Introduction

These notes are intended to help the applicant and the flight instructor prepare for the Instrument Rating for Single Engine Airplanes. It's broken down into four mail sections:

Eligibility - Determine if you have the correct endorsements, training time and flight time to take the test. This is also a good reference for a pre-checkride checklist.

The Practical Test - What's needed

Problems on the checkride - What people have the most difficult time with. Knowing these things and giving extra preparation time on these areas are sure to better your odds of passing the first time!

Flight Instructor Endorsements - These endorsements meet the requirements for the rating sought. I'd recommend that you use these and affix them to the student's logbook. If you're using other endorsements, make sure they reference the same FAR's.

The practical test starts with the oral examination. This consists of an evaluation of the regulations regarding IFR flight, the use of charts, systems on the airplane, emergency procedures and IFR approach charts. Most of the exam is spent discussing the actual IFR cross country that the applicant was assigned a few days prior to the checkride. We can get a lot done in terms of meeting the tasks set out in the Practical test standards by using the chart and cross country.

I like to have the applicant brief the flight as it's filed. Then we try to fly it on the ground. This allows me to set up situations and integrate chart knowledge with regulations.

AREA OF OPERATION II

A. Task: Aircraft systems related to IFR operations
B. Task: Aircraft flight instruments and navigation equipment

VII AREA OF OPERATION: EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

A. Task: Lost of communications
VI: Area of operations: Instrument approach procedures.

Flight Portion

The flight portion can be done in a variety of ways. The following gives a scenario that allows me to test the rest of the PTS.

FLT IFR SCK

• Instrument Ops check prior to departure
  
• Depart via ATC directed or as flied routing
  
• NDB SCK 29
  
• VOR-A TCY Partial Panel (Satisfies AOIV A, C, E)
  
• Published Hold at TCY
  
• ILS 25R LVK - Circle to Land and Full stop or touch and go
  
• Steep Turns - Full Panel
  
• Unusual Attitude Recoveries (Partial Panel)

OR

FLT IFR SNS

• Instrument Ops check prior to departure
• Depart via ATC directed or as filed routing
  
• VOR 13 SNS with circle to land
  
• VFR Departure to the south examiner provided vectors to the SNS ILS 31
• Lleft crosswind departure to Marna and Hold
• Examiner provided vectors, WVI LOC 2
• Steep Turns - Full Panel
• Unusual Attitude Recoveries (Partial Panel)
• I sometimes substitute the MRY 10R ILS for the SNS 31 ILS. It depends upon the weather.

If ADF is not installed on the aircraft, we must do a different type of non-precision approach. In that case, the following could meet the requirement.

• Instrument Ops check prior to departures
  
• Departures via ATC directed or as filed routing
  
• HWD LOC
  
• HWD VOR-A Partial Panel
  
• OAK ILS and Circle to land with a full stop or touch and go.
  
• Hold at Sunol - - Satisfies AOIIIC
  
• Steep Turns - Full Panel
  
• Rates Climbs/Descents - Full Panel
  
• Unusual Attitude Recoveries (Partial Panel)

For the Multi Engine Additional Task

Straight and Level Flight and Turns - One Engine inoperative
ILS or Non-precision Approach - One Engine with a Landing

Problems on the Checkride

Some Common Problems are:

1. Not Being able to show the required inspections and AD compliance in the aircraft logbooks
   
2. Not being able to tell when the inspections expire
   
3. How to tell if a piece of equipment is necessary for flight in a particular airplane.
   
4. Lost Communication procedures - Read the regulation and don't forget the last sentence of the regulation "on each route segment"
   
5. Maintaining at or above mandatory altitudes printed on approach chats.
   
6. Not identifying NAV aids, in particular the DME
   
7. Not testing both COMM radios prior to taking off into IFR
   
8. Never resetting the heading indicator after taking off.
9. Not knowing that there are some airports that can never be used as an alternate or that some have different minimums or that some approaches are not authorized at the alternate airport.
10. Departure procedures - How to get out of an uncontrolled airport under IFR. In particular what procedure to follow.
11. Not paying enough attention to the back side of the IFR approach plate (Airport layout side) in Jeppesen approach charts
12. Not being aware of where you are on the approach until it's too late.
13. Memorizing the approaches so that it's more like an approach type rating rather than an instrument rating you're getting.
14. The principle of operation of all the navigation receivers you are going to use and in particular how they can fail. Note the difference between how the VOR and Localizer work. They are totally different so when you're doing your VOR test, it's not testing the Localizer at all.

Instrument Rating Endorsements

Endorsements for aeronautical Knowledge: 61.65(b)

I certify that I have given Mr./Ms.____________________ the ground instruction required for the instrument airplane rating required by FAR 61.65(b)(1) through (10)

Endorsement for flight proficiency: FAR 61.65 (c)

I certify that I have given Mr./Ms.____________________ the flight instruction in an airplane required by FAR 61.65(c)(1) through (8) have given at least 3 hours in preparation for the practical test within the preceeding 60 days and find him/her competent to perform each pilot operation as an instrument pilot.

Reviewed Area's of deficiency on the knowledge test: FAR 61.39(a)(6)(iii)

I certify that I have reviewed the knowledge test results of Mr./Ms.____________________, required by FAR 61.39(a)(6)(iii) and have resolved the deficient areas and find him/her to have the satisfactory knowledge of those areas.

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