Scudrunners

I enjoy IFR flying.

It's fun landing in weather where you wouldn't even want to be driving on the road! Impressive and humbling watching the aircraft land itself.

200m RVR take-off in Milan was fun. First finding the runway then concentrating on keeping on the centreline lights in the same relative position during a 45 second ground roll in a heavy A340. IMC as soon as we rotated and then breaking out in the clear a few seconds later.

I only flew in real clouds once but they are right, it is way more fun than droning around under the hood. When we came out of the clouds and the runway was right there for me to land on it was incredible.

[quote author=DeflectionShot link=topic=7245.msg19722#msg19722 date=1507485267]
[quote]IFR is like doing your taxes.  You might not enjoy it,
but you have to do it.[/quote]

Or going to the dentist.

I'm not arguing against its utility. It's one of those ratings that I'm probably going to get - one of these days.  ;)
[/quote]


Might save your life.  I originally got mine as an insurance policy, but then have used it a lot.  The coolness factor has worn off with time, and I'd rather be flying Nordo 500 feet up, but still an extremely valuable tool.

[quote]I enjoy IFR flying.

It's fun landing in weather where you wouldn't even want to be driving on the road! Impressive and humbling watching the aircraft land itself.

200m RVR take-off in Milan was fun. First finding the runway then concentrating on keeping on the centreline lights in the same relative position during a 45 second ground roll in a heavy A340. IMC as soon as we rotated and then breaking out in the clear a few seconds later.[/quote]

No doubt but I think we need to make a distinction between guys who fly IFR commercially and single pilot IFR in a light airplane. After all you've got considerable infrastructure in place to help you make command decisions in IMC, a copilot, a dispatcher, top-notch avionics, regular training, etc. Guys like Nark, CS, Chuck and John Swallow also have decades of experience and training.

Your average weekend schmoo like me has none of that. Some guys like Rookie Pilot and Dirt Dr can do single pilot IFR, and do it well, but they've got access to IFR capable machines (relatively speaking). And they seem to fly it regularly. To be honest I have enough trouble keeping my VFR up to snuff and I would say that's pretty typical for PPLs at the local flying club.

As to whether it's "safer" or not, I guess that depends (like all things aviation related). It's safer if you know what you're doing. It's also very unforgiving of mistakes. According to Richard Collins single pilot IFR is a growing accident category that's overtaking VFR into IMC as a killer, especially at night. http://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-techniqu ... -pilot-ifr. Collins was of course the Great Guru of single pilot IFR at Flying Magazine whose personal mission was to prove the sheer practicality and enhanced safety of flying IFR in light airplanes. He seems to have pulled away from that in recent years.

I don't how many times I've heard the mantra from the local FTU that IFR will make you a safer pilot, usually from instructors who barely have their own IFR tickets. But my observation is that most GA pilots can barely handle a 10 knot cross wind let alone a hold in bad, windy weather.

I've also read a lot of accident stuff on Kathryn's Report and it's pretty sobering. Highly educated and successful people (doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc) regularly kill themselves, and often their entire families, flying IFR, usually caused by extraordinarily poor judgment, bad weather that exceed their capabilities, etc. Am I smarter then they were? Am I more capable? Do I have more aptitude then they did? As a weekend warrior, probably not. Maybe luckier after flying for 16 years on and off, but that's not a skill set.

I am told that you need that full concentration to fly single pilot IFR, but it's amazing how a high-stress day job can leak into your flying life. That's been true for me flying VFR where the overall risk is generally lower.

So in sum, I will go back to what the Colonel recently posted about flying that Cub around the patch, low and slow, uncomplicated, the fewer instruments the better. I like that.

Instrument flying is just part of your general aviation education.  It can give you more flexability , all things considered.  I knew bush pilots that had 10000 hours and never held a rating. It all depends on what type of flying you want to do.


As to going out and doing VOR intercepts for an hour under the hood. A bit strange.  These are far better learned in the sim, as it can be repositioned quickly, and stopped to review.  In the air one intercept a lesson specifically.  You should get enough practice during the initial approach at intercepts.  There is no need to spend a whole lesson on one exercise if you are properly prepared.. 
In any event, once you start actually flying IFR, I think you will enjoy it more.

Single-pilot IFR, with no autopilot and steam gauges, esp
in a retractable single (or something else unforgiving of
hands-off flying) can be a handful.

Just because it's [i]legal[/i] for you to file IFR with the above,
doesn't mean you should.  After all, there is no regulation
saying you shouldn't fly through a Cb, after all.

An instrument rating is NOT a rating to fly in all Wx in
any equipment.  Icing, anyone?

IMHO the perfect utilization of an IFR ticket in a light
aircraft is flying from crappy wx to good wx.

For example, in the summer morning anywhere in
the eastern half of North America, the moisture in
the airmass results in below VFR wx.  But later on,
you know the daytime heating is going to boil up the
Cb's.  You have a limited window to fly, VFR.

But IFR, you can launch before the crap burns off -
possibly when it's still 0/0 - and pop out on top into
the blinding sunshine, and happily hand-fly to your
destination, where with a bit of luck there will be a
nice big hole in the overcast, or at least high ceilings
and arrive at your destination in good wx.

At least, that's the perfect IFR trip in a little airplane,
for me.  Flying into deteriorating wx to minimums - that's
hard core.  Esp when it goes below minimums right
after you arrive, with CB's all around.

[youtube][/youtube]

The IFR heroes might like that kind of flying.  Scares the
shit out of me.

Not sure this has much to do with IFR, but ....

A few years back, I was at YSH southwest of Ottawa,
and I wanted to go to Gatineau, northeast of Ottawa.

It was a beautiful morning, and it was clear at both
YSH and Gatineau, so I launch in the Pitts.

I climb up and I call up Ottawa Terminal for clearance
through their airspace.  They were amazed that a stupid
little biplane was flying overhead VFR, because CYOW
was below IFR and everyone was grounded.

I said yeah, there's an undercast of mist down there,
running from the northwest to the southeast over
you guys.  Should burn off in an hour or two, and
if I look straight down, I can see houses and stuff.

And over I went.

IFR flying is work.  VFR is for fun.

Pardon me if I am wrong, but aren't all CAT II/III approaches
and landings fully automated?  The pilots just sit there and
watch the aircraft fly the approach and land, correct?