Jason, been watching your videos since we were "kids," and you were flying that little C-152. Your videos never miss. Thanks for all the years of great content! A good pilot is always learning!
Love you Jason! Watching your videos helped me from my Private, Instrument, Commercial, Commercial-Multi, and now my CFII. You’re a natural and you love to teach and we see it! Thanks again for all that you do sir!
About the half way point in my IFR training. Flew in the clouds for the first time a couple weeks ago. Such an awesome experience. I believe extensive training and actual experience make a difference.
Great video! having instrument experience was critical to me. A few years ago I was heading VFR to Block Island off the coast of New England, 3 miles visibility, lost my horizon. But instantly referenced my attitude indicator and had no problem getting in. A non-event but wouldn't have been that way if I hadn't spent 10-20 hours in a simulator.
Outstanding information, as an ATP(H) and a CPL/AMEL/INST this is my take on this. When I fly IFR I have plan. But going IIMC there is no plan, so your behind the aircraft playing catch up. Be smart, fly within your capabilities and skill level. Practice IIMC procedures.
Great video with great animation to keep it real with these pilots. I'm currently working on my instrument now and have been in the soup a few times. It is certainly nothing like being under the hood. I'm learning a whole lot and it's making me an even better pilot than I already was.
I totally agree with this way of thinking. I used to tell everyone, that, think of it as the other half of the information we didn't give you when we did your Private.
Thank you so much for this video. I’ve been on the fence about getting an IFR rating because I am currently 60 years of age. I kept wondering if the investment would pay off for the number of years I would use it. From a safety standpoint, I don’t know why I am waiting. Thank Jason. I will look at your groundschool.
I'm not a full scale pilot. I only fly RC aircraft. Crashes only cost money and not lives. But I've always had it on my bucket list to fly full scale. I spent literally 100's of hours going through youtube videos, flight reports and other flight training just as a warmup. I never even had a discovery flight. BUT the one thing with all my deep dive research I came to the conclusion was that if I was going to get my PPL I would also get my instrument rating. By large all the accidents and deaths always seemed to come from VFR pilots flying into IMC based on everything I ever read and watched. Flying without instrument rating to me felt like a fools game. I feel like I would be on borrowed time. So if I do get my PPL it will be immediately followed by IFR rating.
I'm up against the check ride also and still wondering if I have everything ready?!, yikes, its a lot of info!!, but man do I feel a lot more comfortable to fly in less visible conditions after the training !! wish me the best chance of passing on the check ride!
Great point Jason. I wish instrument training was better integrated into the private curriculum. Maybe that just depends on the school? When I started, I knew I would not get a private certificate without going on to get instrument rated. I know there’s more cloudy days than sunny here in Boston - seems foolish not to be rated to fly in them.
I have my instrument rating for 10 years. My first time in the soup with my instructor convinced me that I would have died. Now I’m comfortable in clouds.
I don't have my instrument rating, but I remember when I was younger I went flying with one of the guys at work who did and we were flying along where we were going in and out of the tops of the clouds, the first time we went into the clouds, I could have sworn we were banking, even though the instruments said we were straight and level, we popped out of the clouds and sure enough we were straight and level. That was so freaky, and I learned then to trust the instruments and not my inner ear.
I’m almost there im about to start check ride prep we have a DPE right at my airport super nice guy talk to him the other day he’s even gonna do a mock oral with me for free
Jason, would love to see you do a video at a C2A clinic. The guys in the group are great, and flying the Cirrus in formation is one of the best lessons you can give a pilot to build their skills of flying by the seat of their pants. (Also some of the most fun time you’ll ever have in a Cirrus)
I like the idea and have done training over and above the (Canadian) PPL instrument flying requirements. It's saved my bacon, a couple of VFR in to IMC situations plus losing visual reference at night. But I also live in a part of the world where most MEAs are beyond the capability of the normally-aspirated piston single I can afford to fly.
