AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 97

P&E

PROFICIENCY

Real deal
Staying IFR proficient without a 'real' airplane
B Y C AT H E R I N E C AVAG N A R O

ALTHOUGH I LOVE FLYING UPSIDE DOWN

where I live in beautiful southeast
Tennessee, few things make me happier
than planning and executing an instrument
flight as it's usually part of a family adventure. Staying current, though, can be a tall
order, especially in the winter months. Per
FAA regulations, a pilot must have logged
at least six approaches and performed holds
in actual or simulated instrument conditions within the past six calendar months
in order to file an instrument flight plan.
Of the skills I maintain for the various
kinds of flying I do, my instrument skills
atrophy most easily, so fulfilling the FAA
regulations might guarantee currency but
often not proficiency. Thus my personal
minimums involve logging at least three
approaches in my airplane within the past
two months, but this can be tough to do. My
home airport has no published instrument
approach procedures, so I only depart on an
instrument proficiency flight if I'm virtually certain to be able to return that day, and
that means visual conditions and a safety
pilot. Carving out a time in my hectic schedule that aligns with a friend's availability
often requires surgical precision.

Two years ago, the FAA made it easier
and less expensive for pilots to maintain
instrument currency. In particular, the new
rule allows flights completed in an aviation training device (ATD) to count toward
instrument currency requirements. And the
fact that an instructor no longer needs to be
present sweetens the deal even more. Still,
I continued to call on my friends to serve
as safety pilots because I considered expe-

in the Seminole. It felt a bit awkward as I
adapted my scan to this unfamiliar panel
and received no force feedback from my
control inputs, like I would get in the real
airplane. Soon the screens went white as
we entered the clouds and I set up for a
sequence of instrument approaches back to
the airport. Greg didn't say anything beyond
assigning me tasks, so I knew I was handling
them well and my confidence grew. Now it
was time to head to the real airplane. We
climbed to altitude, leveled off, and began
performance maneuvers like steep turns,
stalls, and single-engine operations. With
what seemed like a gasp of relief, Greg broke
his silence by blurting, "Oh, so you can fly."
That day I concluded that ATDs just
weren't my thing. I made a pact with myself
to stick with flying real airplanes, and I did
just that for more than 15 years. But such
avoidance isn't healthful, and my aversion
to them only grew with time. As a flight
instructor, I specialize in helping pilots who
fear stalls or loss-of-control events fly their
airplanes more safely and with greater confidence. We all have some Achilles heel when
it comes to aviation, and it turns out that
mine just doesn't involve an actual airplane.
"Find the situation that scares you the most
and train for it in a safe, controlled environment" is the advice I offer that at the end of
every safety presentation I give for the FAA.
Despite needing a dose of this myself, I stuck
to my usual instrument currency program.
What finally convinced me that I needed
to give ATDs another try happened while

We all have some Achilles heel when it
comes to aviation, and it turns out that mine
just doesn't involve an actual airplane.
rience in my airplane superior to that in an
ATD. To be honest, it probably had more to
do with the fact that I'm just bad with ATDs.
Years ago when getting checked out
in a Piper Seminole, my instructor Greg
suggested we start in the ATD as an efficient and cost-effective way to acquaint
me with the avionics, and I gladly agreed.
He fired it up and put me on the very runway from which we would soon depart

administering a recent instrument rating
practical exam. The Huntsville Executive
Airport (MDQ) is close by and offers ILS,
localizer, VOR, and RNAV approaches so
we use it regularly. In particular, the VOR-B
approach procedure is an interesting one
(see the portion of the instrument approach
procedure chart on page 98). The course to
the VOR is 70 degrees but changes to one of
43 degrees for the final approach segment.
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020

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