I'm interested in IFR flying and might go for the EASA CBM IR if it becomes reality one day. Do you think it is safe to use FAA/US literrature to study the basics in the meantime ? There are plenty of books (King School etc..) available at Sporty's and other shops. Would those be relevant enough to be applied in the EASA context ?
Kerwin - good question. I would also be interested in people's views, though I suspect they will only be views as it could be hard to predict what content might be in the CBM/IR - except that it will be less that the current EASA IR.
I have read the current FAA/IR book, and while I found it interesting, I got the feeling it was way short of (and for the PPL, people will quite rightly say irrelevant) material compared to the the EASA examination content I have only glanced at. Plus it obviously deals with the US systems, which are quite different to the Euro systems, so in the real world I dont doubt that there is a significant practical differences learning curve to apply. However, thats where forums like this, and write ups like Peter's would help. Having not taken either IR, my view isnt worth much, but I get the feeling that while the FAA book is helpful, it wont save much study time study required to pass any future IR exam.
For me, nearer the time, and while waiting for the material to be published, or flying schools to implement it, I think I would get more value out of flying holds and approaches etc on MS Flight Sim.
You will find this IR training manual, written by PPL/IR member Vasa Babic, very useful for the UK IR.
Seriously worth joining PPL/IR as well, particularly for Europe-based pilots.
Thanks for the link, it's an interesting read. Probably more useful as a refresher for someone that is already rated though.
As a refresher? Maybe we're not looking at the same publication. 127 pages of solid stuff - is there any more to it? Some of it needs updating, but it's a reasonable start.
Having not taken either IR, my view isnt worth much, but I get the feeling that while the FAA book is helpful, it wont save much study time study required to pass any future IR exam.
There are two lots of theoretical things you need to learn for IFR
There is almost no overlap between the two. IMHO maybe 10%. If you want to learn about IFR, read the various US texts. Not necessarily the FAA IR study material however because again that is substantially geared to passing the IR exam and the syllabus, while good and to the point, is a bit old. I would suggest reading the specialised books on instrument flying by authors such as Collins. These deal with real-world issues such as weather tactics for light aircraft which you don't learn in the IR. Also get clued up on whatever avionics you will be flying behind; that is crucial.
Most of the "competent" instrument pilots I know, myself included, learnt practically all they know from the internet - from pilot forums. Historically most of it came from the rec.aviation.* Usenet groups but along with most of Usenet these mostly-American communities have virtually died now, with some good people having drifted away from discussion altogether and with others having moved to web-based forums such as Pilots of America, the Beech Owners' Group, and 1 or 2 others. These are almost totally US-centred communities but there is a lot of geeky and tactical IFR info there, even today. There is nothing like it in Europe today and (apart from Usenet having been totally international) never has been and this was a major reason behind EuroGA: to provide a proper "tech" forum which has a European flavour and is not flooded with all the aviation-irrelevant crap.
For passing the exams you have to work through whatever ground-FTO route there is, and their online question banks (QBs). For this I recommend the CATS route only - largely because their homework exercises are aligned with the QB so you waste the least time. But you will not be able to fly IFR around Europe after this, if that is all you know. You won't even know how to work out a valid flight plan... which is actually fairly trivial nowadays.
Nobody I know of has any idea what the CBM IR theory will contain when it is finally delivered, but since the syllabus (called the Learning Objectives, or LOs) was produced by taking the JAA IR LOs and cutting out ones deemed irrelevant (about 80%, from what I saw), you still won't be able to fly IFR in Europe after that. For example they are not going to teach software tools for Eurocontrol routings, or indeed anything about navigation or planning beyond what is in the JAA IR i.e. spreading an IFR chart on the table and working out which airway goes which way (which hasn't worked in Europe for at least 15 years).
I am also not holding out much hope for many FTOs running CBM IR theory courses. While the CBM IR will become the default flight training process towards both the PPL/IR and the CPL/IR, anybody doing the CPL/IR (the vast majority of FTO customers) will have to do the full JAA ATPL 14 exams so, as today, most FTOs will just run those.
There just isn't much business in Europe for private IR pilot training. What would make much more sense would be FAA-style distance learning but the FTOs will fight that hard because currently they make at least €1000 from a PPL/IR punter even if he is a FAA IR to JAA IR converter and sets foot inside their door only to collect the box of ring binders.
I've read both US and UK material, and would agree with Peter that the US approach seems to be more related to the real-world.
The proposed CBM IR Theory has been scoped out and is documented in the NPA (Notice of Proposed Amendment). There's a long spreadsheet in there that meticulously indicates which of the thousands of the current "Learning Objectives" are to be included or not. It will be less, rather than different.
You could consider doing the IMC (now IR(R)) which may not be available for new qualifications from April 2014 - the training time should qualify for the CBM IR and most of the course content is also highly relevant.
DavidC
Having done the Australian and US IRs, I think both are fairly focused on using the rating rather than pure theory. There is always some theoretical stuff in the IR theory exam but it is limited and the practical test is fairly focused on using it.
Everything I read on the EASA stuff says to me that it is an academic exercise to a much greater degree.
As a refresher? Maybe we're not looking at the same publication. 127 pages of solid stuff
Wasn't meaning it was not solid, it's bookmarked and I will definitely come back to it. However, I just think it seems more valuable to someone with at least a bit of IR knowledge.
I would suggest reading the specialised books on instrument flying by authors such as Collins.
Good, so specilised books that you can buy in the US will help me learn to fly IR (even in europe) but will be of no help to pass the IR exams. That's all I wanted to know, thanks :)
I'm currently doing the EASA IR training.
For the practical stuff, I suggest you to have a look at RANT XL (Radio Aids Navigation Tutor). It contains ground lessons for all the topics you need to know, as well as a practice mode where you can train the procedures. The "flying" is simply done by setting headings and speeds, so you can focus merely on the procedures. I use it with the aircraft hidden, fly an exercise, and check the track on the map afterwards. It does also show the track flown on the approach plate (both in the plan view as in the vertical profile).
