Any frequent IFR pilots here?

Jhogan0101 · #1 03-19-21, 11:36 PM

Just wondering how these planes hold up in frequent ifr conditions.

bjornfb · #2 03-20-21, 01:54 AM

Yes, flying in the Pacific Northwest means that most of my flights from October through May involve some level of IFR. More often than not the flight is a climb in IFR, cruise clear above, then a descent and approach in the clouds again, although rarely to minimums. I find the plane very stable and pleasant in IFR, but I fly most of the IFR using the autopilot, so the credit goes to it rather than me. I spend my time looking at the weather, watching for ice, monitoring the engines, and double checking the electro-mechanical brain.

Cheers,
-Bjorn

patrolpilot · #3 03-20-21, 09:22 AM

My response is like Bjorn's despite being durn near on the opposite end of the country. My cross-country travel is flown exclusively on an IFR Flight Plan. I've not seen it as a burden, and with dual GNSS is filed and flown directly from departure gate to arrival gate.

The only exception I've found in my mouth breathing "G" is through Class B, Houston, to the NE. I've got to be a thousand feet above it, 11000', and at times the winds or total travel distance does not warrant it, so I file any of the GPS waypoints on the edges that skirt it. It is the same with DFW Class B further to the north; a single GPS waypoint to miss it, and I'm cleared as filed to my destination.

With our local coastal weather, it is easy to keep current as there is always fog. I will go out and fly approaches until I get tired of it.

Jerry De Santis · #4 03-21-21, 07:12 PM

The Skymaster is a very good IFR platform. If pilot is up on his IFR skills he should not have an issue with the Skymaster. While I have a coupled autopilot, on final approach and just before the outer marker I always hand fly the plane. Just don't trust the automation not to break at that critical time in flight. Murphy's law!

JMH · #5 07-18-21, 08:58 PM

Just flew my first GA long cross country in a really long time... have a garmin 650 and an EFD, took the startux and an ipad mini mounted on the yoke. First serious ifr done in a few years and was quite enjoyable (doubled my 337 time to about 30... not ready to go to minimums yet, but was quite comfortable with the SA and controllability of the aircraft... if anything id say heading drift could be an issue if you get distracted, but that could be my rusty skills or a pod i had on the hard point (O-2A). ETA no autpilot, and the biggest errors i saw in my flying was heading during cruise.