If you are like me then you'll want to get an instrument rating simply just to have something new to beat yourself up over, but beyond that there are several sensible reasons to take your flying to the next level:
Increased safety - Inadvertent cloud penetration, poor visibility or severe disorientation at night without visual references has claimed the life of many VFR pilots. There is nothing more sickening and terrifying than the confusion you feel when you are way in over your head, training for your instrument rating will allow you sample this feeling regularly :) with the safety of having a CFII sitting next you. Eventually controlling the plane without the need for visual references will become second nature.
Increased Utility - You'll get more use out of the airplane and have more options on cross country flights with an instrument rating. Even a thin low cloud base can close and Airport and keep you grounded.
Honed pilot skills - The instrument rating requires more precise control of the aircraft as well as better cockpit resource management and enhanced spatial awareness. You'll become truly proficient with your VOR, ADF, DME and GPS equipment. You'll be pleasantly surprised just how useful all that navigation equipment is.
WX awareness - You'll get a far deeper understanding of weather systems, potential hazards and how to avoid them.
No more scud running - flying under clouds to maintain VFR can put a pilot in a little bit of a predicament, especially if the ceiling starts to come down. An IFR pilot has more options at their disposal to navigated to better conditions once airborne.
ATC - You'll enjoy the red carpet treatment from ATC.
Reduced insurance - Saving Money is good! Most insurance companies will give you a reduced rate with an Instrument rating.
Progress vs Stagnated knowledge - If you are flying to stay current you may as well be putting that time to use learning new skills.
Beauty - Nothing reminds you that you're actually flying more than popping up through a blanket of clouds into beautiful sunshine or navigating in and around clouds getting a true sense of speed as they wizz by. Joni Mitchell said it best when she said "I've looked at clouds from both sides now"
DP
230 Instrument Pilot.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Benefits of learning to fly with a buddy.
I've often wished I had a friend.
PS: When I said I wished I had a friend I mean I wished I had a buddy who shared my love of flying and was more or less at the same level as me. The reason being there are many benefits of learning to fly in pairs:
1) More time in the air - sitting in the back seats while your friend takes the controls will give you more time in the air to hear calls and learn by osmosis.
2) Sharing the fun - sharing the challenges helps you realize you are not alone, you're not the only person that fumbles at the controls or has trouble correlating their knowledge.
3) A study partner - Learning to fly means hitting the books in preparation for your written and oral tests a study partner will certainly make this easier.
4) Mutual inspiration - Flying can be costly, challenging and involves lots of your free time. There's 3 reasons you'll need a friend to keep you excited and engaged.
5) Share costs - Once you pass you can share flight costs, choose destinations of mutual interest, perhaps even split a plane together. Longer cross countries are less daunting when you have 2 people to share the burden.
6) Different strokes - Different people pick up different aspects of the sport quicker than others. Some people might take to the science, others make take to the hands on stick and rudder skills etc. Having a buddy going through the journey with you will be mean there is another person who can offer you advice in addition to your instructor.
It's something to think about, but if you are like me and don't have a buddy in the same "boat" then don't let that stop you!
Blue skies!
DP
230 Instrument Pilot.
PS: When I said I wished I had a friend I mean I wished I had a buddy who shared my love of flying and was more or less at the same level as me. The reason being there are many benefits of learning to fly in pairs:
1) More time in the air - sitting in the back seats while your friend takes the controls will give you more time in the air to hear calls and learn by osmosis.
2) Sharing the fun - sharing the challenges helps you realize you are not alone, you're not the only person that fumbles at the controls or has trouble correlating their knowledge.
3) A study partner - Learning to fly means hitting the books in preparation for your written and oral tests a study partner will certainly make this easier.
4) Mutual inspiration - Flying can be costly, challenging and involves lots of your free time. There's 3 reasons you'll need a friend to keep you excited and engaged.
5) Share costs - Once you pass you can share flight costs, choose destinations of mutual interest, perhaps even split a plane together. Longer cross countries are less daunting when you have 2 people to share the burden.
6) Different strokes - Different people pick up different aspects of the sport quicker than others. Some people might take to the science, others make take to the hands on stick and rudder skills etc. Having a buddy going through the journey with you will be mean there is another person who can offer you advice in addition to your instructor.