I would agree 100% that going through all the training and ground school for IFR just really makes you a much better VFR pilot - safer yes but the knowledge you walk away with is invaluable. Yes it is very difficult to maintain currency for IFR, but imagine flying to a new airport and knowing that you can fly the RNAV WAAS approach under VFR and just announce long final! My DPE told me even if you don’t stay current, fly the instrument approach as a practice approach and use the avionics to guide you in. And if I could stress anything for student pilots - ask your instructor to do more VFR Flight Following - get used to talking to ATC.
As with all skills, VFR and IFR only valuable when used frequently, dangerous when ya have the cert and only use it a time or two a month. Proficiency is needed and the funding to be proficient
I’m colour blind! They won’t let me do an IMC or night rating! Fortunately, I did get 6 hours of training with foggles and in cloud as part of my PPL which saved me when my flying buddy took us into cloud unexpectedly! He had no experience or training. We lived but our relationship was strained from then with me getting him to promise never to do anything like that again. Looking at the flight on Google Earth afterwards was chilling.
I have taken the time to give some thought to this video. I am not a pilot. I have been watching videos such as this one to learn what I can until such time I can afford to pursue this training fully. This video left me feeling somewhat confused and concerned. My first takeaway from this video was, at first tiniest hint that you should not go that way you should immediately turn around and or head for your alternate landing location. My second takeaway leaves me with concerns. 1) It feels like as soon or shortly after you enter the cloud in this video all your other instruments stop working. You no longer know the direction, altitude, speed, etc 2) Assuming a VFR flight plan was filed and being flown all obstructions so will be well below the aircraft. It may not be as far below as IFR wants but still well below. 3) Assuming it's not icing up the flight controls should still be working as they were before. 4) Are not pilots trained on how to perform a flat 180-degree turn to return on the reverse heading? 5) Are not pilots required to notify ATC, and control towers of any issues and await instructions? 6) Are pilots not trained to not panic because they made a mistake, but to calmly go about fixing the mistake? I hope these questions will lead to a discussion. If I have not understood what was going on please let me know.
I got my instrument rating and still don’t know how to play. I don’t even know why it’s so important to play one while flying anyways. The cockpit is cramped so your instrument selection is super limited also.
Not only does every pilot need an instrument rating, but every pilot needs to get some real training in actual conditions. I know fellow CFI-I’s who have less than an hour of actual IMC flying.
I'm not a pilot, (only a aviation enthusiast), but I can understand the benefit/importance of having instrument rating/experience. In the 178 second video, can someone explain to me what is going on when you are loosing altitude and airspeed?
When you lose visual references, you must rely on your vestibular system (inner ear) and proprioception (signals sent from your muscles and joints) to maintain balance. These systems do a great job while you're walking around on the ground but, in flight, they lie to you. One of the illusions you may experience occurs when you are in a steady turn. Eventually, the fluid in your ear stops moving relative to your body and it feels like you're no longer turning. If you notice your compass moving and act to stop the turn, you will feel a strong indication that you are now turning in the opposite direction. You're not turning, but it sure feels like it. When you turn an airplane, and wish to maintain your altitude, you must increase your angle of attack by pulling back on the controls. If you don't do that, the nose of the airplane will drop and you will begin to descend. The stage is now set for disaster. You are in a descending turn. It is gentle at first and, in fact, it feels like you're flying straight and level. You notice your altimeter unwinding and your airspeed increasing. You pull the controls back but, lo!, all that does is increase your airspeed and rate of descent! You are now in what is aptly known as a death spiral. The more you pull back, the tighter the turn gets and the faster you descend and the higher your airspeed goes*. The more you bank, the more the airplane wants to increase the bank. Your outboard wing is moving faster and producing more lift than the inboard wing. This is called over-banking tendency. It's positive feedback with a vengeance. The only way out is to level your wings. Once you are level, you can ease the stick back to slow down. Don't horse it back; you could cause the airframe to fail. In order to survive this event, you must have the wherewithal and training to _ignore what your body is telling you and believe your instruments._ That is the skill instrument training is intended to impart. Ignoring what your body is screaming at you is almost impossible without proper training and experience. The three hours under the hood you do as a student pilot just _might_ enable you to make a 180 degree turn and get out the way you got in. _If_ you recognize what's happening, _if_ you execute your 180 immediately, and _if_ it hasn't closed up behind you. Get an instrument rating. It will make you an even better VFR pilot and it may save your life. I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening. 😀 PS: The _Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge_ explains the aerodynamics and mechanics of flight. The chapter on "Aeromedical Factors" has a very good explanation of the various illusions you may experience in flight. It is available for free download from the FAA or, if you prefer a nicely printed and bound copy, it is available from several vendors at a reasonable price. *It has to do with how your total lift is split into horizontal and vertical components. The vertical component is what holds your airplane aloft and the horizontal component is what turns the airplane. As bank increases, your total lift vector becomes more horizontal. Thus your horizontal component increases, causing you to turn even faster, and your vertical component decreases, causing you to descend faster and gain airspeed. As you haul back on the stick in a desperate attempt to slow down, you increase your total lift, but the vast majority of it goes into the horizontal component. This is the essence of the death spiral.
