PREPARATION FOR THE INSTRUMENT RATING COURSE

Written Exam:

Please arrive with your FAA Instrument Rating Knowledge Exam passed. (You won't have the time or energy to prepare for both the Knowledge Exam and the Oral Exam during your training with us.)

To speed up your study for the knowledge exam, consider using the ASA Oral Exam Prepware to test yourself over and over again until you are routinely passing the sample exams. We recommend using it with the ASA Instrument Rating Test Prep book, which provides the same exam questions and answers in book form.

Lodging, Rental Car:

Most of our students stay at the local DoubleTree. It offers shuttles to/from the Santa Fe Airport and is located near several restaurants. Call them at 1-505-473-4646 and request their best rate, then request the "special rate for pilots flying into the Santa Fe Air Center" and see which is better. (The typical "best" rate is $99 per night.) If you don't like either rate, contact us for suggestions on other nearby lodging.

The FBO, Santa Fe Air Center, has courtesy cars if you need "wheels" for 1-3 hours. If you prefer to have a car the entire time you are in Santa Fe, Hertz and Avis rental cars are available on the airport. After checking for their best rates online, contact the Santa Fe Air Center (1-800-263-7695) and ask them what the best rate they have for pilots flying in.

Things to bring with you:

• Current FAA pilot medical certificate
• FAA pilot certificate
• If bringing your own plane:
  • Aircraft annual inspection in preceding 12 mos.
  • Aircraft pitot-static & transponder inspections in preceding 24 mos.
  • Current FAA aircraft registration for your plane
  • Current FAA airworthiness certificate for your plane
  • Current weight and balance for your plane
  • Current and updated Pilots Operating Handbook for your airplane
  • Current GPS navigational database for your plane's GPS
  • GPS and autopilot manuals for your plane
• Warm sleeping bag
• Winter coat
• Warm (wool?) socks
• Snacks (such as Powerbars, granola bars, or trail mix) and bottled water (you can obviously get these here; we drink a lot due to the altitude)
• At least two "Oxymizer" Oxygen-conserving nasal canulas with MH3 flow meters (if your plane probably came with masks, the canulas will pay for themselves in a hurry in reduced oxygen cost). Make sure to get the right connectors for your oxygen system. If you don't have these already, I recommend CALLING Mountain High Oxygen (800-468-8185) and telling them you need the above for your particular plane. They'll know just what to get you.
• Foggles or ASA Overcasters or a hood or other view-limiting device...whichever works for you. (Foggles don't work well with most glasses.)
• FAR/AIM
• Instrument Rating Practical Test Standards
• FAA Instrument Flying Handbook (2007)
• NACO SW-1 Approach Plate, Loose Leaf  or equivalent Jeppesen service (or if you're an Ipad owner, subscribe to either FlightGuide, Foreflight, Wing-X Pro, SkyCharts Pro or Jeppesen Mobile TC)
• ASA NACO Binder Kit or equivalent Jeppesen binder (or Ipad)
• Albquerque, Denver, and Cheyenne Sectional Charts (or if you're an Ipad owner, subscribe to FlightGuide, Foreflight, Wing-X Pro, SkyCharts Pro)
• NACO L7/L8, L9/L10, L15/L16 enroute charts, or equivalent Jeppesen service (or if you're an Ipad owner, subscribe to either FlightGuide, Foreflight, Wing-X Pro, SkyCharts Pro or Jeppesen Mobile TC)
• ASA IFR Kneeboard with a small pad of paper (or an Ipad app that allows you to write notes with your finger or a stylus)
• ASA Instrument Rating Oral Exam Guide
• Max Trescotts G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook (if your airplane is G1000 equipped, otherwise, Max Trescott's GPS and WAAS Instrument Flying Handbook)
• Yoke Clip (If not built-in to your airplane’s yoke already).
• We recommend, but don't require, Flight Guide Western States. (There is TONS of info in this guide that isn't in any other airport directory or A/FD or even the G1000 airport info. Stuff like traffic pattern altitudes and Class D airspace diagrams with recommended reporting points, and pictures of EVERY airport, no matter how small. Also available as an Iapd app. )
• We also recommend, but don’t require, the FAA Instrument Procedures Handbook.
• We also recommend, but don’t require, a study copy of your aircraft’s Pilots Operating Handbook that you can take to your hotel.

Ground Study Preparation:

• Read the articles and view the videos on the DVD we sent you. (If you haven't received these materials, please contact us at marc@skymachines.com.)
• Focus your study on the Federal Aviation Regulations that pertain to IFR operations, the entire ASA Instrument Oral Exam Guide, and the Aeronautical Information Manual sections that pertain to IFR operations and GPS. (The FAA Instrument Flying Handbook is an excellent resource for learning what you need to know for the written exam, but is also a good reference book for looking up information about GPS, approaches, and weather.)
• For your checkride, you will need to understand RAIM, have an in-depth understanding of your autopilot, and, if flying a G1000 airplane, the AHRS and ADC and autopilot systems.
• Understand the symbology of the enroute and approach charts, so that, if we point to a number or symbol, you know what it means.
• AOPA offers some great, free interactive computer courses we highly recommend: GPS for IFR Operations, IFR Insights: Regulations, IFR Insights: Charts, Single-Pilot IFR, IFR Chart Challenge: ILS Approach and RNAV Approach
• Be able to compute a weight and balance, takeoff distance, and rate of climb for an airport at 10,000 feet on a 75 degree (F) day.
• Mastering proper radio usage is one of the hardest parts of instrument training.
  • On the DVD we sent you, you will find a complete set of ATC scripts you should practice with.
  We recommend using www.liveatc.net to listen to approach control and clearance delivery and matching their calls to the scripts.
  • We strongly recommend paying $113 each for COMM1 IFR Radio Simulator and COMM1 Clearances on Request.
  • And AOPA offers “Say It Right: Mastering Radio Communication”

Air Work Preparation:

Remember, the more you accomplish before you arrive, and the better prepared you are, the less time your training will take and the less expensive it will be.

• Get in the habit of setting the heading bug BEFORE each turn, and, if installed, entering the altitude in the altitude select window of the autopilot control, BEFORE you climb to an altitude.
• If you are bringing your own airplane, we recommend that you arrive with the following power settings memorized:
• Best rate of climb after takeoff/go-around (through 1000' AGL)
• Enroute/cruise climb (after reaching 1000' AGL)
• "Normal" cruise (for our operations anyway): 120 kts. indicated airspeed (IAS), 0 deg. flaps
• 500 fpm descent at 120 kts. IAS, 0 deg. flaps
• "Approach" cruise: 100 knots IAS, flaps 10 deg.
• 600 fpm descent at 100 kts., flaps 10 deg.
• 800 fpm descent at 100 kts., flaps 10 deg.
  
  PLEASE PRACTICE THE ABOVE AT 10,000-12,000 FEET MSL. Try to get them down so they're automatic, so that, when we say, "slow to approach cruise," you automatically set the power at the correct manifold pressure.

• We recommend you be able to perform Pattern B, below (headings within 10 deg., altitude within 100 feet, speed within 10 knots, assuming smooth air) so we can move right into approaches, cross-country and mountain procedures. You might want to hire a local CFII to fly with you a couple of times to give you some pointers, but if you read Chapters 4 and 5 of the FAA Instrument Flying Handbook, you will know how to scan the instruments correctly and can probably just practice with a safety pilot instead.