Instrument Rating Lessons Plans

Tizi
May 30, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Aug 30

"Skyhawk 7TW you are 5 miles from the FAF, turn left heading 130, maintain 2000 until established, cleared RNAV 10 approach" - ATC

"Do Whaaaaaaaaa?" - Instrument Student

STAGE 1: Precision Flying & Basic Instrument Approaches

Lesson 1: Introduction to Standard Rate and Basic RNAV

GROUND (1.5)

Precision Flying (new tolerances)
Magnetic World
RNAV World
Flying the Attitude Indicator (right side of power curve)
Standard Rate of Turn (rules of thumb: bank angle / timed turns)
IFR Patterns
AV1ATE
Our Airplane's Avionics
RNAV Approach full procedure

Lectures:

FLIGHT (1.5)

IFR Instrument Checks
IFR Verbiage (clarity)
Short-field takeoff
Turns to magnetic headings (UNOS)
Patterns A-B-C-D
RNAV Approach

Lesson 2: Precision Flying (continued)

GROUND (1.0)

Review of VOR Navigation applied to Approaches
ATC clearances and Vectors to final (i.e., traffic pattern!)
Headings, Courses, and Tracks
Ground Based Approaches (VOR / ILS)
Crew Resource Management and Single Pilot Resource Management

Lectures:

FLIGHT (1.0)

Zero-Zero Takeoff
IFR Takeoff
Patterns E-F-G
Pattern H (partial panel)
VOR / ILS Approach (vectors to final)

Lesson 3: Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) [IFR]

GROUND (1.0)

Airport Surveillance Radar Approaches Theory
Approach Design (TERPS) - 400 ft turns
Filing an ICAO IFR Flight Plan and IFR minimum performance
- Vertical Speed
- Turns
- +/- 100 ft vs. +/- 300 ft
Opening / Closing an IFR Flight Plan (Towered vs. Untowered)
Obtaining your IFR clearance - CRAFT
Verbiage for being cleared to an approach

FLIGHT (1.0)

Zero-Zero Takeoff
IFR Departure
ASR Approach
VOR / RNAV / ILS Approach

Lesson 4: More precision flying and PPL Maneuvers

GROUND (1.0)

Unusual Attitude Recovery

IFR Departures Procedures (ODP, SID, etc)
RNAV vs. Ground-Based Approaches (Precision vs. Non-precision)

FLIGHT (1.0)

Zero-Zero Takeoff
Unusual Attitudes
Slow Flight
Pattern H
VOR / RNAV / ILS Approach

Lesson 5: STAGE CHECK (1.5 GND / 1.5 FLT)

GROUND (1.5)

Written Exam Completed
- Review missed questions
Flying the attitude indicator (positive and back side of the power curve)
Unusual Attitude recovery
Precision Flying

FLIGHT (1.5)

Instrument Check
Short-field takeoff
Climbs, turns, descents, level (precision and compass turns)
PPL maneuvers (stalls, slow flight, steep turns)
Unusual attitudes
Patterns B, G, J, H
RNAV (GPS) Approach
- Student to be ready to execute any RNAV approach

STAGE 2: Navigation: Radials and Tracks

Lesson 6: VOR Navigation and VOR Approach [IFR]

GROUND (1.5)

Victor Airways (IFR Low Chart)
- Tuning radials
- Changeover point
- Identifying Fixes
- VOR Checks
Creating a flight plan via Victor Airways
Connecting enroute and terminal world
Step-by-step Actions to execute KSAV-SAV-V37-ALD-KAQX
- Student must file the flight plan (6000 ft)
  - Remarks: PIC Tizi Bernard CFII
Review of circling approaches

FLIGHT (1.5)

IFR Instrument Checks
IFR Departure
Executing entire flight plan
- Intercept + Tracking Victor Airway
- Track vs. Heading
- Identifying Fix
- Homing a VOR
- Situation Awareness
- Changeover Point
Touch and Go (or land)
Pick up IFR clearance airborne
- Direct SAV (home SAV VOR) or vectors
VOR approach

Lesson 7: DME Arcs [IFR]

GROUND (1.0)

Introduction to DME and DME Arcs
- Twist 10, Turn 10 Method (aka "Boy I wish I had a bearing pointer" method)
- The Tizi / Dr. Bill Method (aka "Thank God" method
Annotating a chart
Filing a Round Robin Flight Plan
Visual and Contact Approaches

Lectures:

FLIGHT (1.0)

Zero-Zero Takeoff
IFR Takeoff
DME Arc (both methods)
- Recommend ILS 01 given longer distance)
Visual Approach

Lesson 8: VOR Approach via Radial [IFR]

GROUND (1.0)

How to brief a chart
- Practice procedure to be flown

FLIGHT (1.0)

