You should post where you fly out of. Perhaps an APC member with more experience would be willing to fly with you IMC until find comfort with it. Kudos to you for wanting to fix the problem before you move on.
I definitely want to get some more practice in IMC as well. Unfortunately, the problem is not finding someone with a lot of experience to ride along, but finding IMC in my area. It's very frustrating. It also does not help that I work a full-time office job because when we do get some good weather to practice in, I'm usually chained to the desk.
Other than mechanical failure... the VAST majority of GA accidents are because of VFR pilots ( or even low time IFR rated pilots ) pushing the wx beyond their ability. JFK jr is just such and incident... fairly new instrument pilot dark night... overwater... probably little or no horizon..... set up for vertigo.
I'm thinking that JFK Jr was not an instrument rated pilot.
just because the field is not solid IMC, doesnt mean you cant go find it. file to a fix that has clouds above it and the ask atc for a block of airspace, like "5 miles around TIGGO 7-9000 ft". then just practice turns, climbs etc.
If you're in solid IMC, try tucking your head lower on the instrument panel to block out the windshield. This has helped me out at times when getting bumped around pretty hard in the clouds, the time when spatial tends to strike the hardest.
Position: Whatever I can rent or whatever someone will let me fly
Posts: 5
Thanks for your insight. When you say FTD, are you referring to a full motion device? If so, I don't know of anyone in my area that has one for rent. I do have a beefed up version of flight sim, with a full cockpit set up that I actually use freuqently. I can fly an ILS to minimums on the sim with a full procedure turn and a ground track that looks as though it were out of a Jepp book. The only problem is transitioning those skills into the cockpit.
FTD, flight training device, like the one you're working in. There is no difference between the FTD and the airplane. In the FTD, you are getting no information about your orientation from motion...same with the airplane.
I do have a question that I'm worried about. Are you assuming that as you practice more that what you feel will become more reliable? Because it won't. Even if it does, you should ALWAYS ignore what you are feeling, just like you are in the FTD.
Also, a word on the fellow who mentioned studying the common illusions. Yes, that may be helpful so that you can understand what is happening, but I do not think its a good idea to memorize these. Again, whatever your body is telling you, ignore it, no matter how correct it is or how you feel like you may be able to compensate for it.
Flying by feel gets you killed. Anybody that flies in an instrument environment (airline or not) and tells you they don't get disoriented in the clouds is a damn liar. Instrument flying is all about the numbers and flying by the book, not the seat of your pants.
Keep your scan going. Tell yourself to keep moving. If you have to, tell yourself "Airspeed, Attitude, Heading, Attitude, Altitude, Attitude, Coordinator, Attitude" or whatever scan you like to use. The Instrument Flying handbook has a few different techniques. Try them.
Fly a few hours in IMC with an instructor in the right seat. The instrument rating is the one that will kill you fastest if you're not proficient.
Oh, one more thing. If you decide to take my advice and practice in a block of airspace, make sure that you do not forget to practice airspeed changes. I know its not that big of a deal in a small plane, but do stuff like a constant airspeed climb at 70 knots, then transition to 90 etc. Practice a banking, constant airspeed climb into a vertical speed descent. Make it as challenging as possible so that you are forced to scan scan scan.
I do have a question that I'm worried about. Are you assuming that as you practice more that what you feel will become more reliable? Because it won't. Even if it does, you should ALWAYS ignore what you are feeling, just like you are in the FTD.
I didn't get the impression that he was saying that. It sounds like he just needs more confidence. As far as the flying goes, it might be the same to go from FTD to actual IMC in an airplane, but mentally it is not.
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