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Real-World
IFR Scenario Training
The Challenge
of Instrument Flying
Let’s face it, flying IFR in GA airplanes is
hard - especially single pilot which is how most of us fly our IFR
missions. And most of us who don’t fly professionally don’t get
nearly enough practice, or nearly enough training. So instrument
pilots of all experience levels need to continually learn and develop
their skills in order to maintain a safe level of proficiency.
But the
problem is that many instrument pilots find it difficult to stay
sharp because they can’t fly as often as they would like or
have to stop flying for extended periods of time.
Many other
pilots did all the hard work to get their rating, but still don’t
feel comfortable flying in the IFR system. They lack the confidence
needed to build experience and reach the next level or proficiency.
How To Build IFR Confidence
There is no substitute for actual flying
experience – pilots that train and fly regularly are typically
confident and proficient. In fact, I’ve found that the best IFR
pilots are never complacent, but continually work on their craft and
hone their skills.
While we can't put you in a airplane, we can do the next best thing by
immersing you in the mental aspects of flying. It's more than
reading another article or watching another video. IFR Mastery
delivers a powerful way to keep your head in the game and gain
valuable experience from the comfort of your computer. It is
designed to help pilots get to the next level, whether you are a
highly experienced instrument pilot or working on your rating.
The Power Of
Scenario-Based Training
"When it comes to exercising IFR thinking, the program that
I was most impressed with was the IFR Mastery Series from PilotWorkshops."
"PilotWorkshop’s IFR Mastery Series hits a
sweet-spot mix of material to do on your
own schedule and interactively - especially
if you spend time in the discussion
groups."
-
Jeff Van West, Editor -
IFR Magazine (2/12)
IFR Mastery is a continuing series of
online, scenario-based workshops. Each
month, we provide a challenging real-world IFR scenario that tests your knowledge and hones your decision making skills.
IFR Mastery offers a structured approach that makes
learning fun and highly effective. The scenarios follow a format
that is simple and straight-forward. Here's how it
works.
Step 1 - Watch
the Scenario Overview
Video:
The first step is to watch a
short video that sets
the stage for your IFR scenario.
You will get a full briefing of
the situation and a detailed explanation of all the factors you must consider.
Step 2 - Evaluate Your Options:
Here, you will study additional resources to further assess the
situation and choose your course of action.
The resources are
specific to each scenario and may include weather data, aircraft
specific information, performance charts, IFR enroute charts,
approach plates, airport information and other relevant data.
Step 3 - Make
Your Choice:
You will
be given a list of options for how to best manage the situation.
Select your choice using a live polling feature on our
website. This way, you can get instant feedback and compare your
choice with other pilots.
Step 4 - Learn
From Our Instructors:
After making your selection, you will watch the instructor's
analysis video and hear which option they chose.
They will provide step-by-step instruction for each scenario and offer a
technically detailed explanation of their process for completing
each flight.
Step
5 - Visit The Hangar:
This is
our members-only discussion forum. After going through the
workshops, you will enjoy spending time in the Hangar.
You can
read the forum posts where pilots share a story
or ask the instructors a question. There are lots of
valuable discussions that come out of these scenarios
and you are free to join them if you wish.
This is also the
place where you can listen to the roundtable audio where
all our instructors get together and further dissect each scenario.
Finally, you can access the monthly
IFR quiz to see how
much you learned...and don't forget to read the lively
discussions that the quizzes are sure to instigate.
IFR Mastery
offers valuable experience you can take
to the
cockpit...
Demanding instrument approaches
Hazardous
weather encounters
System failures and emergencies
Non-standard instrument departures
Single
pilot IFR operations
Busy
airspace and ATC re-routes
Tactical
weather diversions
Common
and deadly IFR traps
And much more...
IFR Mastery customer map. Join
serious IFR pilots from all over the country who are
committed to improving their skills.
Meet Your IFR Mastery Instructors
Bob Nardiello was the "Flight
Instructor of the Year" in 2004 and "FAA Safety
Counselor of the Year" in 2006 for the Windsor Locks
Flight Standards District Office. He has over 10,000
hours of total flight experience, with more than
7,000 hours as a Flight Instructor. He currently
holds CFI, CFII, MEI, and ATP ratings and serves as
a Designated Pilot Examiner. Bob is the Assistant
Chief Flight Instructor at a Part 141 Flight School
and is also a seasoned charter pilot flying a Cessna
421 and Citation Ultra.
Wally
Moran is a retired airline captain and
spent much of his career as a training instructor
and check airman on aircraft including the Boeing
747 and 767. He has held a flight instructor
certificate for over 47 years. Wally is a Designated
Pilot Examiner for single and multiengine aircraft
and gliders. He is authorized to issue certificates
all the way up to ATP and has given over 3400 hours
of flight instruction in single engine,
multi-engine, tailwheel, gliders, seaplanes and
instruments.
