I am a flight instructor (CFI, CFII) and I realized that I don’t really get a lot of IFR time. I have done many private students and few instrument. Still, when you do instrument students, most of the time all you do is practice approaches and I feel like I don’t really improve my flying skill/knowledge that much anymore (especially shooting always the same approaches around the area, or steep turn and touch and goes). Today I had a private pilot student, we were out doing maneuvers and the weather deteriorated faster than forecast, so I had to pick up an IFR clearance to come back. I made it back safely, but I was really disappointed about my flying skill in IMC. That made me really aware of how easy we can loose proficiency. I have 500TT and I only have 64 hrs of instrument time of which only 19 hrs are in actual. If I keep going at this rate, by the time I’ll get to the magic number of 1500 hrs, I will probably have a million of touch and goes and a perfectly level steep turn, but not a lot of confident with IFR flying especially in IMC condition. I can’t believe how easy it is to loose instrument proficiency. I was really discouraged today and I start to wonder how it is even possible to jump from a Cessna 172 to a regional jet if I just keep working as a CFI like I’m doing. How did you guys managed all that in your experience? How important it is to have good IFR skill when you show up at the sim during airline training?
Maybe I can rent an airplane once in a while to fly in IMC myself, but I can only afford it few times here and there. I am also looking around for a part 135 gig, I think that could be a great step up from a 172 and get some real world flying experience other than just being a flight instructor, but everything seems to be really competitive to find some job opportunities. I don’t know what to do, I am stuck. Any tips, thoughts, suggestion?
It’s good that you’re concerned. Maintaining instrument proficiency is very important, particularly when it gets time to go to the airlines as that will be the primary focus during your training. If your skills are weak you will have a problem.
Your actual IFR time isn’t that important but again your skills are. Sounds like the majority of your students are PPLs so that’s not helping. My question is whether that’s simply what the school your at does primarily or is it that the Instrument students go to higher time instructors in which case you will get more? If so you’ll be fine as that will def keep you sharp. If not does your school have a sim? If so I’d be in there regularly practicing.
If neither is the answer you might consider renting with another instructor and you can split the time and the cost. One flies, the other is the safety pilot. You cab both log the time and both your skills will improve. While it still won’t be cheap it’ll definitely save you some money.
I only had about twenty hours of actual when I got hired by ExpressJet. Real actual time is hard to get.
I second Adam on renting an airplane with another pilot friend. While real actual is great, I am also a fan of using the old fashioned hood and getting practice IMC time that way, which is certainly safer as well.
Thank you for all the great answer. I thought I was running behind already, but I’m not. I will definitely rent an airplane with another instructor anytime I will be able to afford it, that would definitely help. At my school they let us do that for free only if we loose our currency. I wish we have a sim, but we don’t. We don’t get a lot of instrument students, we mainly have private and navy guys. Navy guys are the ones that come to us and we teach them from zero up to their solo. That’s it, after that they go back in the Navy. On top of that I’m only averaging 40hrs a month (I’m about to die $$$ lol) and to be honest I was expecting a lil better. I started last November and wintertime months are probably not the best (although I am in Florida and the weather is pretty good!), should I consider looking for another school?
I’ve been looking around for any kind of gigs…I only have 505TT and part 135 gigs are really hard to get, skydiving jobs most of the time are on a caravan and they require a thousand hrs. The only one I found it’s a tow banner gig that promises tons of hours all over the country (called Aerial Banner). I start to wonder if I would be better off towing rugs for a season and then come back and being a CFI again for the last stretch. I feel like towing banner you don’t build good quality hrs, but I don’t feel like I am building any quality time either right now (lot of slam and goes and steep turn…).
Banner towing and skydiving won’t do much for your instrument skills. You might want to find another school with more Instrument students. Maybe even split your time working for both.