Comments on: IFR 12: In the Clouds http://onesandzeros.tangozulu.biz/2009/03/21/ifr-12-in-the-clouds/ Software, aviation, electronics, economics, and other neat stuff. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:19:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: tangozulu http://onesandzeros.tangozulu.biz/2009/03/21/ifr-12-in-the-clouds/#comment-722 tangozulu Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:02:51 +0000 http://onesandzeros.tangozulu.biz/2009/03/21/ifr-12-in-the-clouds/#comment-722 Thanks for the philosophy explanation on descents, that helps. It makes sense that the technique for different aircraft sizes would vary. I guess I should be prepared to adapt when we get a Gulfstream huh? The VOR needle swinging back and forth is familiar from ham radio. Sounds like an interference pattern caused by reflections from ground clutter. I've also seen it when low near KOKV while using the VOR at MRB. When you listen to radio station and hear rapidly pulsing fading it's the same thing. Thanks for the philosophy explanation on descents, that helps. It makes sense that the technique for different aircraft sizes would vary. I guess I should be prepared to adapt when we get a Gulfstream huh?

The VOR needle swinging back and forth is familiar from ham radio. Sounds like an interference pattern caused by reflections from ground clutter. I’ve also seen it when low near KOKV while using the VOR at MRB. When you listen to radio station and hear rapidly pulsing fading it’s the same thing.

]]> By: Rick http://onesandzeros.tangozulu.biz/2009/03/21/ifr-12-in-the-clouds/#comment-716 Rick Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:51:32 +0000 http://onesandzeros.tangozulu.biz/2009/03/21/ifr-12-in-the-clouds/#comment-716 > Both times I’m not descending fast enough. I’m used to descents from further out and have to be more aggressive with these. I have found that there is a difference of philosophy on non-precision approach descents. My instrument instructors all advocated gradual descents, while my primary instructor (who I flew with again after I got was IFR certified) believed that the whole point of the approach is to get under the clouds so you can see the airport, so you ought get down there quickly to give yourself more time. I suspect that the difference is because the one set of instructors were from ERAU (and other schools training pilots for airlines) and the other flew nothing but light planes. It's a lot easier to reconfigure the smaller planes for level flight than it is for the big guys. > At one point instructor M was wondering if the VOR was broken, the needle hadn’t moved. I remember having the opposite problem... the needle would swing back and forth, so I had to mentally take the average. That's another difference between simulators and the real thing. > Both times I’m not descending fast enough. I’m used to descents from further out and have to be more aggressive with these.

I have found that there is a difference of philosophy on non-precision approach descents. My instrument instructors all advocated gradual descents, while my primary instructor (who I flew with again after I got was IFR certified) believed that the whole point of the approach is to get under the clouds so you can see the airport, so you ought get down there quickly to give yourself more time. I suspect that the difference is because the one set of instructors were from ERAU (and other schools training pilots for airlines) and the other flew nothing but light planes. It’s a lot easier to reconfigure the smaller planes for level flight than it is for the big guys.

> At one point instructor M was wondering if the VOR was broken, the needle hadn’t moved.

I remember having the opposite problem… the needle would swing back and forth, so I had to mentally take the average. That’s another difference between simulators and the real thing.

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