Plan in ForeFlight.
Build the flight before you get in the airplane. Work through the route, airports, procedures and alternatives so the cockpit is where you execute the plan.
QUARTERLY IFR PROFICIENCY
Stay proficient.
Keep your edge.
The less often you fly, the more often you must train.
Focused, recurring training for instrument-rated owner-pilots. Rebuild the fundamentals, make normal IFR repeatable, and keep enough mental capacity available for the unexpected.
Apply for quarterly training
THE FOCUSED IPC PROGRAM
One full training day.
Preparation before you arrive.
An abridged version of my three-day Mastering Single Pilot IFR program for pilots who need a focused option when time is tight. The goal is useful proficiency, with an Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) built into the plan.
PROGRAM FEE$2,000
Online pre-study, a comprehensive written test, a full day of training and an IPC evaluation.
Discuss your airplane and datesCOME READY TO TRAIN
The work starts before we fly.
Complete the online training videos and homework, then take a comprehensive written test so I can see what you understand and where we need to work.
Know your performance and terrain.
Use your airplane’s performance information and operating limits. Connect terrain awareness and route planning to the flight you actually intend to make.
Understand the weather.
Find and interpret icing information, recognize thunderstorm development and timing, and work through when to stay away, delay, divert or choose a different route.
Check the knowledge.
The written test gives us a starting point for the ground work. We review your answers and connect the knowledge to decisions in your airplane.
AUTOMATION FIRST. THEN TAKE IT AWAY.
Build a flow.
Then test the foundation.
Plan precisely. Execute deliberately.
We start with the autopilot, your installed avionics, ForeFlight and the resources you use in the real world. Learn to set up, brief, verify and stay ahead of the airplane.
Make the normal work organized and repeatable. Less brainpower in normal operations means more brainpower available when something goes wrong.
Keep flying when the help goes away.
In the second part, we reduce or remove automation and practice hand-flying and selected equipment-failure scenarios appropriate to your airplane and experience.
We brief the exercises and use the aircraft’s approved procedures. The purpose is to see whether the fundamentals still work when the cockpit stops doing as much for you.
WEATHER JUDGMENT
Know when to go around.
Know when to go away.
Your eyes are a critical tool for avoiding thunderstorms. If you cannot see the convective weather you are trying to avoid, do not press into it hoping to find a way through.
We work on recognizing what the weather is doing and keeping useful options open. Onboard weather radar requires equipment-specific knowledge, interpretation and experience. Detailed radar operation is a separate training need, not something a short IPC course can cover completely.
TRAINING, EVALUATION, THEN THE NEXT QUARTER
A short program with a continuing plan.
- Before arrival: complete the pre-study videos, homework and written knowledge assessment.
- Your training day: plan on a full day of ground and flight work, followed by evaluation when ready.
- Your IPC evaluation: where practical, I prefer an afternoon or evening evaluation flight the following day. We agree on the schedule before booking, so you know whether the visit spans one or two calendar days.
- Your next quarter: before we finish, we arrange your next proficiency-training slot and identify what to practice between sessions.
The $2,000 offer is the focused one-day training program with its IPC evaluation. If you need a second full training day rather than a separately scheduled evaluation flight, we agree on that scope and fee before booking. Aircraft, location and travel arrangements are reviewed with you in advance.
The longer Mastering Single Pilot IFR program gives us more time to build and refine the process. We choose the format around your starting proficiency, not just your calendar.
WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH
Proficiency you can keep working on.
Your IPC.
An IPC endorsement when you demonstrate the required proficiency in the applicable tasks. Attendance or a fixed training day does not guarantee an endorsement.
A WINGS phase.
Credit toward completion of a Basic WINGS phase through the qualifying IPC activity, with the required credits completed and validated in your FAA Safety account.
A completion certificate.
A certificate documenting successful program completion, plus a clear debrief of your strengths and what needs continued practice.
Your next training slot.
A plan for the next quarter, with a training slot arranged before we finish. The next session is a separate training booking.
IPC standards: 14 CFR §61.57(d). WINGS: FAA Instrument Proficiency Check activity A080103-01.
Instrument proficiency
Read the full testimonial“He makes me a better pilot every time we fly.”
Phil Jacobs
A client’s individual experience.
Make proficiency part of how you fly.
Tell me about your airplane, your recent IFR flying and the time you have available.
Apply for quarterly IFR trainingReturning client? Choose your next dates.