I Never Regret Filing IFR, This Is Why!
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I’m #Flying #Singlepilot #IFR to reposition the RV-14 from Toronto to Windsor where the museum I fly with is based.
It’s a beautiful day (although a bit bumpy) and I took the opportunity to file IFR to get some solid practice working with the automation in the Garmin glass panel; It wen’t well for the most part, but I felt I captured some learning moments worth sharing.
I owe a great deal to long time mentor Dennis for getting me through many phases of my flight training, including transitioning to the panel in this airplane.
Check out his company Next Level Flight Training:
https://www.nlft.ca
Jason Miller is an other great CFI that I’ve learned a lot from. He’s doing some great this withe the ground school app:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ground-school/id1444387206
I am proud to be a member of the Canadian Aviation Museum (formerly CH2A). They are a not-for-profit organization that anybody can visit, and (almost) any pilot can join and fly the planes. Please consider sharing their link, visiting the museum in Windsor, and/or sending a small donation to help them keep our historic warbirds flying! https://www.canadianaviationmuseum.ca/
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FLIGHT CHOPS DISCLAIMER:
I am a “weekend warrior” private pilot, I fly for fun with no intentions of going commercial. I have had my PPL for over 15 years, but still consider each flight a learning experience – I generally take detailed notes after each flight to remind myself what went well or what I could do to improve…. Having GoPro cameras to record flights like this is invaluable. I find these self analysis videos very helpful in my constant quest to improve, and am happy to share. Feedback is invited; however, please keep it positive.
31 Comments
Great flight! Cheers~
As someone who is flying with a G3X, GNC 355, Autopilot, G5 backup, ADS-B, I am curious about what utility having Foreflight adds to the cockpit (beyond redundancy).
Love an old-school Flight Chops style video! Thank you sir.
In the Cirrus there is a screen at startup that asks how much fuel is added. I do not think you can program that into the G3X but you can add a checklist item before start to input fuel added.
I trained in a G1000 for my IFR rating and always entered the approach minimum altitude as it shows up on the PFD, so I don't have to refer back to the chart.
That's like flying a spaceship compared to my old Super Cruiser. I like 'em both!
Now tell me that you REALLY enjoy this kind of flying. I still use the old RAF's low flying, dead reckoning technique developed for fighter pilots during WW II where ETAs between checkpoints are marked along the plotted route on a chart and a chronograph on my right arm. You belong to a generation that has forgotten all about orientation by reference to the terrain and map fingering. Flying the magenta is not navigating. When the price of gas is so high, you just want to relax and fly low and slow over the countryside, and enjoy the flight. The is nothing like flying VFR.
Steve, no one is ever going to complain about your videos being longer than normal!!!
Jeezze so sophisticated. Don’t know how you remember everything. Great video Steve.
My airline always taught “always use an APPROPRIATE level of automation. That might be A/P and A/T, FD or a combination appropriate for conditions. For people new to automation, a very wise instructor told me, never look at the MCP/GP/autopilot panel for current automation mode, it is fiction, only the FMA is fact. Very smart to make sure you have ALT capture on level offs and the aircraft is actually turning towards HDG or LNAV course too.
Great flight and video!
Thanks!!!
Was that you practicing acro in the smoke over the Rez south of Hamilton? When do we get that footage?
US controller here, so my advice only applies to the US but just an addition to Dennis's note at the beginning regarding SAR is even if you file IFR from an uncontrolled field, SAR will only ever be dispatched if you actually get an IFR clearance and a release/ clearance void time.
If you file IFR and simply never pick it up, whether it be via radio or phone, SAR will never be dispatched. In the US IFR flightplans are kept for 2 hours after the departure time you put in when filing. If you never get an IFR clearance and your 2 hours hit your flightplan is simply deleted and no SAR will be dispatched because it is assumed you decided not fly.
SAR will only be dispatched if you get your IFR clearance and receive a clearance void time. If you pick up your IFR but are not given a release/ clearance void time no SAR will be dispatched because you were never released for departure and it is assumed you decided not to fly, not that something bad happened. This is because at uncontrolled fields you cannot depart IFR without the release time. So if you never got a release time then you were never allowed to depart anyway.
