is called clear air turbulence when it occurs with no clouds around.
8. If you can't get a look at the 500 millibar chart, the winds aloft forecasts for the 18,000 foot level outline what the expected flow is up there and you can visualize what the conditions are likely to be.
9. A closed low aloft is a complete counter-clockwise circulation in the atmosphere. They are best seen on a 500 millibar chart.
10. Flying through a closed low aloft at flight level 190 will involve a lot of wind shear turbulence as you fly from a north wind, into light wind and then into a south wind on the other side.
11. It's difficult to forecast the formation or the dissipation of a closed low aloft. This in itself makes it more difficult to forecast surface weather because of the unpredictable nature of that upper level support.
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Air Facts: Nighttime Weather Instrument Rating Chapter 5 – Video Segment 13 In this section we’ll take a look at nighttime weather.
Review:
1. If the weather is bad in the early evening, it is likely to get worse before it gets better unless some event, like a frontal passage, occurs.
2. You can’t always avoid individual storm cells just by avoiding flashes of lightning. To attempt this is highly questionable.
3. Keep in mind that a proportionately higher number of IFR accidents occur at night, usually on approach.
4. There is one place you do have to be careful about lights illuminating clouds. If you are taking off at a major airport and there are a lot of lights around a mid-field terminal building and not many lights on the other side of the airplane as you take off, only the clouds on one side will be illuminated.
5. The visual illusion from the uneven lighting won't be one of wings-level when the wings are actually level. The illusion can be that you are in a 90-degree bank.
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Chapter 6 – Advanced IFR
Trainer To High Performance Instrument Rating Chapter 6 – Video Segment 1 In this section we’ll take a look at why you should get comfortable in flying IFR in your trainer before flying IFR in a more complex airplane.
Review:
1. In Chapter 6 we'll look at many of the things that affect your flying as you move up in the level of sophistication in single-engine airplanes.
2. It’s a good idea for new instrument pilots to get comfortable with IFR flying in a familiar environment before going on to greater things. What this means is to stick with the airplane you learned in until you get some IFR flying under your belt.
3. The increases in speed, workload, and systems management, mean the pilot must constantly work to stay ahead of the airplane.
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Flight Director and HSI Instrument Rating Chapter 6 – Video Segment 2 In this section we’ll take a look at the flight director and HSI.
Review:
1. A flight director is a well named instrument. Basically it directs the pilot in the proper movement of the controls, to fly a predetermined task.
2. The flight director will tell you what to do to maintain altitude, fly a heading, or to fly a navigational problem including an ILS approach.
3. As long as it is done properly, the flight director is easy to follow. If you decide that you want to do something other than what the flight director is commanding it is best to turn it off.
4. There is no question that you can fly a much better ILS approach with a flight director than with raw data. Because the flight director doesn't require the constant interpretation that is needed to fly a good ILS without a flight director.
5. The HSI is a combination of a heading indicator, an Omni Bearing Selector, and a course deviation indicator. It also includes a heading bug to use in selecting a heading to fly.
6. If, at the decision altitude, the requirements for a landing are not met, the disengage button should be pressed and the go-around started manually. The flight director can then be reprogrammed for the climb on the desired heading.
7. Some flight directors have a go-around mode. This may be activated by a button on the throttle or power levers or on the lower part of instrument panel near the throttle.
8. Using an HSI on a localizer back course is easy. Instead of flying away from the course deviation indicator needle, you simply set the tail of the OBS needle to the inbound bearing of the back course and then fly toward the needle.
9. Many flight directors have a control wheel steering feature that can be used when instituting climbs or descents.
10. While not a replacement for the flight director, some electronic systems may also allow the display of the desired flight path using the highway in the sky concept.
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Closer Look: IFR Resources Instrument Rating Chapter 6 – Video Segment 3 In this section we’ll take a look at a few portable IFR accessories and devices.
Review:
1. It is always a good idea to keep a handheld transceiver handy. It may be useful for obtaining ATIS information, getting released from ground hold, or picking up a clearance without having to start the engine.
2. In the unlikely event of a complete radio failure, the handheld transceiver may allow the pilot to maintain at least limited contact with air traffic control.
3. A portable GPS cannot be used for primary navigation under IFR. However, they are useful as an emergency backup and for situational awareness. Many units may also have features not readily available in airplanes with older installed equipment.
