Tag: USA

  • Rediscovering Visual Flying: Back To Basics

    The next logical step for an Instrument Rating holder is a Commercial License. Finally, I can fly without ‘foggles’ or a ‘hood’! It’s so beautiful outside! I decided that it does not make sense to follow the 141 route for my commercial course. I already have some flight time under my belt above the private+IR…

  • IR Part 141, Checkride: Becoming a Legal Instrument Pilot

    After about two months of flying, studying, and waiting, I am finally going to have my Instrument Rating checkride. I am thrilled since I only had to wait for two days after my end-of-course check, which is not common at all. We will be flying to Brooksville, a nearby controlled airport with an ILS approach…

  • IR Part 141: The End-of-Course Check Flight

    The Part 141 course requires an internal school check flight before allowing students to have a checkride. This check is usually performed by the school chief pilot or a senior flight instructor. In my case, the school owner, Tom Davis, will conduct the check. The weather is fine today, and I need to demonstrate that…

  • IR Part 141, Stage III Check: One More Cross-Country Flight

    Stage III of the Instrument Rating course mainly focuses on cross-country flights and everything related to them, such as weather briefing, flight planning, reading and interpreting NOTAMs, fuel, weight and balance computation, and more. Therefore, this stage check is a one more cross-country flight with full preparation. Unfortunately, the weather today is far from perfect,…

  • IR Part 141: Long Cross Country Flight

    Every student pilot should undertake a long cross-country flight during their training course. It doesn’t necessarily mean flying across the entire country, but certain flight leg requirements must be met based on the specific program (e.g., private, instrument or commercial). For instance, instrument rating demands a flight of 250 nautical miles with an instrument approach…

  • IR Part 141: Challenges of Cross-Country Flying

    The third stage of the course primarily focuses on cross-country flying. This means that students are required to plan and execute a flight to a remote airport, located more than 50 nautical miles from the departure airport. Although I had experience preparing mass and balance, weather briefing, and fuel, I had never prepared and filed…

  • IR part 141, Stage II Check: Mastering Instrument Approaches

    Probably the most important stage in the Instrument Rating course is Stage II, when the student learns to fly approaches. It requires precise and correct piloting, proper radio communications, multitasking skills, and attention to detail. Of course, these skills are important in every flight, including visual piloting, but instrument flight is even more demanding. Although…

  • IR Part 141, Stage II: Resuming My Instrument Training

    After an one-month break, I have resumed my Instrument Rating course in Florida. I had to return home to attend to some work matters, but now I’m back and continuing my training. Currently, I am on Stage II, which focuses on instrument approaches, the most challenging part of the course. I believe it’s not a…

  • FAA IR(A) Written Test

    What can you do when the weather is bad? Of course, the best choice is to study! Feeling confident about my knowledge, I decided to take a written test for my FAA IR certification. The exam itself wasn’t too difficult. The program interface looked exactly like Gleim’s software, and the pictures were the same as…

  • IR part 141: Flying Approaches and Practicing ATC Communications

    Brand-new instrument rating course students often encounter a lot of problems after feeling rather confident flying VFR. For example, quickly transitioning to a visual approach after hearing the words ‘runway in sight’ (when you should remove your hood and really see the runway), calculating the optimal speed for a stabilized approach, or executing a stabilized…