First Online Lesson Is A Freebie... Come Join In!
Our good friend and fellow aero-curmudgeon, Bob Miller, has an
interesting project scheduled to debut this Tuesday evening (1700
ET) -- an 8-week long live webinar on the intricacies of instrument
flight. And best of all, the first aviation webinar can be sampled,
cost-free (two words you usually don't hear in the same sentence...
aviation and FREE).
Bob notes that, "Flying in hard IMC can either be a 'walk in the
park' or an anxiety-inducing event that strikes fear in the hearts
of even the boldest pilots. It's all a matter of training and
experience. Either you know and understand the instrument
environment... or you don't. So, if there is any doubt in your mind
as to where YOU stand in this regard, Bob invites one and all
to spend Tuesday evenings with him from 1900 to 2100 EST,
beginning this week (November 1st).
What's It All About? Course Outline:
Session 1 - History and Overview of Instrument
Flight:
An in depth look at the evolution of the IFR system, its component
parts, the IFR route system, instrument regulations,
communications, and human factors affecting instrument flight.
Session 2 - Flight Instruments and Aircraft Systems
Affecting IFR Flight:
Critical IFR preflight procedures, basic attitude instrument
flight, instrument scanning techniques, unusual attitude awareness,
compass errors, electronic flight displays, flight management
systems, advanced technology systems including WAAS, synthetic
vision, weather avoidance, traffic and terrain avoidance systems,
and ADS-B.
Session 3 - No-Nonsense Navigating and Sweet Talking
the IFR Route System:
The low and high system including low-enroute and high altitude
charts; Victor Airways and Jet routes, ADF, VOR, GPS (free flight)
navigation procedures, and SFRAs (special flight rules areas);
MVAs, OROCAs, and MEAs; IFR flight planning and clearance
procedures and arrival and departure procedures.
Session 4 - Mastering the Approach - Part
A:
We'll dissect instrument approach procedures (IAPs) with a
microscopic look at published approached procedures (both NACO and
Jepp) including ILS, Localizer, VOR, and GPS (both precision and
non-precision) procedures.
Session 5 - Mastering the Approach - Part
B:
The fine art of the stabilized instrument approach, circling
approach, timed approaches from a holding fix, and the missed
approach; what to do when you can't get in, e.g. finding
alternates; IFR arrivals and departures from non-towered airports;
IFR holding procedures.
Session 6 - IFR Weather Flying:
When I can and when I can't: Becoming an aviation
meteorologist; interpreting surface analysis charts, radar summary
charts, CIPs/FIPs, and the dozens of new digital weather sites
available on hand-held devices; the mysterious "low" and the pesky
"warm front."
Session 7 - Decision-Making:
When I can and when I can't! Are the ceiling and visibility ever
too low? Can I fly in sub-freezing clouds? Back-door analysis,
turbulent and possibly convective weather ahead - what to do? A
comparison of XM weather, stormscopes, and live radar.
Session 8 - IFR Emergencies:
Engine failures in the clouds; serious icing encounters,
inadvertent thunderstorm penetration, failed vacuum systems,
alternator failures at the worst time, handling panicky or sick
passengers, when the radios toast, smoke in the cockpit, low fuel
emergencies... handle them right and live to fly another day.
And... as previously noted, the first session is free!
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (09.13.25): Center Weather Advisory
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