Flight Plan Option A: SAV VOR 01 (DME Arc)
- KSAV - SAV [radial 136] - GONYE - KSAV
Flight Plan Option B: SAV VOR 19
- KSAV - SAV - V3 - REBUS - TILLS - KSAV

Lesson 9: Visual Approach (Daytime) [IFR]

GROUND (1.0)

Visual Approaches
Contact Approaches
Graphical Visual Approaches

FLIGHT (1.0)

Flight Plan: KSAV - ZALAV - KHXD
- Broad Creek Visual
Return Flight Plan: KHXD - IAF - KSAV

Lesson 8+9 Combined: XC under Green Needles [IFR]

GROUND (2.0)

Green needle based flight plan
Visual Approaches
Contact Approaches
Graphical Visual Approaches
How to brief a chart
- Practice procedure to be flown

FLIGHT (2.0)

Flight Plan: KSAV - SAV - V37 - SSI - WIGID - KSSI
Return Flight Plan: KSSI - SSI - V37 - SAV - KSAV

Lesson 10: STAGE CHECK (1.5 GND / 1.5 FLT) [IFR]

GROUND (1.5)

Written Exam Completed
- Review missed questions
Description of RNAV and National Airspace System
Description of VORs and Airways
Description of GPS
Review of an approach plate

FLIGHT (1.5)

Plan a flight from KSAV to KSAV via ALD using airways
Instrument Check
Intercepting and tracking a VOR
VOR checks
Changeover Points
Navigation using IFR low chart
Unusual attitudes during navigation
RNAV (GPS) Approach
- Student to be ready to execute any RNAV approach from an IAF

STAGE 3: Holding Procedures

Lesson 11: Airway and OBS Holds [IFR]

GROUND (1.5)

Hold Theory
Three recommended entry procedures
Tizi's shorthand math and chart annotations
How to hold (traditional iterative method & using ground track)
How to visualize holds using the HSI
Strategies on using on-board systems
Mandatory reporting elements

Lectures:

FLIGHT (1.5)

IFR flight plan to KELER intersection (V437 southbound)
Hold Direct at KELER (radials)
Hold Parallel at KELER (radials)
Hold Teardrop at JANIE (GPS OBS)
Hold Parallel at WOHPY (GPS OBS)
ILS or VOR approach

Instructor Notes:

- from N, hold N KELER R-183 RX 1 min

- from N, hold S KELER R-357 RX 1 min - from E, hold NW JANIE R-290 RX 1 min - from W, hold NE JANIE R-070 RX 1 min

Lesson 12: GPS Holds [IFR]

GROUND (1.0)

How to build a hold in the GPS
Theory of GPS programming and FMS algorithms (inbound course)

FLIGHT (1.0)

IFR flight plan to SPONG intersection (T209 northbound)
Hold Teardrop at SPONG (full GPS)
Hold Parallel at TILLS (full GPS)
Hold Teardrop at SPONG (GPS partial panel)

Lesson 13: Partial Panel Holds using CDI [IFR]

Lesson 14: Missed Approach Hold [IFR]

FLIGHT (1.0)

IFR flight plan to HXD LOC 21
Execute published missed approach

Lesson 15: STAGE CHECK (1.5 GND / 1.5 FLT)

STAGE 4: Approaches

Lesson 16: RNAV, LOC and VOR [IFR]

GROUND (1.5)

Alternate Airport Requirements
- Minimums Planning
Modifications to Minimums (inop equipment)
IFR Dispatch Form

FLIGHT (1.5)

IFR flight plan: KSAV - KARW - KHXD - KSAV
- RNAV at KARW
- LOC 21 at KHXD (with published missed)
- VOR at KSAV

Lesson 17: Circle to Land [IFR]

GROUND (1.0)

Review of Approach Types
- VOR
- Localizer and Instrument Landing System
  - LOC & ILS (700 ft wide)
- Localizer Type Directional Aid
  - LDA & LDA/GS (S-LDA if <30; LDA >30) - see KROA
- Simplified Directional Facility
  - SDF - see KMFI
- Ground Based Augmentation System Landing System
  - GLS - see KEWR
- RNAV - general terminology
- PBN - performance based navigation requirements (to any RNAV)
- RNP - required navigation performance (onboard monitoring and alerting)
Circling Requirements and Expanded Radii

FLIGHT (1.0)

IFR flight plan: KSAV - KLHW; KLHW - KSAV
- RNAV at KLHW -circle to land
- Pick up IFR at KLHW
ILS at KSAV

Lesson 18 & 19: DME Arc XC [IFR]

GROUND (1.0)

Ways to pick up an IFR clearance
- Clearance Delivery / Ground
- Off-field Clearance Delivery (KJZI)
- Airborne with any ATC facility
- Airborne "pop-up"

FLIGHT (1.0)