Dana set out a good instrument training program in his earlier message. I would like to add my 2 cents.
I do not plan to go IFR in my KR, but sometimes it can happen, I can tell you a story about inadvertent IFR in a Huey. We were taught in the Army that anytime you enter IMC (instrument meteorological conditions) unplanned that it is an emergency condition. One reason for this is if you are in controlled airspace you have just busted the FAR that says that prior to entering IFR you must file an IFR flight plan and receive an IFR clearance. In any emergency your first priority is to maintain aircraft control. It will take a few seconds to transition from VFR to IFR and to pick up your instrument scan, so don't rush things but start that 180 turn as soon as you feel you have a good scan and the airplane under control. It would be a good ideal to establish straight and level flight before starting that 180. If you are not in the clear after the 180 turn then you should immediately contact ATC and declare an emergency. This should CIA for busting FARs. Next you should accept any assistance they offer. In most KRs you will have only limited gyros and no approach charts, so if they don't offer you assistance request it. They will probably vector you to the nearest airport or somewhere where you can safely let down to a safe altitude. If you have no stabilized heading indicator request no-gyro turns. This will lighten your load while trying to keep the sunny side up or the dirty side down. Some of you may have never have heard of no-gyro turns. ATC will instruct you to make all turns standard rate or on final may have you do half standard rate turns. Then their instructions will be "Turn right, (or left)" They will time your turn then say "stop turn." At many locations they have radar surveillance approaches in which the controller vectors you to final then tells you when to descend and what your minimum descent altitude will be. This is the easiest approach you will ever do unless you have a coupled autopilot system because the controller does the thinking for you, all you do is concentrate on aircraft control and that is your priority. General emergency procedure for any emergency 1.. Maintain aircraft control 2.. Analyze the situation and take appropriate action 3.. Land as soon as conditions permit. I preach accepting assistance because I knew a pilot who was killed in an accident after refusing many offers of assistance from ATC. He was an experienced IFR pilot and was in IFR conditions. His heading indicator was not working and he was having problems staying on course in route. He refused vectors to final, hit the VOR and turned to final without doing a procedure turn and crashed 1/4 mile short of the runway. Had he accepted assistance he may have had time to make an appropriate before landing check and changed the fuel selector to the full tank. Jack Cooper mailto:[email protected] http://www.jackandsandycooper.com/kr2 Fayetteville, NC.
