IFR Practice Apps

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AirDoan
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IFR Practice Apps

Post by AirDoan »

Howdy all!

I am currently studying for my INRAT with Harv's, an AIM, a Cap Gen and an IPM. But one of the guys I fly with was showing me an app that allows one to practice the procedures such as holds. Figuring out entry angles, wind correction and what not. I did not get the chance to play with it, but I thought I would ask. Are there any apps that you'd recommend like this? I won't be starting the flight portion for a while so having something to practice the mental calculations based on different instruments would be hugely benefitial prior to spending time with my expensive instructor. iOS or Android is fine as I have both (iPad and S8). Thoughts?
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altiplano
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Re: IFR Practice Apps

Post by altiplano »

Microsoft Flight Sim...

That's what I used... I just set up a generic panel in a 182 and did all the lessons whether sim or actual aircraft, into the airports we were flying to before I did it with the instructor... all the holds, procedure turns, missed approaches, etc, etc... made the flights a breeze.
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AirDoan
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Re: IFR Practice Apps

Post by AirDoan »

There is a reason I am thinking iOS and Android Apps. I appreciate the suggestion and if my old laptop will run it I will try (can't afford a new computer right now) using keyboard controls, but was thinking of something specifically portable. Kind of like how I have a growing stack of flash cards. When I am sitting in line for something or having lunch I can whip out the app, have it present a circumstance and I can think through it on a whim. Instead of playing candy crush (I don't, just an example) or reading the garbage that is the news. It's not about "flying" the procedure but thinking through it and seeing your solution pass or fail. I found one on android that's $17 or something, plus you have to buy the HSI or RMI as an in app purchases. But before I throw out that much for an app I thought others might have other opinions on other ones. If I can practice that stuff down to an art before flying or taking the exam it will make both easier.
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photofly
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Re: IFR Practice Apps

Post by photofly »

Nav Trainer Pro

“That much for an app”??? If you’re stingy over $17, what are you doing flying?
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DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
AirDoan
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Re: IFR Practice Apps

Post by AirDoan »

There is a difference between stingy and being frugal/smart. I've be around and seen plenty of expensive apps under deliver and on the flip side asked why a developer wasn't asking more for their excellent work.

And I'm eating mr noodles because the weather has had me grounded most of this month. Can't exactly fly pipeline patrols in the weather here in Alberta lately. Thanks for the condescending reply though.
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Spinwmts
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Re: IFR Practice Apps

Post by Spinwmts »

I will be signing up for the Harvs air INRAT class as soon as I take my CPL check ride hopefully in the next 2-3 months. Did you use Harv's air for your CPAER? Just wondering if there's a lot of overlap.
Noticed this app online: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ifr-fli ... 98935?mt=8, but I'm planning on hitting MS Flight sim pretty hard once I start that training. I need a break from Fortnite anyways :rolleyes:
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AirDoan
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Re: IFR Practice Apps

Post by AirDoan »

Spinwmts wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 2:31 pm I will be signing up for the Harvs air INRAT class as soon as I take my CPL check ride hopefully in the next 2-3 months. Did you use Harv's air for your CPAER? Just wondering if there's a lot of overlap.
Noticed this app online: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ifr-fli ... 98935?mt=8, but I'm planning on hitting MS Flight sim pretty hard once I start that training. I need a break from Fortnite anyways :rolleyes:
I did use them for my CPAER the second time around. I had let my first one lapse. However there were tonnes of holes and old/incorrect info all over! IMO if your going to go down the Harv's path for the INRAT, make sure you also spend some time with the study guide and the source material as well. Aaron is very long winded but there is enough info in the presentations not included in the slides that they are worth watching. However I found that they take so long to get through you'll need to review after the months it takes! Where I think you get the greatest value is in their quizzes and practice exams, with links back to the slides when you get a wrong answer. They get you used to the types of questions that TC will ask.

If I was to start from scratch for my CPL now I would stick to the traditional ground school so you have someone to ask questions to and other people to study with. In fact just this morning I was thinking how it would have been nice to have someone studying at the same time as me to bounce stuff off of. I would then combine it with the Dauntless prep app for when your getting ready to write. I say that because the app preps you for the exam and not the depth of knowledge that you will need in your career moving forward.

My INRAT is booked for Tuesday morning so for the next few days I am doing one of their Nav Quizzes and one Practice Exam in the morning followed by a review of the failed material in the afternoon. Without a lot of review on the first try I managed to squeak in a pass. So their system works. I also read through the AIM RAC and Cap Gen and will do so again the day before. I bought the Dauntless App a few weeks ago and went through their 965 questions! Lots of wrong answers but not enough to make me want to postpone as most were due to my not reading the damned question thoroughly enough. The old read each twice and if you have time at the end, go through your questions and only change if you actually missed something the first time.

I splurged and downloaded that app you mentioned with the full suite of instruments. I couldn't for the life of me picture or use things like IBOT in my first few SIM flights and it has already made a huge difference. I wish this one would give you random clearances for you to fly like I had seen others but the simulator works well enough to practice simple stuff like Head Course Cut, Push the Head and Pull the Tail, etc. I wish I had access to MS FSX or X Plane sims at home but this will do.

One thing my instructor told me and I agree with. Pretty much ignore their Multi course and IFR air exercises unless your doing your actual training with HA. Things might get messy and contradict. Different ways of figuring out holds and whatnot. If you have an instructor that you trust then follow his lead.

One thing I truly wish, besides not choosing my first school again, is that I had done the IFR before the CPL. It's not the accepted way at some schools but IMO I can see how becoming a PPL (License to be Dangerous) to IFR (becoming a safer more aware pilot) to CPL (job level knowledge) then add multi would be a more gradual and natural way to get everything done.
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co-joe
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Re: IFR Practice Apps

Post by co-joe »

IFR Simulator is an amazing Android App. Its by maihoffapps, version 0.2.4

There is a free version that comes with ads, and I think the paid version was $6. Worth every penny. If you spent the time to master this app you could save yourself a lot of money in training.

There's some quirks with it, like you can't turn off the wind (which is random), but the EFIS display they give has a wind vector that helps. It just makes some of the entries slightly different than a no wind textbook entry would be.

It's totally random, so some VOR/ HSI holds, and some ADF holds, some left turns, some right... but they always give you an RMI needle to provide track to station.
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youhavecontrol
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Re: IFR Practice Apps

Post by youhavecontrol »

Nav Trainer Pro is what I used to use. A few hours of messing around on that and I'm a master at Fixed Card ADF holds.
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Spinwmts
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Re: IFR Practice Apps

Post by Spinwmts »

youhavecontrol wrote: Sat Apr 20, 2019 11:15 am Nav Trainer Pro is what I used to use. A few hours of messing around on that and I'm a master at Fixed Card ADF holds.
dear god. I have to do fixed Card ADF Holds?!?! no!!!! Jk I don't mind ADFs as much as I used too.
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