John
Krug's 27 years of experience as an Air
Traffic Controller combined with his experience as
an active flight instructor and charter pilot, allow
him to assist pilots in gaining a better
understanding of the ATC system and how to best
operate in it. While with the FAA, he was an
On-the-Job-Training Instructor for new controllers
and worked as a Quality Assurance Specialist,
responsible for conducting in-flight evaluations of
the Air Traffic System and investigating accidents
and incidents.
Bob
Martens is a nationally known speaker,
consultant and aviation safety expert. He retired
from the FAA after spending 17 years as a Safety
Program Manager. In this role, he delivered hundreds
of live seminars devoted to General Aviation safety.
Bob retired from the USAF (rank of Colonel) in 2000
after 30 years of active and reserve duty. He was an
Aircraft Commander in a C-5A and also served as
Flying Safety Officer and Chief of Safety with the
439th AirWing. Bob has logged thousands of flight
hours in both military and GA aircraft.
Your IFR
Mastery Membership Includes:
New Monthly Scenarios
Receive
unlimited, online access to all new scenario-based
workshops every month.
Includes scenario overview videos,
resources and tools for additional
analysis, live polling and detailed
instructional videos.
Discussion Forum
Unlimited
online access to the Hangar (members-only discussion
forum)where pilots discuss and debate the
scenarios. You can join these discussions any
time, or ask our instructors a question.
Some of
the best learning occurs in the forums.
Monthly Roundtable
We get all our instructors together and open the
microphones. They share personal experiences and
additional observations on the scenarios.
Downloadable audio.
MonthlyIFR Quiz
Prepare to be challenged!
These quizzes are short
but will really test your knowledge.
You will get feedback
on all answers to reinforce your understanding of the
topics.
WINGS Credit
Receive
3 WINGS credits for all completed workshops.
We've
issued credit for thousands of completed IFR Mastery
workshops!
Variety of Platforms
These
online workshops run on the following devices:
Windows PCs (XP, Vista, 7)
Mac
Computers
iPads, iPhone, iTouch
Android
Special Free Bonus:
Get Instant
Online Access To
All
Previously Published Monthly
Workshops
($493 Value)...
#1:
Partial Panel Emergency This
workshop addresses a situation that scares the pants
off most IFR pilots - losing critical instruments in
IMC! While many pilots fly airplanes equipped with
glass cockpit or redundant systems, the process of
managing emergency situations is universal. See how
you would handle an emergency that requires an
immediate diversion in IMC.
#2:
Circling Approach vs Tailwind
This workshop helps you decide which approach to fly
when the choice is not so obvious, and each choice
has unique challenges associated with it. This is a
real world situation and your evaluation and
decision making can make the difference between an
uneventful approach or a potentially hazardous one.
#3:
Unexpected Icing Over Oregon
Unexpected icing encounters are always a threat to
IFR pilots and can lead to an immediate emergency
situation if not handled properly. This workshop
will test your decision making when you encounter
ice along your route that was not in the weather
forecast. Your immediate reaction will be critical
to ensuring a safe outcome. See how you will manage
this situation.
#4:
Van Nuys SID
This scenario requires a departure from an airport
that has published standard instrument departure
(SID) routes. Although a SID will keep aircraft away
from terrain, it is optimized for ATC route of
flight and will not always provide the lowest climb
gradient. Test your ability to analyze all available
departure options and choose the best one in
challenging conditions!
#5:
Super Bowl Arrival A great opportunity
comes your way when you are offered Super Bowl
tickets on the morning of the big game. Luckily, you
own your airplane so you can take advantage of this
opportunity and fly yourself and a friend to Dallas
in plenty of time to make the kickoff. Everything is
perfect, except for the weather in the Dallas area.
If you are to make it in for the game, you will have
your hands full during the final stages of this
flight.
#6:
Headwinds to St Louis This scenario starts
with a three hour IFR flight to attend a family
reunion in St. Louis. Your flight plan shows that
you should arrive in plenty of time to attend the
reunion and also avoid weather that is moving into
the St. Louis area. The flight is uneventful, but as
you proceed along you notice that something isn't
quite right. You'll need to evaluate the current
situation and decide if a change in your flight plan
is warranted.
#7:
Electrical Failure Over Iowa Every good pilot
should play the "what if" game and think through the
process for managing common IFR emergencies. Well,
here's your chance to experience a simulated
emergency situation. Electrical failures require an
immediate reaction and sound decision making to
guarantee a safe and uneventful outcome. There's a
lot to manage in this situation…see how you do.