It's something to think about, but if you are like me and don't have a buddy in the same "boat" then don't let that stop you!
Blue skies!
DP
230 Instrument Pilot.
Traffic Blues? - Learn to fly.
I live in Los Angeles, best place to live in world, worst traffic in the known universe! Having been here for over 10 years my honeymoon period is truly over, now me and LA are having a deep meaningful love affair, but did I mention the traffic SUCKS! It's this fact more often than not that persuaded me and the family to stay local at weekends rather than opt for a weekend getaway or trip up to the mountains for a bit of snowboarding. My last road trip to the local mountains which should only be 2 hours away took me 5 hours in traffic each way! I had 10 hours of driving for 3 hours on the slopes.
The first time I flew to the local mountains it took me 45mins (@120kts) and I literally didn't believe I had arrived already. My little single engine plane had turned into a time machine. I'd finished work on a Friday drove straight to my local airport Torrance (KTOA) and I'd arrived in Big Bear in the time it can take me to go 6 miles on the 405.
From that point on there was no stopping me, Vegas for a $2000 hamburger ($300 on fuel and a few bad beats at the tables), Oceano which is about the prettiest airport in SoCal, Catalina, Mammoth and beyond! No longer would I be beaten down and penned in by the LA Traffic, my horizon's have been opened sky wide.
PS If your significant other is cramping your style then the Napa Vineyards or Ontario Outlets are also a lot closer when you have wings!
DP
230 Instrument Pilot.
The first time I flew to the local mountains it took me 45mins (@120kts) and I literally didn't believe I had arrived already. My little single engine plane had turned into a time machine. I'd finished work on a Friday drove straight to my local airport Torrance (KTOA) and I'd arrived in Big Bear in the time it can take me to go 6 miles on the 405.
From that point on there was no stopping me, Vegas for a $2000 hamburger ($300 on fuel and a few bad beats at the tables), Oceano which is about the prettiest airport in SoCal, Catalina, Mammoth and beyond! No longer would I be beaten down and penned in by the LA Traffic, my horizon's have been opened sky wide.
PS If your significant other is cramping your style then the Napa Vineyards or Ontario Outlets are also a lot closer when you have wings!
DP
230 Instrument Pilot.
Think parachute, do it for your family
Being an adventurous person who still really enjoys his slice of (sanity) freedom from time to time my wife understands that thrill seeking is a big part of my personality. I scuba dive, ride motorcycles on and off road as well as partake in the occasional parachute jump. Learning to fly was a childhood dream of mine that I couldn't come close to realizing until I gained the financial means to make it possible.
Despite all these adrenaline sports I have a very serious attitude about safety, including strict personal minimums, I'm always well prepared for my flights and have been known to take my sweet time about getting my next certification, opting to be really ready enough to exercise the new privileges not just pass the check ride. If it's been more than 30 days since I've flown I always take an instructor, I hate the feeling of being rusty or being "behind the plane" (:- the aircraft has arrived at a point in time/space before you are fully prepared for the next step).
So with the advent of another addition to my growing family I decided to opt for "the plane with the shoot". If the technology exists why not utilize it. Same can be said of the cuffed wing, or the traffic awareness or terrain avoidance, redundant navigation systems etc, etc, all confidence inspiring modern design features that make cirrus the natural choice for the safety conscious thrill seeker.
-DP
230hr Instrument pilot.
Despite all these adrenaline sports I have a very serious attitude about safety, including strict personal minimums, I'm always well prepared for my flights and have been known to take my sweet time about getting my next certification, opting to be really ready enough to exercise the new privileges not just pass the check ride. If it's been more than 30 days since I've flown I always take an instructor, I hate the feeling of being rusty or being "behind the plane" (:- the aircraft has arrived at a point in time/space before you are fully prepared for the next step).
So with the advent of another addition to my growing family I decided to opt for "the plane with the shoot". If the technology exists why not utilize it. Same can be said of the cuffed wing, or the traffic awareness or terrain avoidance, redundant navigation systems etc, etc, all confidence inspiring modern design features that make cirrus the natural choice for the safety conscious thrill seeker.
-DP
230hr Instrument pilot.
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