PPL = bicycle. PPL + IFR - real car driver. Just my opinion. I got both. So when you got only PPL in IFR conditions it's like to ride a bicycle in left lane on a highway. You will be done soon or later.
Getting your IFR rating turns what can be a harrowing life and death situation into just a normal routine flight. What more do you need to hear to be convinced?
What at amazing advice my dear friend pilot is not a whole pilot if is not a instrument or knows wells instrument fly is even way more fun happy and rewarding
Jason, been watching your videos since we were "kids," and you were flying that little C-152. Your videos never miss. Thanks for all the years of great content! A good pilot is always learning!
Thanks for the support! ✈
Love you Jason! Watching your videos helped me from my Private, Instrument, Commercial, Commercial-Multi, and now my CFII. You’re a natural and you love to teach and we see it! Thanks again for all that you do sir!
Thank YOU for your support!
About the half way point in my IFR training. Flew in the clouds for the first time a couple weeks ago. Such an awesome experience. I believe extensive training and actual experience make a difference.
I earned mine about three years ago, so glad I got it. Definitely makes life easier.
Great video! having instrument experience was critical to me. A few years ago I was heading VFR to Block Island off the coast of New England, 3 miles visibility, lost my horizon. But instantly referenced my attitude indicator and had no problem getting in. A non-event but wouldn't have been that way if I hadn't spent 10-20 hours in a simulator.
Outstanding information, as an ATP(H) and a CPL/AMEL/INST this is my take on this. When I fly IFR I have plan. But going IIMC there is no plan, so your behind the aircraft playing catch up. Be smart, fly within your capabilities and skill level. Practice IIMC procedures.
Jason, 50 hours into IFR training, hardest thing I’ve had to do, pressing on til my checkride.. love the video
You got this!
Great video with great animation to keep it real with these pilots. I'm currently working on my instrument now and have been in the soup a few times. It is certainly nothing like being under the hood. I'm learning a whole lot and it's making me an even better pilot than I already was.
I totally agree with this way of thinking. I used to tell everyone, that, think of it as the other half of the information we didn't give you when we did your Private.
Thank you so much for this video. I’ve been on the fence about getting an IFR rating because I am currently 60 years of age. I kept wondering if the investment would pay off for the number of years I would use it.
From a safety standpoint, I don’t know why I am waiting.
Thank Jason. I will look at your groundschool.
Thank you as always, Jason!
I'm not a full scale pilot. I only fly RC aircraft. Crashes only cost money and not lives. But I've always had it on my bucket list to fly full scale. I spent literally 100's of hours going through youtube videos, flight reports and other flight training just as a warmup. I never even had a discovery flight. BUT the one thing with all my deep dive research I came to the conclusion was that if I was going to get my PPL I would also get my instrument rating. By large all the accidents and deaths always seemed to come from VFR pilots flying into IMC based on everything I ever read and watched. Flying without instrument rating to me felt like a fools game. I feel like I would be on borrowed time. So if I do get my PPL it will be immediately followed by IFR rating.
WOW, this was very sobering 😮. Great video. Thank you sir..👍🏾
I'm up against the check ride also and still wondering if I have everything ready?!, yikes, its a lot of info!!, but man do I feel a lot more comfortable to fly in less visible conditions after the training !! wish me the best chance of passing on the check ride!