4. Many have GPS units have XM satellite weather available via a subscription. This puts NexRad weather radar and a number of other textual and graphical reports and forecasts in the cockpit.
5. Some, like the Garmin 696, have a terrain awareness feature. This feature can help keep the aircraft safely above obstacles and terrain below.
6. Cables and antennas for some portable GPSs may require additional cockpit management. There are mounts available for the most popular units to help in this organization.
7. Another popular IFR accessory is the Electronic Flight Bag or EFB. It encompasses a number of electronic devices both portable and installed.
8. The FAA describes them in detail in AC 120-76. A basic description of an EFB is an electronic display system intended to be used in the cockpit and capable of presenting charts, documents, checklists, or calculation functions useful for the flight.
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IFR Use Of The Autopilot Instrument Rating Chapter 6 – Video Segment 4 In this section we’ll take a look at the autopilot.
Review:
1. The FAA’s airman certification standards for the instrument rating say that the applicant must be able to use the autopilot, if one is installed in the airplane, and that it should be used for one of the required approaches.
2. The best place to start learning about an autopilot is in the supplements section of the Pilot’s Operating Handbook. This is where all of the optional equipment, including the autopilot, is covered.
3. The first thing a lot of pilots read is the section on the operating limitations of the autopilot. Next, read the emergency procedure section.
4. If you need to turn off the autopilot in an emergency situation and nothing else comes to mind, pull the autopilot circuit breaker.
5. Never try to help an autopilot fly the airplane. Only one pilot at a time can fly, so if you don’t like something the autopilot is doing, turn it off before you start flying.
6. It is really a good idea to set the autopilot for what you want it to do before takeoff. That would include the heading and the altitude to which you will be climbing.
7. The NAV function of an autopilot is a great feature. If you put a flight plan into the GPS navigator and then activate the NAV function, the autopilot will fly that flight plan for you.
8. For the actual operation of your specific autopilot review your owner’s manual. 9. The autopilot must be disengaged below 200 feet AGL during approach operations, so it
can take you down to the lowest category one decision height. 10. An important thing to know in any airplane is how various systems failures affect the
instruments and the autopilot.
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Air Facts: Night IFR Instrument Rating Chapter 6 – Video Segment 5 In this section we’ll take a look at night IFR flying.
Review:
1. Night IFR is one of the most difficult things that we do with our airplanes. And this level of difficulty leads to a dramatic increase in risk for most pilots.
2. Engine failure related accidents are a small part of the night IFR accident picture. Systems failures, vacuum and electric, account for slightly more problems but when all mechanical problems are considered, they are a factor in only about 10 percent of the serious IFR accidents that occur at night.
3. Where you may be able to read charts easily in the daytime without glasses, the numbers might appear fuzzy in the limited light available at night.
4. Never leave a published minimum altitude based on a sighting of anything other than lights associated with the runway.
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Engine Instrumentation Instrument Rating Chapter 6 – Video Segment 6 In this section we’ll take a look at engine instrumentation.
Review:
1. One measure of how hard an engine works is the relationship between how big it is and how much horsepower it produces. A yardstick of an engine's size is the total volume displaced by its pistons in one revolution of the crankshaft.
2. Better fuels and design improvements such as controllable pitch propellers, geared engines, turbo charging, higher compression ratios, and direct fuel injection contributed to increased power with a minimal increase in weight.
3. Manifold pressure gauges, fuel pressure and flow gauges, cylinder head temperature gauges, exhaust gas temperature gauges, and turbine inlet temperature gauges, are some of the instruments used to measure performance and condition.
4. Fixed pitch propellers are designed for best engine propeller combination efficiency at a specific engine rotation and airplane forward speed. For fixed pitch propellers, the tachometer gives an adequate indication of power used.
5. Attaching a constant speed propeller is like adding a transmission to the engine-propeller system. Aircraft engines are rated at a specific RPM.
6. Preignition is premature ignition caused by hot spots in the combustion chamber. Detonation occurs when high pressure and temperature cause the violent explosion of the fuel air mixture ahead of the normal flame front. Engines are especially vulnerable to detonation when power output is high and fuel air mixture is lean.
7. Along with a tachometer, the constant speed propeller-engine combinations must have a manifold pressure gauge, which indirectly indicates the power output of the engine. The manifold pressure gauge indicates the pressure of the fuel-air mixture immediately before it enters the cylinder.
