Instrument Study Material Recomendations?

[ChopperChuck]

Hi I'm a pilot from WA state. I have about 1050 hrs and am currently on a Cherry Drying Contract flying a UH-12E Soloy(old junk but Turbine). I don't think the company will have work for me for the rest of the year so am thinking about getting my instrument and goin to the gulf. I am wondering if there is a good instrument ground course(cds or dvds) that would be recommended for helicopter instrument or just what books I should obtain. I want to spend my contract time wisely because lately I have a lot of time on my hands. Thanks in advance.

[kodoz]

Hi I'm a pilot from WA state. I have about 1050 hrs and am currently on a Cherry Drying Contract flying a UH-12E Soloy(old junk but Turbine). I don't think the company will have work for me for the rest of the year so am thinking about getting my instrument and goin to the gulf. I am wondering if there is a good instrument ground course(cds or dvds) that would be recommended for helicopter instrument or just what books I should obtain. I want to spend my contract time wisely because lately I have a lot of time on my hands. Thanks in advance.

 

You can get by with the FAA books (Instrument Flying Handbook, AIM, and the Rotorcraft Flying Handbook, and their weather books if you need help there). I didn't find the Jeppesen Instrument/Commercial textbook to be worth its cost. There are some books by Skyroamers that the FW guys seem to like, but can't speak for them personally.

 

Where are you based in WA? The cherry harvest in Eastern WA is starting, which means no more helis hovering by our house.

--chris

[ChopperChuck]

I just got finished with a month contract in Mattawa and movin to Chelan for another month

~Chuck

 

 

You can get by with the FAA books (Instrument Flying Handbook, AIM, and the Rotorcraft Flying Handbook, and their weather books if you need help there). I didn't find the Jeppesen Instrument/Commercial textbook to be worth its cost. There are some books by Skyroamers that the FW guys seem to like, but can't speak for them personally.

 

Where are you based in WA? The cherry harvest in Eastern WA is starting, which means no more helis hovering by our house.

--chris

[Hovergirl]

I would love any recommendations too as I'm just about to start instrument. Good books? How about Microsoft flight sim -- is it 2004 everyone likes? Is the Schweitzer book worthwhile? I got to admit I've been tempted by the pretty pictures in the Jeppersen, and my first flight instructor was always borrowing someone else's to explain things. I think it may be floating around out there in used form...

 

Keep the recommendations coming -- I'm gonna need it when I'm thoroughly confused!

[heligirl03]

Having completed instrument over the winter in Seattle (don't laugh, yes, it was next to impossible and I don't recommend that timeframe!!) I share my experience freely. Study for the written EARLY and get it done, it will give you a very good taste of the actual instruments so you aren't totally lost and wasting time and $$ flying. Try to get through the FAA Instrument Flying Handbook, and the Jepp Comm/Instr hardcover monster can occasionally be helpful if you can get your hands on a used copy. Oh and don't bother with FlightSim unless you are already a gamer and can actually fly the thing. I spent several days trying to make the thing even run (2004 works best) and then gave up, put the PC back out in the garage, and drove down to the airport. I passed my checkride at 42hrs, all in the hood, all x-c towards my commercial too. Most i importantly, get 15-20hrs of hood time before you expect anything out of yourself, then it will all come together and you can actually practice toward the PTS for the next 20hrs. First 20, headache. Second 20, kinda fun and challenging.

 

That was my experience. In the end, I was extremely pleased with it and the biggest thing I learned was that I truly hope to never have to use it IMC. But I am a way more precise VFR pilot than before!

[rick1128]

First of all get the written out of the way. AC61-27 Instrument Flying Handbook and Aviation weather are the two primary books for this. I believe they can be downloaded for the FAA website. Another good book is FM1-240, the Army's instrument training manual. You can find it on the Professional Helicopter Pilots Assoc. website. It is much more helicopter oriented than the FAA's material. There will be stuff in this book that will not apply to civilian pilots, but it still makes for interesting reading.

[kodoz]

I would love any recommendations too as I'm just about to start instrument. Good books? How about Microsoft flight sim -- is it 2004 everyone likes? Is the Schweitzer book worthwhile? I got to admit I've been tempted by the pretty pictures in the Jeppersen, and my first flight instructor was always borrowing someone else's to explain things. I think it may be floating around out there in used form...

 

Keep the recommendations coming -- I'm gonna need it when I'm thoroughly confused!

