Lowering Your Personal Minimums

The concept of personal minimums is widely understood in civil aviation, most of us are not confident enough to blast straight into 200 ½ conditions the day after we get our Instrument card, and that is probably a good thing. The concept of weather minimums also applies to VFR, not only when determining what your ceiling and visibility comfort level is, but other environmental or circumstantial conditions such as cross winds, runway lengths, congested airspace etc. There are numerous conditions that we will cover over time, but todays focus is on the newly minted instrument pilot.

Like many aviators, I went through my entire instrument training and certification without ever touching a cloud. My first memory of entering a cloud on my own ticket was in a Skyhawk at night in 1,000-foot ceilings… with my LED strobe lights still on. When we entered the cloud, the strobes made my cockpit rapidly began resembling a rave party, complete with a distinct feeling of tumbling loss of night vision. Fortunately I was flying with another (similarly experienced) aviator and I had the lovely G1000 jumbotron attitude indicator to remind me which way was up. After a couple of flails I had the strobes turned off (along with most other lights on the plane) and had found my happy(er) place as we climbed to altitude. There is a lot of learning to be had between your instrument check ride and they days when you are regularly flying to instrument minimums, here are some of the best ways to learn those lessons with adequate controls to keep you safe. In no particular order.

1. Know your avionics You will likely be very comfortable with the systems in the aircraft you did your training in, but if your daily driver is not your training platform, you will need to take some time to get proficient after your check-out flight. Much of this can be conducted on ground power in the hanger, but there are also many online training programs, particularly for advanced avionics. If using a TAA, at a minimum you should be confident conducting the following: loading, activating/de-activating flight plans, changing the destination in a flight plan or route and adding an instrument approach procedure to the end of that plan, arming/activating instrument approaches (Understand functionality differences between ILS, Lnav/Vnav and LPV activations) and their missed approaches. This is all in addition to basic functions like tuning and selecting radio’s, navaids and instrumentation.

Auto-pilot mode confusion is extremely disorienting and has a tendency to prey on low SA scenarios and soak up whatever SA was left in the cockpit. Learn the autopilot functions prior to flying in IFR. If you experience mode confusion or ask yourself “where is it going” when the plane starts to turn, immediately begin to gracefully degrade automation modes (going to a simple heading/altitude hold is a good reaction in many situations) while re-evaluating your current position, heading, navaid selection and course guidance.

Finally, be comfortable with basic attitude instrument hand-flying and course maintenance. This is a perishable skill, so polish the golden hands while you are reviewing your avionics functions above if it has been a while. There is more to instrument flying than nailing the endgame of an ILS, but if your last hand flown approach resembled a descending sinewave of terror, you might not be ready to expand your envelope just yet.

2. Have a solid plan-B The FAA dictates alternate minimums, but make sure you are ready and willing to head to your alternate if you find yourself in a scenario that is beyond your comfort level. This means that if you are in your 172 out practicing approaches in actual, choosing an alternate that is 100 miles away may discourage you from actually choosing to go there because it is so far. Additionally, make sure the weather at your alternate is high enough that you have no reservations about going there. There is no point in having a plan-B if you are intimidated to use it.

3. Take an instructor/competent friend Flying with a CFI is the most obvious way to create a controlled environment to expand your personal minimums. The downside is that CFI’s can be expensive, and rapidly become a crutch you unconsciously lean on. Bringing a competent aviator with you can also be a way of reducing workload, having a sanity check for your own decisions and will be a less saturated mind if things start going wrong. Task saturation and isolation can be a debilitating, and a fellow aviator acting in a professional manner can provide a welcome relief.

Recently I was conducting a simulator build-up test point for a large turbine aircraft which involved going well above the aircrafts published Vmo/Mmo airspeed. My copilot had no experience in the aircraft, I brought him along to read checklists and hand fly when I was reviewing co-pilot duties. While I was intently focusing on hitting our dive box at the correct parameters, at around 35,000 ft in a steep descent with several alarms going off I suddenly lost all AHARS and ADC data on my PFD. Thinking of the solution (transition to the standbys) is simple sitting at 1 “g” and zero knots, but even the fake stress of the sim, my focus on nailing my parameters, and lack of planning for that contingency ended up paralyzing my brain for several seconds while my eyes frantically searched in vain for information from my blank PFD. Fortunately, my astute (and non-type rated) co-pilot, either by instinct or by perceiving the sudden SA vacuum in the cockpit, said “standbys!” and pointed to the large blue and brown standby screen which I subsequently referenced to bring the aircraft back inside the operating envelope. That is an embarrassing story to tell, but I tell it to convey the benefit that a second professionally minded brain can contribute during unexpected situations.

4. Brief the plan and focus on the areas of uncertainty The military is very disciplined about briefing prior to flights, which is a practice that can serve the light civil aviator well when you are new to IFR flying. As a guide, consider briefing the following at minimum.

· Route: Filing status, SID, STAR, Obstacle Departure procedures, departure/arrival taxi plan · Charts/databases: Correct charts and current · Fuel Requirements · Departure, route, and destination weather · Approaches available, missed approach procedures and weather requirements. · Personal weather minimums · Alternate o Fuel required o Route o Weather o Approaches · Pilot/Co-pilot duties · Hazard awareness o Terrain/obstacles o Weather o Density altitude/runway restrictions o Military airspace o All NOTAMS · Emergency contingencies o Engine Failure o Partial Instrument Panel loss o Electrical degradation o Lost Comm o Other system failures

The catch-all “other system failures” is there to stimulate a little critical thought. In short, you should have a rough plan for what your going-in game-plan is for “common” emergencies. Ex: “If the landing gear fails to extend, I am going to climb to “X” feet, maintain below “Y” airspeed, the co-pilot will fly and I will conduct the checklist”. This is also a good time to review the procedure for that emergency if you have not thought about it in a while.

5. Understand that actual IFR can be more disorienting that using a view limiting deice

You probably heard this in your training, but if you have never flown in actual IFR conditions, be prepared for the disorienting feeling that cloud wispies can have when they are zooming past your window. This effect is not usually Armageddon to your brain, but don’t let it surprise you on your first time. I find this to be worst in cumuliform buildup, but the subsequent turbulence in such a cloud could also be a contributing factor. Flying with another instrument rated pilot who can provide a backup instrument scan can be a good practice while you build confidence.

6. Give yourself time and space

A good practice for all flying is to give yourself plenty of time to plan, preflight and execute. If you are not used to traveling with passengers, we highly recommend pre-flighting the aircraft and doing final preparation with as few distractions as possible, preferably before your passengers get to the airport. QA your plan for the flight during the brief or prior to the flight, making sure that you have adequate weather at your destination, and a very healthy alternate you are well prepared to go to if needed.

Your goal is to be so prepared that the actual execution of approaches and other procedures ends up being quite unexciting. In time, this discipline will build habit patterns and procedures that will make professional and efficient flying second nature. With a little practice in a controlled environment, you’re personal minimum will become just…minimums.