8. A mixture ratio of approximately 15 to 1 is considered to be chemically perfect in that all of the fuel and oxygen are combined in the combustion process. This mixture also creates the most heat.
9. Most general aviation airplanes have a fuel pressure gauge which can be calibrated in pounds per hour, gallons per hour, or pounds per square inch.
10. While the oil temperature gauge will warn of high temperatures, a cylinder head temperature gauge will give a much earlier warning of increasing temperatures.
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Air Facts: Keep It Running Instrument Rating Chapter 6 – Video Segment 7 In this section we’ll take a look at some rental considerations regarding more complex airplane engines.
Review:
1. By the time you get to the most powerful turbocharged engines you are indeed dealing with a temperamental machine, one that will serve you well and faithfully only if you treat it correctly.
2. Proper handling means especially leaning properly and being gentle on the throttle. 3. As a renter when you check the oil, take a good look at it. Is it black? Smell it. Does it
smell burned? These would be indications of problems in the cylinders and a lot of blow-by.
4. How is the oil consumption? If an engine uses more than a quart of oil every three hours, you’d better pay attention and do something about it.
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Principles of Turbocharging Instrument Rating Chapter 6 – Video Segment 8 In this section we’ll take a look at some considerations regarding turbocharged engines.
Review:
1. Turbo-superchargers, driven by engine exhaust, are the systems used in most all contemporary airplanes with the name shortened to a more manageable turbocharger.
2. Non-turbocharged engines lose power with altitude. Even at peak efficiency, the normally aspirated engine's manifold pressure cannot exceed atmospheric pressure.
3. In order to maintain power at higher altitudes, the mass of the fuel air mixture must be increased, or at least maintained, by packing air into the induction system.
4. Turbocharging does that by compressing air and increasing the pressure and density of the fuel air mixture.
5. Turbochargers utilize a turbine in the exhaust system. The turbine is driven by exhaust gasses and in turn, it drives the compressor.
6. The compressor does just what its name says – it compresses air for use in the induction system to maintain power and, in the case of a pressurized airplane, to pump up the cabin.
7. Some supercharged or turbocharged engines are called altitude engines, and are capable of producing rated takeoff power from sea level to an established higher altitude.
8. The higher operating temperatures of the turbocharged engine increase the risk of preignition and detonation as well as adding to the general wear and tear on the engine.
9. Some systems use an intercooler to cool the compressed air as it enters the induction system. Intercoolers are adaptable to all the various types of turbocharging systems.
10. Some turbocharged engines are said to be ground boosted. Ground boosting is when turbocharging increases the manifold pressure above standard sea level pressure.
11. Ground boosting can increase the horsepower output at sea level as well as the altitude capability of an engine without increasing the size of the engine itself.
12. Overboosting may damage and even destroy an engine. Almost all modern factory-installed systems have an arrangement that is designed to prevent overboosting.
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Oxygen Use Instrument Rating Chapter 6 – Video Segment 9 In this section we’ll take a look at the use of oxygen for the high flier.
Review:
1. Oxygen is extracted from the air by the lungs and is distributed through the body by the circulation system. As blood circulates, it picks up oxygen from the lungs, transports the oxygen to the tissues and carries carbon dioxide back to the lungs where it is exhaled.
2. When air is inhaled at high altitudes, there isn't enough oxygen pressure to force it through the membranes of the lungs into the bloodstream. This condition, where the body lacks sufficient oxygen, is called hypoxia.
3. At 10,000 feet, the blood can still pick up 90 percent of its capacity. At that altitude a healthy person will become slightly impaired after some time and be less able to concentrate.
4. At 14,000 feet, a healthy person may fly off course, forget to switch tanks or disregard hazardous situations. Exposure to environmental air from 18,000 feet up will cause collapse.
5. Hypoxia sneaks up in the person. Early symptoms resemble a pleasant, mild alcohol intoxication, the mind doesn't function properly, and muscular coordination suffers. There's a drowsy feeling, nonchalance, and a false sense of security. It gets only worse from here.
6. Pilots who fly high need a pressurized cabin or supplemental oxygen. Part 91 requires that supplemental oxygen be provided for all occupants all of the time above 15,000 feet cabin pressure altitude.
