IFR Ticket

[KyleTownsend]

I recently went through all of this, so it is fairly fresh in my mind. My situation was somewhat different, however. I was just a fresh Single Engine Private pilot with the goal of getting rated (and insured) in my dad's P-Skymaster. I looked at several ways of doing it. Common sense suggested that I do as much of my training as possible in the Skymaster, and use it for the check-rides. This would give me a lot of experience in the plane I intended to fly so that, by the time I got the ratings, I would be really proficient. Of course, common sense, the FAA and the Insurance industry don't mix very well.

I ended up making a deal with a friend to use his Warrior to do my instrument rating, then I did the multi with ATC (conventional multi) and took the VFR and IFR portions of the check-ride in one flight.

This is the most economical way to go for someone who has neither the instrument nor the multi, because it saves you one check ride (you kill the multi and the multi-instrument with one stone). There is also a significant practical benefit to doing your Instrument in a low performance non-complex single with minimal gadgetry. The IFR check ride can be fairly demanding, and moseying along in a 172 or a Warrior gives you a lot more time to think. Also, you don't have to demonstrate proficiency with any complex systems that aren't installed in the airplane (I just had dual nav-coms, no ADF, and no GPS). This is about the minimum to get in the required types of approaches.

If you already have your multi, regardless of whether it is limited to CLT or not, you have two options. Option 1 is do your instrument training in a single, then take an abreviated multi check ride, limited to those portions required to add on the instrument rating (as the previous poster said, it's not much. Just an engine out approach or two is about it. Check the PTS). You may need an extra few hours of dual before you go do the multi portion - I can't recall for sure. But you could use the dual time to get back up to speed in a conventional twin, if you didn't want the CLT restriction on the instrument add-on.

The second option is to do the entire instrument in a multi-engine airplane. While this is theoretically possible, I was strongly discouraged by my instructor and by my designated examiner from going this route. The first problem is, you end up with an instrument rating limited to multi-engine, and if you want to fly a single under IFR, you still have to go back and do the instrument portion of the single engine IFR check ride. I know it's crazy, but that's the way it is. The second problem is the aformentioned difficulty of flying to PTS standards in a much faster, more complex, airplane - remember, in this case, you have to do ALL of the IFR stuff in the multi-engine airplane, not just a couple of approaches.

That said, I can certainly see the "real world" benefit of doing all of your instrument training in your own airplane. I guess it depends on what your comfort level is with the airplane already. If you need the extra time in type, and don't mind bearing the higher operating cost, I could see a good argument for doing a good portion of the instrument training in your plane, if you could work out the insurance issue (keep in mind that you would legally still be Pilot in Command even while doing the training, and could log the time as such, provided you weren't flying in actual instrument conditions. Instrument training stops at 200' off the ground anyway. From there on in, it's VFR with you doing the driving. I doubt there is much danger of you bending the plane while you are at least 200' off the pavement? Just a thought). If you did this, I am sure you could get back up to speed in a low performance single in just a few hours, do the IFR check-ride (which would feel like doing it in slow motion after being used to practicing in the skymaster) and then just do the IFR portion of the multi check ride in your own bird.

As far as my own saga goes, I ended up with the instrument, unrestricted multi, and insurance for the P-model (at around $6,500/yr) all with about 200 hours total time. Another 100 hours in the 337, and it should drop down into the more realistic range.

The one thing I came to realize while doing my training was that you have to play the game. The FAA expects you to do things in a certain order and in a certain way, and the insurance companies definitely have their own expectations. Do what you have to do to get the ratings and meet the insurance requirements as economically as possible, then do what YOU have to do to feel good about it in the real world. It's your butt on the line.

Since I am apparently more worried about my butt than either the FAA or the insurance companies, I did some additional dual in the skymaster and went through SIMCOM's high altitude training and RTC's Skymaster Initial transition course even though this training wasn't mandated by anyone. Then, I set some pretty conservative personal minimums and have started tip-toeing my way into the real world, one approach at a time.

PS: I am a big believer in center-line-thrust and am wary of conventional twins. But, I have got to say that the Seminole I did my multi training in was extremely forgiving and very easy to fly, even with one engine shut down. Things happen a lot slower in the Seminole than they do even in the P337. I don't think I would have wanted to do my multi in a MU-2, however!

[WebMaster]

My route was similar but different.
I bought my Skymaster with 138 TT. I then went to a ME school in Texas, about $1k, and got my conventional ME rating. Then, when I came back from TX, I flew with my instructor in my plane, and did all the instrument training in my plane. It was a great way to get to know the aircraft. Finding a DPE was a little difficult, but not overly so, and did the ME IFR checkride with him. Because I had a VFR conventional ME rating, I ended up with a IFR ME rating, no CLT restriction. The checkride was thorough. My aircraft had no GPS, but does have a slaved electric HSI. The DPE covered that up anyway for the partial panel part of the test.
Since I did all the training in my plane, I had no simulator time, and it probably cost me more. The benefit was I quickly accumulated significant amount of time in the aircraft, which affected, positively, my insurance rates when it came time for renewal.
Also, I recall the DPE saying, " you really know your airplane ", which was a very positive comment.