#8:
IFR Reroute to Kinston As every experienced
Instrument pilot knows…you don't always get what you
filed! In this scenario, you must evaluate several
reroute options from ATC in the highly congested NY
airspace. The challenge here is not only to accept a
new route, but also to quickly familiarize yourself
with the risks that a new route poses and determine
if it exceeds your personal minimums and comfort
level.
#9:
Thunderstorms To Nashville
All instrument pilots should know to avoid
thunderstorms, however they still pose a serious
threat given their dynamic nature and associated
hazards (wind shear, turbulence, micro-bursts, hail,
etc.). In this scenario, you will make a
cross-country flight where lines of thunderstorms
along your route will significantly impact your
plans. You must evaluate several options and decide
on the safest route around this severe weather.
#10:
Night Approach To Minimums
This scenario introduces a host of potential
challenges that instrument pilots face when flying
single pilot operations. After a long cross country
trip, you are faced with the prospect of making an
approach to minimums with deteriorating weather and
strong turbulence. This sets up many potential
hazards that must be managed properly in order to
guarantee a safe outcome.
#11:
Lost Comm at Teterboro How would you like to
suddenly lose all radio communications while on an
IFR flight plan (in IMC) in one of the busiest
sectors of airspace in the world? Sounds fun huh?
This is another example of how preparation and
proficiency can help you through the most
challenging of situations. This scenario offers you
a chance to safely review a critical, life saving
procedure.
#12:
Medical Emergency Over New Mexico
Medical emergencies are always a source of concern
in aviation, but they take on added significance in
IMC. In this scenario, you are responsible for
tending to a sick passenger, making a plan to get
them on the ground quickly and then executing an
instrument approach and landing. If it sounds like a
lot of responsibility…it is! But this is all part of
being the "Pilot in Command".
#13:
GPS Loss Near Rutland GPS can provide an
enhanced level of situational awareness and these
units have proven to be extremely reliable over
time. However…GPS units and satellite transmissions
can and do fail. Yet because they are so reliable,
we don't often consider how a failure will impact a
typical IFR flight. Even a partial loss of your GPS
unit can have a significant impact, here's your
chance to experience it first-hand.
#14
Vectors to New Haven This trip starts with
a short flight home from Nantucket Island
Massachusetts with your wife and 2 friends. The
flight is uneventful until the final stages when you
will face challenging night IFR conditions, a
potential circle to land approach and multiple rapid
fire heading changes from ATC. Your ability to make
sound decisions and execute under pressure will be
called upon in this scenario.
#15
Icing Near Worcester
In this scenario, you are helping a friend who is a
VFR-only pilot get his airplane back to his home
airport in deteriorating weather conditions. This is
a piece of cake for you…a short trip you should be
able to complete in reasonable weather in a
well-equipped airplane. All goes as planned until
you run into unexpected conditions shortly after
departure. Suddenly, a safe outcome to this flight
is in question.
#16
Mechanical Trouble Near Millville
You are planning the "trip of a lifetime" to the
Bahamas with your family. First though, you need to
have a few maintenance items taken care of by your
local A&P before the long flight. The day before the
trip, you pick up the airplane from the maintenance
shop and return it to your home airport. It's a
simple, 20 minute flight - what can go wrong? As you
will see in this scenario, things can go from
"ops-normal" to big trouble in a heartbeat.
#17
North Adams Departure
In this scenario, you are departing a non-towered
airport before dawn into a non-radar environment.
This is a challenging departure which requires
accurate planning and solid execution at an hour
when you should still be in bed. The scenario is
based on a real, fatal accident and could have
easily been prevented. Don't miss the roundtable
discussion where our instructors explain the steps
that could have avoided this tragic ending.
Optional: Monthly CD and Library
For a
small additional fee, we will mail you each monthly
workshop on computer CD. Runs on Windows (XP, Vista,
7) and Mac.
During this special offer,
we will also ship you the entire library of all
previously published IFR Mastery scenarios on CDs
(described above) and a bookshelf binder to store your
library at no additional cost.
Note: This offer is only
available only in the USA and free
shipping is included for all CDs and the
binder.
IFR Mastery Q&A
- answers to common questions
Q: How long
does my IFR Mastery
membership last? A: It's month-to-month. There
is no long term obligation or
commitment, you can easily cancel at any time.
Q: I already bought your IFR
Proficiency Series. How is the IFR Mastery
membership different? A: While they both focus
on IFR flying, the IFR Mastery
workshops have a different teaching
approach and cover these topics in
greater detail. IFR Mastery
features scenario-based
workshops that immerse you in a real
situation to develop your skills and
decision making. You also get direct
access to our instructors in the
member's only discussion forum.
Q: Why one new
scenario per
month?