7. The minimum flight crew must be provided and use supplemental oxygen for a flight of more than 30 minutes above a cabin pressure altitude of 12,500 feet. Above 14,000 feet cabin pressure altitude supplemental oxygen must be provided and used continuously by the flight crew.
8. Night vision is affected by hypoxia at much lower altitudes. After several hours at 8,000 feet, instrument panel lights and lights on the surface begin to dull. For most people the onset of hypoxia is pleasurable and overrides the instinct for survival.
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Pressurization Instrument Rating Chapter 6 – Video Segment 10 In this section we’ll take a look at airplane pressurization.
Review:
1. Pressurization is exactly what the name implies – the air pressure in the cabin is maintained at an altitude lower than that at which the airplane is flying.
2. This is done simply by pumping more air into the cabin than is allowed to leave, thus creating a pressure differential between inside and outside. This differential is measured in pounds per square inch, PSI.
3. There are different kinds of controllers for pressurization systems. The simplest is set manually. Check out your system thoroughly in your owner’s manual.
4. In a more sophisticated pressurization system you'll find a cabin rate control added. This allows the cabin to climb smoothly to the cabin altitude appropriate to the cruising altitude.
5. When the airplane reaches this altitude, the valve that controls the outflow of air from the cabin begins to let less air out than is coming in.
6. The bleed air from the turbocharger that is introduced into the cabin continues and as the airplane climbs the cabin remains at the selected altitude until the maximum differential is reached.
7. For safety, there are two outflow valves. The primary is set at the maximum differential. The second is set slightly above the maximum differential and acts as a relief valve should the first one fail.
8. Most all cabins leak some air. The older they get, the more they leak. A pressurized airplane has to have a stronger structure and thicker windows to withstand the pressure differential.
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Closer Look: Flight Level Regulations Instrument Rating Chapter 6 – Video Segment 11 In this section we’ll take a look at some of the rules and regulations pertaining to high flying.
Review:
1. In Class A airspace, which starts at 18,000 feet MSL and extends up to and includes flight level 600, all aircraft must fly under instrument flight rules. Class A is presently the only operational airspace that requires all aircraft to be on an IFR flight plan regardless of the weather conditions.
2. VFR on top is not allowed in Class A. However, see and avoid is the rule anytime you're operating in visual meteorological conditions, including when in Class A airspace.
3. All aircraft must be at an assigned flight level. Appropriate radio and transponder are required.
4. Checklists usually call for setting the altimeter to 29.92 inches of mercury, climbing through 17,500 feet. ATC requires the controller to furnish the current altimeter setting when clearing an aircraft to descend below flight level 180.
5. High altitude en route charts show single direction preferred routes with an arrowhead. 6. Not specifically a part of Class A rules is the requirement for DME at and above 24,000
feet MSL if you are navigating by VOR or VOR based area navigation equipment.
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Air Facts: All-Weather Airplane? Instrument Rating Chapter 6 – Video Segment 12 Is there such a thing as an all-weather airplane? The answer is a resounding NO.
Review:
1. Success in IFR weather flying has more to do with the pilot than it has to do with the airplane or the equipment in the airplane.
2. The real measure of excellence on the part of a pilot is to be able to take no for an answer. Whether it’s storms, ice, or conditions below minimums for landing, there are times when you can't make it work.
3. The pilot's job is one of flying the airplane well when conditions are acceptable, and not flying in conditions that are unacceptable.
4. Your airplane might have better equipment and more performance but the outcome is strictly rooted in your ability.
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Chapter 7 – FARs and Your Instrument Test
IFR Weather Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 1 In this section we will discuss wind shear and microbursts.
Review:
1. Wind shear is defined as a change of wind speed or direction in a very short distance. It can happen at almost any level anywhere in the atmosphere. The first in-cockpit sign of a wind shear encounter is a sudden change in indicated airspeed.
2. Low-level wind shear happens in visual as well as instrument weather conditions. 3. As the airplane flies into the low-level wind shear, performance decreases, indicated
airspeed decreases, the airplane pitches nose down and the rate of descent increases. 4. If the pilot fails to add enough power to stabilize the airplane on the glideslope, the result
is going below the glideslope and landing slow, short, and hard. 5. When a tailwind shears to a calm or headwind there is an increase in performance.