Thanks Jason. Great advice. I will be doing mine
Great point Jason. I wish instrument training was better integrated into the private curriculum. Maybe that just depends on the school? When I started, I knew I would not get a private certificate without going on to get instrument rated. I know there’s more cloudy days than sunny here in Boston - seems foolish not to be rated to fly in them.
I’m rated. Thanks for helping me along my journey Jason. I hope to be as good of a CFII as you some day. Cheers!
I have my instrument rating for 10 years. My first time in the soup with my instructor convinced me that I would have died. Now I’m comfortable in clouds.
Thank you Jason.
Instrument checkride 11/5. I agree 🤙🏾
I vote for you to pass !
I don't have my instrument rating, but I remember when I was younger I went flying with one of the guys at work who did and we were flying along where we were going in and out of the tops of the clouds, the first time we went into the clouds, I could have sworn we were banking, even though the instruments said we were straight and level, we popped out of the clouds and sure enough we were straight and level. That was so freaky, and I learned then to trust the instruments and not my inner ear.
❤ thank you 🙏
I’m almost there im about to start check ride prep we have a DPE right at my airport super nice guy talk to him the other day he’s even gonna do a mock oral with me for free
Jason, would love to see you do a video at a C2A clinic. The guys in the group are great, and flying the Cirrus in formation is one of the best lessons you can give a pilot to build their skills of flying by the seat of their pants. (Also some of the most fun time you’ll ever have in a Cirrus)
I like the idea and have done training over and above the (Canadian) PPL instrument flying requirements. It's saved my bacon, a couple of VFR in to IMC situations plus losing visual reference at night. But I also live in a part of the world where most MEAs are beyond the capability of the normally-aspirated piston single I can afford to fly.
Damn hard to get real IMC here in AZ. It happens, but not very often.
AMEN. It's a lifesaver.
This is similar to 56 seconds to live for helicopter 🚁 pilots. VFR into IMC IS Deadly.
I would agree 100% that going through all the training and ground school for IFR just really makes you a much better VFR pilot - safer yes but the knowledge you walk away with is invaluable. Yes it is very difficult to maintain currency for IFR, but imagine flying to a new airport and knowing that you can fly the RNAV WAAS approach under VFR and just announce long final! My DPE told me even if you don’t stay current, fly the instrument approach as a practice approach and use the avionics to guide you in. And if I could stress anything for student pilots - ask your instructor to do more VFR Flight Following - get used to talking to ATC.
As with all skills, VFR and IFR only valuable when used frequently, dangerous when ya have the cert and only use it a time or two a month. Proficiency is needed and the funding to be proficient
I’m colour blind! They won’t let me do an IMC or night rating! Fortunately, I did get 6 hours of training with foggles and in cloud as part of my PPL which saved me when my flying buddy took us into cloud unexpectedly! He had no experience or training. We lived but our relationship was strained from then with me getting him to promise never to do anything like that again. Looking at the flight on Google Earth afterwards was chilling.
I have taken the time to give some thought to this video. I am not a pilot. I have been watching videos such as this one to learn what I can until such time I can afford to pursue this training fully. This video left me feeling somewhat confused and concerned.
My first takeaway from this video was, at first tiniest hint that you should not go that way you should immediately turn around and or head for your alternate landing location.
My second takeaway leaves me with concerns.
1) It feels like as soon or shortly after you enter the cloud in this video all your other instruments stop working. You no longer know the direction, altitude, speed, etc
2) Assuming a VFR flight plan was filed and being flown all obstructions so will be well below the aircraft. It may not be as far below as IFR wants but still well below.
3) Assuming it's not icing up the flight controls should still be working as they were before.
4) Are not pilots trained on how to perform a flat 180-degree turn to return on the reverse heading?
5) Are not pilots required to notify ATC, and control towers of any issues and await instructions?
6) Are pilots not trained to not panic because they made a mistake, but to calmly go about fixing the mistake?
I hope these questions will lead to a discussion. If I have not understood what was going on please let me know.