A: Focus. We understand that pilots
are busy, so we focus our attention
on the most important IFR topics. We
cover these topics from every angle
to ensure that you have a deep
understanding before moving on. This
focus improves your retention of
critical lessons.
Q: If I choose the monthly CD
option, how many CDs do I get? A:
With this special offer, we are waiving the new member fee and
will ship you all 17 previously published scenarios on CD along
with the bookshelf binder at no additional cost. Then, you will
receive one new CD per month, as long as
you remain an active member.
Q: It sounds good, can I try it
for a month or two?
A: Sure. That's the beauty of our
monthly membership. Obviously we
want you to get value from your
membership and improve as an
instrument pilot. However, if it's
not for you...you can cancel at any
time
(easily done on our website or over
the phone) and billing will stop
immediately. This puts you in
control without investing a lot of
money up front.
Q: Will you
ever raise my price in the future?
A: No. Your price will never
increase as long as you remain an
active member.
Sign Up Here!
Give
it a try - you have nothing to
lose!
If you aren't
completely satisfied at any time, you can cancel your
membership (easily done on our website
or over the phone) and billing will stop
immediately.
PilotWorkshops.com has been an A-rated
member of the Better Business Bureau
since 2006.
Regular Membership:
$29/month
Special
Price:
$19/month
(Save $10/month)
Access new
monthly workshops and all
previously published workshops.
Cancel any
time!
Note: Your membership will automatically
renew with new
monthly scenarios until you decide to
stop. This can easily
be done by email, over the
phone or on the web site.
Upon order completion you will be delivered to the
access
page where you can begin viewing workshops
immediately.
Regular
CD Membership:
$49/month
Special
Price:
$29/month
(Save $20/month)
Get the complete library of
all 17 previously released
workshops on CDs and the bookshelf binder FREE!
Note: Your membership will automatically
renew with new
monthly scenarios until you decide to
stop. This can easily
be done by email, over the
phone or on the web site.
Upon order completion you will be delivered to the
access page where you can begin viewing workshops
immediately.
Let’s face it, flying IFR in GA airplanes is
hard - especially single pilot which is how most of us fly our IFR
missions. And most of us who don’t fly professionally don’t get
nearly enough practice, or nearly enough training. So instrument
pilots of all experience levels need to continually learn and develop
their skills in order to maintain a safe level of proficiency.
There is no substitute for actual flying
experience – pilots that train and fly regularly are typically
confident and proficient. In fact, I’ve found that the best IFR
pilots are never complacent, but continually work on their craft and
hone their skills.
The first step is to watch a
short video that sets
the stage for your IFR scenario. 
Here, you will study additional resources to further assess the
situation and choose your course of action. 
After making your selection, you will watch the instructor's
analysis video and hear which option they chose. 
You can
read the forum posts where pilots share a story
or ask the instructors a question. There are lots of
valuable discussions that come out of these scenarios
and you are free to join them if you wish. 
Wally
Moran is a retired airline captain and
spent much of his career as a training instructor
and check airman on aircraft including the Boeing
747 and 767. He has held a flight instructor
certificate for over 47 years. Wally is a Designated
Pilot Examiner for single and multiengine aircraft
and gliders. He is authorized to issue certificates
all the way up to ATP and has given over 3400 hours
of flight instruction in single engine,
multi-engine, tailwheel, gliders, seaplanes and
instruments. 
John
Krug's 27 years of experience as an Air
Traffic Controller combined with his experience as
an active flight instructor and charter pilot, allow
him to assist pilots in gaining a better
understanding of the ATC system and how to best
operate in it. While with the FAA, he was an
On-the-Job-Training Instructor for new controllers
and worked as a Quality Assurance Specialist,
responsible for conducting in-flight evaluations of
the Air Traffic System and investigating accidents
and incidents.
Bob
Martens is a nationally known speaker,
consultant and aviation safety expert. He retired
from the FAA after spending 17 years as a Safety
Program Manager. In this role, he delivered hundreds
of live seminars devoted to General Aviation safety.
Bob retired from the USAF (rank of Colonel) in 2000
after 30 years of active and reserve duty. He was an
Aircraft Commander in a C-5A and also served as
Flying Safety Officer and Chief of Safety with the
439th AirWing. Bob has logged thousands of flight
hours in both military and GA aircraft.
#1:
Partial Panel Emergency
#2:
Circling Approach vs Tailwind
#3:
Unexpected Icing Over Oregon
#4:
Van Nuys SID
#5:
#6:
Headwinds to St Louis
#7:
Electrical Failure Over Iowa
#8:
IFR Reroute to Kinston
#9:
Thunderstorms To Nashville
#10:
Night Approach To Minimums
#11:
Lost Comm at Teterboro
#12:
Medical Emergency Over New Mexico
#15
Icing Near Worcester