Indicated airspeed and pitch increase and the rate of descent decreases. 6. Low-level wind shear can be found in and around thunderstorms, fronts, low-level
inversions, and mountain waves. 7. Low-level wind shear caused by microbursts can happen with any low or mid-level
convective clouds. 8. Microburst winds of 45 knots can produce as much as a 90 knot change, if you fly from a
45 knot headwind to a 45 knot tailwind. 9. At many of the larger airports sensors alert controllers of microbursts, gust fronts, and
wind shear, so that they can warn pilots. 10. The best remedy for low-level wind shear is avoidance. 11. For takeoff with the possibility of wind shear, use the longest suitable runway with
maximum rated power and consider using a higher airspeed for lift-off. 12. anding precautions include stabilizing the approach as soon as possible, preferably
1,000 feet above the surface. Do not make large power reductions. It’s better to be high and go-around for another try than to land short of the runway.
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Closer Look: Computer Testing Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 2 In this section we will discuss what you can expect regarding your computerized knowledge test.
Review:
1. Your instructor or flight school can tell you where to call for information and to register for your exam. Registration is done by telephone, and payment by credit card at this time is a real advantage.
2. The date and time of the test is also arranged at this point. It may even be possible to schedule a test later that same day.
3. After check in, you'll be required to present a photo identification such a driver’s license or passport. The workstation will be set up for you and the appropriate test loaded into the computer.
4. You will be given a short orientation, which includes a sample test, explaining how to use the computer and allowing you time to acclimate to your surroundings.
5. You will also be given a packet containing a book with the charts and figures referred to in some of the test questions. This packet will also contain pencils, scratch paper, and an overlay.
6. You can mark any questions for future review.
7. The time limit for the instrument test is two and a half hours, which should be ample time to cover the 60 questions.
8. Answer the easy questions first, hold the harder or computation questions to the end. 9. Before you leave the testing facility you'll have your results printed on an FAA approved
form to take with you.
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IFR Weather Data Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 3 In this section we will take a look at the convective outlooks and low and high-level prog charts.
Review:
1. The convective outlooks are national thunderstorm forecasts issued by the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. These forecasts outline areas in the continental United States where severe thunderstorms may develop.
2. In addition to the chart, a convective outlook includes a technical discussion describing the factors expected to produce the severe weather.
3. Low-level significant weather prog charts deal with forecast weather from the surface to 24,000 feet. They predict the positions and characteristics of fronts, pressure systems, and precipitation.
4. The high-level significant weather prog charts forecast weather between 24,000 feet and 60,000 feet. High-level progs show areas of forecast turbulence, cumulonimbus clouds, jet streams, and lest it be forgotten, the height of the tropopause.
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Practical & Oral Testing Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 4 In this section we will take a look at the practical test - the last step on the way to the instrument rating. It may be given by an FAA inspector or a designated examiner.
Review:
1. You will need to bring a number of items to your appointment. Your pilot and medical certificates, your logbook endorsed by your instructor, your written test report, photo I-D, and a completed application for an airman certificate or rating.
2. Some examiners are using IACRA instead of the paper 8710. IACRA stands for integrated airman certification and/or rating application, and it is an electronic, web-based system that replaces the 8710, helps reduce errors, and streamlines FAA paperwork.
3. You will also need to bring the equipment you normally use to help you plan a flight, such as current charts, a computer and plotter, flight plan forms, and flight logs. A current AIM and a hood or other view-limiting device will also be needed.
4. The airplane must have all of the required instruments and equipment. 5. In addition to the required documents for the airplane, you must present the
maintenance records. All the required maintenance inspections and equipment checks must be current.
6. The practical test involves all the aspects of an IFR flight. There is a ground phase, which is really an oral examination, followed by the flight phase.
7. You will be asked about all phases of IFR flying; the airplane’s performance, cross-country preparation, obtaining weather information, and the like.
8. During the flight phase you are expected to demonstrate that you understand and can comply with ATC clearances for departure, en route, holding, and arrival procedures.
9. There will be two nonprecision approaches and one precision approach on the test. One of the nonprecision approaches must be performed without the use of the primary flight instruments.
10. If there is an autopilot installed, you will be expected to use it on one of the nonprecision approaches, and at other times to assist in the management of the aircraft.
11. Basic instrument maneuvers and recoveries from unusual attitudes will also be on the test.
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Closer Look: Test Taking Tips Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 5 In this section, let’s take a closer look at the computerized knowledge test, sometimes referred to as the written exam.