I got my instrument rating and still don’t know how to play. I don’t even know why it’s so important to play one while flying anyways. The cockpit is cramped so your instrument selection is super limited also.
sometimes it has to be this brutal to get the message across
Not only does every pilot need an instrument rating, but every pilot needs to get some real training in actual conditions. I know fellow CFI-I’s who have less than an hour of actual IMC flying.
The narration sounds eerily familiar to the AOPA Air Safety Institute's '178 Seconds To Live....'
I'm not a pilot, (only a aviation enthusiast), but I can understand the benefit/importance of having instrument rating/experience.
In the 178 second video, can someone explain to me what is going on when you are loosing altitude and airspeed?
When you lose visual references, you must rely on your vestibular system (inner ear) and proprioception (signals sent from your muscles and joints) to maintain balance. These systems do a great job while you're walking around on the ground but, in flight, they lie to you.
One of the illusions you may experience occurs when you are in a steady turn. Eventually, the fluid in your ear stops moving relative to your body and it feels like you're no longer turning. If you notice your compass moving and act to stop the turn, you will feel a strong indication that you are now turning in the opposite direction. You're not turning, but it sure feels like it.
When you turn an airplane, and wish to maintain your altitude, you must increase your angle of attack by pulling back on the controls. If you don't do that, the nose of the airplane will drop and you will begin to descend.
The stage is now set for disaster. You are in a descending turn. It is gentle at first and, in fact, it feels like you're flying straight and level. You notice your altimeter unwinding and your airspeed increasing. You pull the controls back but, lo!, all that does is increase your airspeed and rate of descent!
You are now in what is aptly known as a death spiral. The more you pull back, the tighter the turn gets and the faster you descend and the higher your airspeed goes*. The more you bank, the more the airplane wants to increase the bank. Your outboard wing is moving faster and producing more lift than the inboard wing. This is called over-banking tendency. It's positive feedback with a vengeance.
The only way out is to level your wings. Once you are level, you can ease the stick back to slow down. Don't horse it back; you could cause the airframe to fail.
In order to survive this event, you must have the wherewithal and training to _ignore what your body is telling you and believe your instruments._
That is the skill instrument training is intended to impart. Ignoring what your body is screaming at you is almost impossible without proper training and experience. The three hours under the hood you do as a student pilot just _might_ enable you to make a 180 degree turn and get out the way you got in. _If_ you recognize what's happening, _if_ you execute your 180 immediately, and _if_ it hasn't closed up behind you.
Get an instrument rating. It will make you an even better VFR pilot and it may save your life.
I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening. 😀
PS: The _Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge_ explains the aerodynamics and mechanics of flight. The chapter on "Aeromedical Factors" has a very good explanation of the various illusions you may experience in flight. It is available for free download from the FAA or, if you prefer a nicely printed and bound copy, it is available from several vendors at a reasonable price.
*It has to do with how your total lift is split into horizontal and vertical components. The vertical component is what holds your airplane aloft and the horizontal component is what turns the airplane. As bank increases, your total lift vector becomes more horizontal. Thus your horizontal component increases, causing you to turn even faster, and your vertical component decreases, causing you to descend faster and gain airspeed. As you haul back on the stick in a desperate attempt to slow down, you increase your total lift, but the vast majority of it goes into the horizontal component. This is the essence of the death spiral.
How can you go inverted without knowing.
Look for the Bob Hoover video where he pours iced tea into a glass when the plane is upside down in a barrel roll.
Just turn on the a/p, they are flying a Cirrus right?
What happens when ap fails? Hsd that happen before and your hand and scanning skills better be on point
Had to think back when did I get my instrument rating. 1975 while in college.
PPL = bicycle. PPL + IFR - real car driver. Just my opinion. I got both.
So when you got only PPL in IFR conditions it's like to ride a bicycle in left lane on a highway. You will be done soon or later.
Getting your IFR rating turns what can be a harrowing life and death situation into just a normal routine flight. What more do you need to hear to be convinced?
You’re not a pilot until your instrument rated.
That's an ignorant thing to say
An ignorant scud runner would say something like that.
What at amazing advice my dear friend pilot is not a whole pilot if is not a instrument or knows wells instrument fly is even way more fun happy and rewarding