 

My objection to the Jeppesen book is that it's half advertisement for Jeppesen products, and in few places they favor explanations of their products over the NACO/FAA products you'll have in-hand. I don't think the Jeppesen book is worth $85, but it does provide a nice road map for getting through the rating (the Skyroamers book is $36; you might could get Jeppesen's last edition cheap on eBay). The FAA books are pretty sterile and will shortchange you on a few things (eg, I can't remember them going over an approach plate). What I would do was skim the Jeppesen book, then go to the RFM to figure out how procedures differed in helicopters. Then I'd go to the IPH and AIM to fill in the blanks from the Jeppesen book. I'd repeat that for just about every topic. For charts and plates, I just spent lots of time looking at the legends then interpreting examples. There's also the FAA Instrument Procedures Handbook--90% Airline stuff from what I remember, but that 10% copter info was pretty helpful. Usually you can get the IPH and IFH bundled for ~$30.

 

MS Flight Sim is pretty helpful...as long as you don't get hung up learning to fly the Bell or one of the airplanes. I have 2000 and 2004, and can't tell the difference between the 2, at least not from the perspective of flying the IFR Cessna in a gray sky (the ATC feature is not a useful distraction in 2004). I'd practice approaches with mouse and keyboard, relying on the autopilot to do most of the flying (holds heading and altitude, and lets you set descent rate). You can also practice holds using MS Flight sim or use Tim's (rudimentary) VOR simulator. If you have a Garmin 400 series GPS in your trainer, you can download their simulator for it...that's good for familiarization with the GPS set-up and features.

[romanweel]

For theory and procedures, and I honestly found most of my answers in the FAA "Instrument Flying Handbook", "Instrument Procedures Handbook", and the ASA knowledge exam prep book. And once I actually buckled down on the FAR/AIM, it answered a lot of the questions I had. I trained in the FLY-IT sim, and it took a full lesson just to get used to the controls (felt nothing like a Robbie!), but it was useful for training to stay ahead of the aircraft in realtime. Once you've had a little experience with whatever nav receiver you're using in the aircraft, my own opinion is that the fastest (and cheapest) way to get proficient with instrument flying is to make a little drawing of your instrument panel, go home, stick it up on the wall, pull up a chair, and rehearse your scan. Imagine the little drawing is moving, imagine what would happen if you saw _____ on the attitude indicator/VSI/heading indicator, then cross-check the other instruments for what you should be seeing. Once you've mastered "flying" like this, start rehearsing approaches, checklists, radio calls, everything you'd normally be doing in the heli.

 

Instrument flying is scripted down to a couple hundred feet AGL, and you don't have to be in the air before you consider "what happens next." Flying by instruments takes actual hood time, of course, but half the problem lies upstairs. The more you can train your mind to get (and stay) ahead of the aircraft both scan-wise and procedurally, the more painless you'll find the transition.

[BOATFIXERGUY]

For the DVD's you asked, can't beat the King Schools Instrument Course. Not only does it help with the written, but you retain the knowledge through John's quirky humor.

 

www.kingschools.com

[Privateer]

I'll second the King Schools Heli Instrument course. My baby girl arrived in December as I was starting instrument training. I took a couple months off from training at that time with only having a few months under my belt. With working full time and a new baby study time was hard to get, but I could watch and listen to the DVD's while I did other stuff. I didnt' ace the FAA test by any means but I figure for the time I put into it getting high 80's in the inst. and inst instructor test (take them back to back since they are the same) wasn't bad at all. Also the free Garmin trainer was great, I didn't use it much but it helped to read the users guide and then plug stuff in immediately for a good hands on learning.

[rotormandan]

I'll second the King Schools Heli Instrument course. My baby girl arrived in December as I was starting instrument training. I took a couple months off from training at that time with only having a few months under my belt. With working full time and a new baby study time was hard to get, but I could watch and listen to the DVD's while I did other stuff. I didnt' ace the FAA test by any means but I figure for the time I put into it getting high 80's in the inst. and inst instructor test (take them back to back since they are the same) wasn't bad at all. Also the free Garmin trainer was great, I didn't use it much but it helped to read the users guide and then plug stuff in immediately for a good hands on learning.

 

 

King Videos are great. I used those for private, inst, and comm. They're a little spendy though so if you know any one

else trying to get their inst you can split the cost.