Review:
1. To take the test, you'll need an endorsement from an instructor certifying that you've completed a course of study in preparation for the written examination. There are 60 questions in the FAA instrument exam. A minimum score of 70 percent is needed to pass.
2. You have two and a half minutes per question, so you can take your time. Don't be hesitant to mark questions you have doubts about for later review.
3. Remember, several questions may cover the same topic, and you might find the answers to a previous question in the body of a later question. Answers to other questions may be found in the chart or book legends.
4. It’s best to answer the quick and easy questions first, deferring the more difficult or more time consuming calculation questions until last.
5. One final tip, if you find a question you just can't answer, try eliminating wrong or unlikely answers until you've narrowed the field to one.
6. As in the private exam, you're welcome to use plotters, flight computers and calculators. However, any continuous memory must be erased.
7. Your passing score is valid for 24 calendar months, during which time the oral and flight portions of the test must be completed.
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Federal Aviation Regulations Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 6 In this section, let’s take a closer look at more of the federal regulations. In order to operate under instrument flight rules there are regulations which cover the airplane and you.
Review:
1. You are required to have two-way communication and navigation suitable for your flight. 2. When operating IFR in Class B airspace, you must have a working VOR or TACAN, or
an operable and suitable area navigation system, such as an IFR-approved GPS. 3. A gyroscopic rate of turn indicator is required except for some aircraft and helicopters
which have a third attitude instrument system. 4. The airplane will need a sensitive altimeter, and a clock which displays hours, minutes,
and seconds with a sweep second pointer or digital display. 5. You need a generator or alternator of adequate capacity and attitude and heading
indicators. 6. A VOR receiver used under IFR must have been operationally checked and found to be
within limits within the preceding 30 days.
7. Remember that 6 degrees is the allowable tolerance only for VOR checks made when airborne over a checkpoint. All other receiver checks, including the VOT and dual receiver checks in the air, have a tolerance of 4 degrees.
8. The pilot in command is responsible to determine that the aircraft is airworthy. An aircraft may not be airworthy if the required checks and inspections have not been completed.
9. Approach-approved GPS units must have a current database to be legal for approaches. 10. In order to be pilot in command under IFR or in weather conditions less than the
minimums for VFR, the pilot must hold an instrument rating and have the required recent experience.
11. To be considered current to fly IFR as pilot in command, the pilot must have, within the preceding six calendar months, and in actual or simulated instrument conditions, flown and logged at least: six instrument approaches, holding procedures, and intercepted and tracked courses through the use of navigation systems.
12. The requirements for an instrument proficiency check are found in the instrument rating Airman Certification Standards (ACS) publication.
13. Successful completion of the proficiency check makes you current for 6 calendar months.
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Communications Loss Procedures Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 7 In this section, let’s take a closer look at what we should do if we lose communication capability.
Review:
1. FAR 91.185 and the AIM spell out the actions to take in the event of a two-way radio failure.
2. Pilots should not be reluctant to exercise the emergency authority that allows the pilot to deviate from the rules to the extent necessary to cope with the emergency.
3. If the failure occurs in VFR conditions or if VFR is encountered, the pilot should continue under VFR, land as soon as practicable, and call ATC on the phone.
4. When confronted with the situation, it's best to consider each of the dimensions of control, route, altitude, and time, separately.
5. For route, follow the last clearance. If the last clearance is short of the destination, follow the route that ATC has advised may be expected. Otherwise, follow the route on the flight plan.
6. While route has a definite order of priority, altitude is based on flying each airway segment at the highest of three possible altitudes.
7. During the cruise portion of the flight, fly at the highest of the following altitudes or flight levels – the last clearance, the minimum altitude or flight level for IFR, or the altitude or flight level specified in an “expect further clearance.”
8. Descent for the approach can start at the initial approach fix, or the fix from which the approach begins, and as close as possible to the estimated time of arrival.
9. If the pilot has acknowledged receipt of the information about the approach and initial approach fix to use, the pilot must use that approach and initial approach fix.
10. If a communications failure happens while in a holding pattern, leave the holding fix at “the expect further clearance” time. This is true whether holding en route or for an approach.
11. The transponder code for a two-way communications failure is 7600. 12. Generator or alternator failure will eventually cause failure of all electrical systems. This
means loss of all NAV/COM radios. 13. With a total NAV/COM failure the best possible solution is to fly to VFR conditions.
