Expert: Heiko Hanusch - 5/19/2005

Question
Greetings,

I want to keep myself current in instrument flying. Renting airplanes becomes expensive at times. Could you recommend a few other ways to accomplish this? Sim check rides at the time of airline interviews is my concern. I heard that they can be really tough and a lot of applicants fail to make it past this.

In the airlines, what form of navigation is primarily used?

Thanks in advance.

Answer
Hi there,

Thank you for your question.

The only other ways to stay current is to go to your local flight school and see if they have a Frasca sim available. These sims do not move and are very sensitive but you will become very instrument proficient due to these facts!
The other way is to go fly freight and learn the ropes once you have done that you'll be ready for the airlines!
You should not be too concerned about the airline interview sim check, although they are usually done in, either a King Air, Boeing 727 or Fokker 100 Simulator, we do not expect you to know how to fly each respective model but what we are looking for is basic instrument flying and I mean BASIC...
you'll be intercepting a radial tracking it to the Hold with the respective entry and then shoot an ILS approach...
Instrument 101.

Good Luck in your future,

Heiko Hanusch