IFR Aircraft Advice

[CrackerJack]

I've been flying VFR and would now like to focus on IFR. My plan is to work through the I ratings and use these as a prompt to get me studying IFR flight rules and procedures.

I have the A2A C182 and the Real Air TurbineDuke and also the GTN 750. I'm looking for some advice on which might be the better choice for IFR. I'm a newbie so the platform that tends to make things easier would be preferred. Any comments?

Thanks!

[zengei]

My advice: the slower one (which I guess is the C182 in this situation). Things can happen real fast and if you're not ready (especially if you're learning) you'll wish for those few extra moments even a 10-, 20-, 30-knot slower plane will give you to catch up.

[Keith Smith]

+1 on zengei's advice. 182 is a great IFR platform to get started.

[RyanK]

Definitely learn in the slower, simpler plane. Take your time with the fundamentals and get good at basic attitude flying and intercepting/tracking VOR radials first. This is not the time to be dealing with turbine speeds and systems. The IFR workshop videos are a good place to start for learning how IFR works. Have fun!

[mm007.emko]

And I'd suggest getting an aircraft with steam-punk gauges. They're easier to read and simpler to operate in simulator where you have quite a small computer screen in front of you. However real world this advice is probably not true.

[Flying Penguin]

Use the 182 and get rid of the GTN for a while. Whilst it's perfectly possible to do the ratings with the GTN (and it's much easier to do so), you will benefit from understanding the fundamentals which will serve you much better than simply following the magenta line. Of course, when you finish the ratings, then turn it back on if you want.

Though you might struggle with the I5 as it's such a (comparatively) long flight.

[Ryan B]

Use the 182 and get rid of the GTN for a while. Whilst it's perfectly possible to do the ratings with the GTN (and it's much easier to do so), you will benefit from understanding the fundamentals which will serve you much better than simply following the magenta line. Of course, when you finish the ratings, then turn it back on if you want.

Though you might struggle with the I5 as it's such a (comparatively) long flight.

I love my magenta, and I own that 750 as well (and the sklane and duke - hey the Legacy is coming soon too with GTN integration - OFF TOPIC).... but I absolutely agree with this. Fly the first couple of ratings without it for sure! Actually you can fly the entire IFR tests without it if you're really sporty! The turbine duke is fantastic but even I've gotten worked by it on Pilot Edge!

[CrackerJack]

Thanks for the advice. I've been flying the C182. I've removed the GPS and have been using the VORs etc. Here is the question I have now. I've been using the autopilot to fly the vectors to intercept the LOC and later to fly the approach down to DH. Even doing this I find that I have more than enough to do to keep busy. Is using the AP cheating or is this what you'd do in the real world? Maybe if I was really familiar with the approach I could hand fly the whole procedure and do all the other work at the same time but I don't see how it would be safe to not use the AP.

[overload]

Personally I think that there are so many things stacked against you on a flight simulator, anything you can do to redress the balance is worth going for. The biggest thing stacked against you, depending on sim equipment, and choice of aircraft, is the aircraft's stability. Flight sim aircraft can be very difficult to trim out - in real life you're trimming against a real aerodynamic force - something that can be felt - and with practice, knowing just how many turns of the trim wheel are needed in given circumstances, can lead to very accurate height holding, even sometimes being able to take your hands off the controls completely for a while. In the sim, a lot of number crunching goes on, leading to lag in the feel of the controls - and taking up awful lot of time that could be usefully spent elsewhere. And of course - the black art of harmonising controls with FSUIPC or whatever, doesn't apply in the real world.
Everything from changing frequencies, to obtaining weather, can be more time consuming in the sim, and visual plus "seat of the pants" feedback are also lacking.
Single pilot IFR can be some of the most demanding flying there is, best done by those with experience, if you're learning the ropes, I'd advise maximum autopilot use, giving you more time to double-check the procedures and keeping yourself well ahead of the aircraft.
If you want to repeat a flight off-line to hone you're hand flying skills - go ahead, I find that generally my succesful hand flying IFR flights are when I know the route well, and have to spend little time an checking plates, routes, frequencies etc. If I'm thrown a curved ball by ATC, the autopilot gets switched on straight away!
But that's just my 2 cents!
Eugene

[snglecoil]

Perfectly stated, Eugene.

Hand flying is a fun challenge under the right circumstances. For all the reasons Eugene pointed out, hand flying can really give your instrument scan a workout, especially in IMC. That's fine if you are trying to build your instrument scan. If you are learning the system and build an effective scan, though, you are going to be task saturated in a heartbeat. Certainly take advantage of the help from the AP as you learn the system. Then once you start building some comfort, you can reduce AP use as desired. For instance, try disconnecting the AP once you have been given your final approach clearance and hand fly the approach.