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Air Facts: Communications Loss Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 8 In this section, let’s take a closer look at what we should do if we lose communication capability.
Review:
1. The first thing that we have to consider is the event that jeopardizes our ability to communicate. The most likely is some failure in the system that keeps the battery charged – the generator or the alternator.
2. Turn off everything electrical that is not absolutely necessary. 3. If the electrical problem occurs at night, extra flashlights and a handheld transceiver are
a big help. 4. There is such a thing as a complete electrical failure. A likely cause of this is a hung
starter. It can be detected by looking at the charging instrument for the system. It will show a full charge with a hung starter.
5. If you can’t communicate in any way, you will have the undivided attention of air traffic control and will keep that attention until you land.
6. The better solution is to get the airplane on the ground as soon as it is safely possible. If you just took off, maybe that would mean a quick approach and landing back at the airport of departure. If there is some VFR weather around, maybe it would mean finding that and landing.
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Aircraft Instruments Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 9 In this section, let’s take a look at aircraft instruments.
Review:
1. When the altimeter is set to the current altimeter setting, note the variation between airport elevation and indicated altitude. If the variation is plus or minus 75 feet or more the altimeter should be checked.
2. An altimeter is a barometer. It interprets lower pressure as an increase in altitude and higher pressure as a decrease in altitude.
3. Temperature also has an effect on indicated altitude. Temperatures higher than standard, will cause the altimeter to indicate a lower altitude than actual, and vice versa.
4. A memory aid helps. When flying from high to low pressure or temperature, look out below. The airplane will be lower than the altimeter indicates.
5. Nonstandard temperature has the same effect on all aircraft in the area. Vertical separation is maintained even though true altitude may be different than indicated.
6. The airspeed indicator is the only instrument which depends on both pitot and static pressure, while the altimeter and vertical speed indicator only use static pressure.
7. The airspeed indicator is the only instrument which depends on both pitot and static pressure, while the altimeter and vertical speed indicator only use static pressure.
8. Use the alternate static source, either an installed system or an emergency system which is activated by breaking the glass on the vertical speed indicator.
9. If the ram air and pitot drains are blocked, the airspeed indicator acts like an altimeter. 10. Before takeoff, the vertical speed indicator should read zero. 11. The gyroscopic instruments are powered by either electricity or pneumatic pressure. 12. Set the heading indicator to the compass heading before taxiing. The attitude indicator
horizon bar should erect and remain stable in the level position within 5 minutes of engine start.
13. The electronic attitude sensors used in glass cockpits are immune to the precession errors that affect the air driven gyroscope used in most mechanical attitude indicators.
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Closer Look: Instrument Failure Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 10
In this section, let’s take a look at instrument failure.
Review:
1. An unusual attitude is any attitude not normally required for instrument flight. This can result from turbulence, disorientation, confusion, or failure of an instrument or instruments.
2. Direction of instrument indication, abnormal indications, or excessive rate of movement,call for increasing the cross-check to verify whether it's really an unusual attitude, or aninstrument malfunction.
3. Up until now, you have been taught to have faith in your instruments. This is still true, butif the instruments do not agree, one or more of them must be wrong.
4. The pitot system is one of the inputs for the airspeed indicator. The airspeed indicator,altimeter, and vertical speed indicator use the static source.
5. Vacuum pressure operates the gyros for the attitude and heading indicators. The turnindicator gyro is driven electrically.
6. If all instruments show straight-and-level flight, and the airspeed indicator is decreasing,then the airspeed indicator has failed, or the pitot system has become blocked.
7. By singling out the one instrument that does not agree with the others, we can identify the failed instrument.
8. If more than one instrument has failed, it may be a bit more difficult to find the problemones. Before acting on the indication of one instrument, look at the other instruments.
9. An airplane doesn't usually go instantly from stable flight to wildly diverging flight.10. If the airplane was in a normal pitch and bank attitude a moment ago, chances are that it
hasn't diverged very far from that attitude.
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Clearances And Flight Plans Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 11
In this section, let’s take a look at clearances and flight plans.
Review:
1. To reduce frequency congestion, the controller will use the words cleared as filed if the route is the same as that filed on the flight plan. The AIM calls this the abbreviated clearance.