SAR will only be dispatched if you picked up your IFR and got a release time. The release time shows an intent/ clearance to fly, and by not showing up something bad may have happened. Then the timer starts. 30 minutes after your void time we'll start our attempts to find you. This is usually calling the airport and asking them to find your plane. After 60 minutes we call SAR, but only if you got a release/ clearance void time.
Edit: since you elected to depart VFR and pick up your IFR in the air there would be no SAR for you, at least in the US.
2nd edit: you seem to be harping on yourself/ stressing for departing "late" and at least in the US your filed time is only viewed as when the clearance is able to be picked up. We can see your filed time but we dont see it as "they're gonna be ready at this time" Again, in the US your flightplan is valid for 2 hours after your filed departure time. There is no "picking it up late" as far as ATC is concerned so long as you depart before it gets deleted after those 2 hours.
Set your doggoned field preferences on the ground – not in busy airspace! That's poor risk management. Your pre flight should turn up anything that is necessary for flight and you should correct it then. That's what pre flight is for. Now in this case you got away with it, but it imposed unnecessary stress on you for the flight – which as we've seen by watching was already beyond a level for optimum performance. Quit tinkering with the toys and fly the airplane!
When are you showing us the paint video????????
Nicely detailed and edited video Steve – you have come one heck of a long way over the years. I love your avionics as well as the fabulous plane. I can see the main advantages of filing IFR.
Just for giggles you can try Garmin automotive GPS set for off road. Elevation. Distance. Location. Direction. Speed. Yes not exactly the info you got on panel but it’s close enough for most people watching your videos. Overlay on map. This information always at a corner of your screen providing constant of information of your flying. One can see changes in elevation speed direction.
Just a small observation. When you were sent to Detroit Approach both the Toronto and Detroit controllers used your full callsign C-FCGA, likely because you are Canadian traffic to Detroit. Your readbacks should have been the same instead of the shortened CGA. Callsign shortening should be initiated by ATC because they have the full picture of any conflicting callsigns. Minor point that we all do wrong I'm sure.
Throttle quadrants where you have yours look less optimally placed vs the ones on the dash like the RV-10 has. Your throttle fiddly scan like as in at 1’39” would be too extremely down for my liking. On the dash like with a 10 it’s more in line with a normal FOV. Did you mount it where you did because of the CBs? I think a VPX and a dash mounted quadrant hits the sweet spot. Great video production and topic! Keep up the great work.
If you have ATIS for the field already – say you have it during initial check in with TRACON, you know they always gonna ask if you don't, saves some time. And who cares about altitude over beacon, you established on the GS, that's all you need.
I enjoyed meeting you today and getting a close-up look at your beautiful airplane.
I find the lean assist to not be very accurate. I lean until roughness and enrichen JUST until smooth. Then I monitor CHT to make sure all are below 400. It's hard to be too lean as long as your CHTs are good!
Great video Steve. Thank you as always
autopilot for sure, especially in an RV where it is so easy to lose altitude assignment quickly without much change in attitude or engine noise compared to Cessna/Piper.
Interesting, 24:30, the controller keeps using the full C-number.
Great content. I don’t enjoy watching too many aviators because they often get full of themselves, but your humility and self-critique are great qualities in a pilot! Learning faster planes I try to find techniques to slow things down and take my time it’s really helped me. Great stuff seeing your progression!
Great video Steve!
8:10 although IAS is safe because it will keep you from stalling, I find that it always hunts unless you are in the smoothest air.. I prefer pitch mode or VS mode in climbs.. and only VS in descents.
12:00, for LOP, the goal isn’t for the WARMEST one to be over the peak, it’s the LAST one that peaks, you bring it 20 or so cooler than the peak.. make sense? The order in which they peak isn’t the hottest.. it’s about the last to peak gets set.. with ROP, the first to peak gets enriched to below peak.
On your iPad, I would make a data field along the bottom to show VS required to destination. On the 750, I would like to see “nearest” or at least know how to get there incase you need to quickly punch it and “Direct to”, while you troubleshoot.
Well at 12:20 I got my answer to yesterday's question about what you get True 🙂 .. Enjoying this episode finally on my Layover here in YYZ.. Hope your trip home from Houston has gone well. Another great episode. Always great to see Denis episodes are on the way 🙂
nice play in good weather and you can let ATC know and sometimes can make hard you even good or call ATC at your landing if they have time