Rethinking the Instrument Rating
In getting ready for my transition from employed Navy guy to unemployed graduate student (in August), I have been thinking about whether or not to go ahead and get my Instrument rating.
In the two years I am in grad school, I will be lucky if I have enough time to maintain my VFR currency, much less IFR proficiency (yes, I used different terms for a reason). Following my graduation, I will hopefully be starting a new job that will place significant demands on my time, again limiting my ability to stay IFR proficient. So, if I am not going to be able to maintain my IFR proficiency and, therefore, will not be using my Instrument rating, should I wait to get it until I can actually maintain and use it?
Pros: Having my Instrument rating will let my fly IFR if I can maintain it and may reduce my life insurance rate.
Cons: If I can't maintain it, I won't be comfortable flying with it nor will I be able to fly it safely without significant retraining once (a few years from now) I am able to spend more time flying.
If I don't get my Instrument rating, I will probably spend my remaining time flying for fun and, maybe, getting a few more endorsements such as high performance, tailwheel, and possibly flying a T-34.
What do you think? Your thoughts are welcome.
In the two years I am in grad school, I will be lucky if I have enough time to maintain my VFR currency, much less IFR proficiency (yes, I used different terms for a reason). Following my graduation, I will hopefully be starting a new job that will place significant demands on my time, again limiting my ability to stay IFR proficient. So, if I am not going to be able to maintain my IFR proficiency and, therefore, will not be using my Instrument rating, should I wait to get it until I can actually maintain and use it?
Pros: Having my Instrument rating will let my fly IFR if I can maintain it and may reduce my life insurance rate.
Cons: If I can't maintain it, I won't be comfortable flying with it nor will I be able to fly it safely without significant retraining once (a few years from now) I am able to spend more time flying.
If I don't get my Instrument rating, I will probably spend my remaining time flying for fun and, maybe, getting a few more endorsements such as high performance, tailwheel, and possibly flying a T-34.
What do you think? Your thoughts are welcome.
posted by Big Country at 3:06 PM
6 Comments:
Two cents: grad school will be hard enough on its own without the concerns over staying proficient with IFR. If you will still have the opportunity to fly while studying, make it a fun stress reliever, not a must-be-done obligatory deal.
Plus, that way you have the IFR training to look forward to later.
(This from a not-yet-PPL'd gal! I'll let J add his two cents about his rating....)
Hey BC,
I agree with K. Focus on the task at hand and use the IFR rating as a reward for the next two years of hard work.
If I wasn't doing it for a living I would probably only do VFR. IFR is too expensive to keep current unless I owned a share in a plane like J&K.
Just do the odd flight on FlightSim to keep the instrument scan alive till you get to finish it off in 2 years.
Best of luck in the New Year.
FD
I agree with FD. For the recreational pilot I think IFR is of limited use. Its great to be able to punch through the marine layer when the VFR guys are socked in but unless you are flying regularly most real IFR days have me grounded due to ice or turbulence or mins below my proficiency. I'd rather spend my $ looking out of the window admiring the view.
However.. if you think it would be significantly cheaper or easier to get the ticket in SoCal rather than the east coast then I would say do it now.
Staying proficient is definitely expensive and time-consuming, but keeping your rating is not - all you need is 6 approaches and some holds a year. You won't be current for much of that time but you will not have to take the dreaded IPC unless you let it lapse more than a year.
Then when you are done with grad school, get a CFI to brush up the skills and you're back up in the clag.
I'd say "put it off". It is a challenging rating and certainly requires recurring training to stay properly proficient. Sounds like you fill have a full plate already without tacking that training on.
However, that said, I don't think you should NEVER do it. Even if you don't always stay proficient the knowledge, experience, and skills you earn getting that rating are very valuable, even in VFR flight.
The training has helped me immensely with ATC, my general understanding of the whole system, and proper avionics usage.
A contrary voice: Even if you can't maintain IFR currency and proficiency once you matriculate into B School, getting the instrument rating now will make you a better pilot. That's true even if you are only going to have time/money/etc. for $100 hamburger flights on CAVU days. Pursuit of the IFR rating will require that you master a great deal more knowledge about airspace, flight planning, communications, etc. than you did as a VFR pilot. Like they say, the private pilot ticket is merely a license to learn.
Ask yourself this - once you finish your MBA, then it's time for a new job. How much energy and devotion will that consume, building your career? Next thing you know, X years have passed by and you're still not IFR rated.
If you've got the time and money, get the IFR rating done now while you can. Then, in X years, you can "refresh" those skills without having to pursue the entire rating ab initio.
IFRpilot with a name like that I think you are biased ;)
I agree about honing and increasing your skills with the IFR rating.
When I used to fly without an autopilot (yeah I know life's rough :)it would be VFR for most of the winter in the north. Then you would get a socked in day and you would be holding, doing NDB approaches circling to minimums at night into a reserve with 60 watt light bulbs for lighting.
It was extremely taxing because of the use it or loose it principle it seems to go away quickly. After one day of approach after approach I am back in the saddle and feeling 100%.
That is with me flying VFR 100 hours a month and being hands and feet current too.
I guess you have to identify what you want to use it for. I can understand if you want to depart in conditions that are limiting VFR and safer to go IFR. It's those guys that don't fly for 3 months, hop in their plane and go IFR when I am thinking I should cancel.
I guess you just have to walk the line of legal and personal currency.
But BC if you decide to do it I can't wait to read about the lessons ! K and yourself will basically giving me recurrent training.
Safe flying to all
FD
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