2. Along with the words cleared as filed the controller will always say the name of thedestination airport, the altitude to maintain, and, if a SID is assigned, the name of theSID and transition if appropriate.
3. At an airport without an operating control tower, if there is communication with ATC, theclearance is given over the radio. Without communication it’s received over thetelephone.
4. Because airspace is reserved for the departure aircraft, pilots who do not depart by voidtime must notify ATC as soon as possible, but not more than 30 minutes after void time.
5. An IFR clearance which states VFR-on-top in lieu of an assigned altitude is essentially aclearance to conduct the cruise portion of the flight in visual meteorological conditions.
6. For the pilot, VFR-on-top allows choice of altitude for the most favorable wind, leastturbulence, or weather avoidance.
7. A clearance variation sometimes used at the arrival end of the IFR flight is the cruise clearance. This is used for relatively short flights in uncongested airspace. The cruise clearance is initiated when the controller clears the aircraft to cruise an altitude.
8. Preflight planning requires the pilot to become familiar with all available informationconcerning the flight, including runway lengths and alternate airports.
9. An important part of the information available is in the form of notices to airmen,NOTAMs.
10. An IFR flight plan and an ATC clearance are required to enter controlled airspace whenweather conditions are less than required for VFR.
11. A flight plan and clearance are not required to fly under instrument flight rules orinstrument weather conditions in Class G airspace.
12. There is one variation of an IFR flight plan called the composite flight plan. One part ofthe trip is IFR and the other VFR.
13. The pilot is responsible for closing the VFR flight plan and as always, the aircraft mustremain in VFR conditions until the IFR clearance is received.
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In this section, let’s take a look at glass cockpit equipped airplanes – they are unique.
Review:
1. Some of the glass cockpit airplanes don’t have a vacuum system. They are all-electric.The FARs require that an aircraft have adequate electrical storage capacity, as in abattery, to operate essential equipment for 30 minutes after a charging system failure.
2. The practical test standards, PTS, call for the applicant to fly a nonprecision approachusing the standby instrumentation in a glass cockpit airplane.
3. It would be a good idea to go over what will be expected of you in advance, regardingthe loss of electrical power. It’s something to discuss during the oral exam before theflight test.
4. The autopilot is an integral part of glass cockpit airplanes and the FAA requires, on theflight test, that an autopilot, if installed, be used to assist in the management of theairplane on a nonprecision approach.
5. GPS approach proficiency must be demonstrated as well on the flight test, and itsdatabase has to be current.
6. Realize that the Garmin G1000 in Cessnas and the Avidyne in Cirrus and Piperairplanes are different in some ways. These differences could affect your checkride.
7. Regardless of the system, you will want to turn off any unnecessary electrical devicesafter a complete or partial electrical failure.
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Glass Checkride Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 12
ATC Expectations Instrument Rating Chapter 7 – Video Segment 13 In this section, let’s take a look at what ATC expects a pilot to know.
Review:
1. ATC expects pilots to monitor ATIS prior to making initial contact and to repeat the code word name of the ATIS monitored.
2. After giving an IFR clearance, ATC doesn't consider the clearance transaction complete until the pilot has acknowledged receipt and understanding of the clearance.
3. Pilots are expected to request clarification or an amended clearance if the clearance is not understood or is unacceptable.
4. Pilots are expected to comply with any instruction upon receipt. When expeditious compliance is necessary ATC will include the word immediately to impress urgency.
5. Sometimes, the term at pilot’s discretion is included in altitude clearances. This means the pilot has the option to start climb or descent whenever he or she wishes.
6. If a controller tells you to resume own navigation, that means that any radar vector that you had been flying is complete, and it is your responsibility to navigate from here on.
7. When airborne, pilots should read back those parts of ATC clearances which contain altitude assignments or vector headings.
8. Altitudes, altitude restrictions, and vector headings should be read back in the same sequence as issued.
9. The pilot may cancel an IFR flight plan prior to landing if the airplane is in VFR conditions and outside Class A airspace.
10. When landing at an airport with an operating control tower, the tower will automatically close the flight plan. At airports without an operating control tower, the pilot must initiate cancellation of the IFR flight plan.
11. If there is no FSS or surface communication with ATC, the pilot should cancel by radio before landing if weather conditions permit.
12. If it's not possible to cancel by radio, call on the telephone as soon as possible.
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