Main menu Home About Archive Popular Posts Photos Contact Subscribe The House of Rapp …on the Web since 1995! Category: IFR Instrument Flying Uneven STARS by Ron Rapp on May 14, 2018 in IFR, Opinion Leaders • 6 Comments STARs are like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’ll get. Some arrival proedures are elegant and well-designed. Others? Not so much. Read more → Instructional Techniques: Reinventing the Wheel by Ron Rapp on February 13, 2018 in IFR, Instructing • 6 Comments The techniques we use to teach instrument flying are sometimes panned as old, inefficient, or boring. I take exception with that viewpoint. Read more → The Sim Credit Debate by Ron Rapp on July 13, 2015 in IFR • 19 Comments The FAA wants to double the amount of sim time which can be credited toward an instrument rating, but a negative comment on their proposal temporarily derailed the effort. So who’s right? Read more → To Pull or Not to Pull by Ron Rapp on April 28, 2014 in IFR, Instructing • 12 Comments Simulating partial panel used to be so easy: slap a cover over one or two of the instruments and let the fun begin! In an era of integrated glass panel avionics, however, it’s not always so simple. Take the G1000 for example. The FAA doesn’t like us pulling circuit breakers, so they ask instructors and examiners to use a method that’s far less realistic. That might be better for the electronics… but what about the pilot? Read more → The Key to Good IFR: More VFR by Ron Rapp on December 17, 2013 in IFR, Safety • 48 Comments The most common landing procedure used by IFR airplanes is the visual approach. It’s fast, efficient, and simple. So why did the crew of Asiana 214 have such a hard time with it on a good clear day? Because quality IFR flying starts with a solid VFR background — and VFR flying is something ab initio pilots see very little of. Read more → “Unable”: Your Ace in the Hole by Ron Rapp on August 19, 2013 in Aviation, IFR, Safety • 22 Comments Father may always know best, but air traffic controllers don’t. Yet 14 CFR 91.123 requires compliance with all ATC instructions. So when you’re asked to do something kooky, what do you do? Read more → Circle-to-Land Complications by Ron Rapp on May 16, 2013 in Aviation, IFR, Safety • 6 Comments The FAA is adding new circling radii for some (but not all) approaches. Sounds good on paper, but I can foresee some unintended consequences that might not be too pleasant. Read more → IPC as a Flight Review? by Ron Rapp on February 26, 2013 in Aviation, IFR, Instructing • 4 Comments I’m often asked if an Instrument Proficiency Check can double as a flight review. Unfortunately, it can’t. Here’s why. Read more → Visual Descent Point Hazards by Ron Rapp on August 30, 2012 in Aviation, Gulfstream, IFR, Safety • 5 Comments Visual Descent Points were designed to increase flight safety, but despite being “visual” when using them, there may be some nasty things out there that you can’t see. Read more → Climb/Descend Via by Ron Rapp on July 6, 2012 in Aviation, IFR • 0 Comments The FAA is introducing a new IFR instruction which will — in theory — make the system more efficient. But for it to work, pilots have to clearly understand the phraseology, meaning, and proper read-backs. Read more → Posts navigation Older posts About the Author Ron Rapp is a Gulfstream G650 captain, instructor, and aviation writer specializing in tailwheel, aerobatic, experimental, formation, and glass-panel flying. He's also an aircraft owner, aerobatic competitor, and a National-level judge. Ron and his family reside in beautiful Orange County, California. (read more) Search Search for: Copyright © 2021 The House of Rapp. All Rights Reserved. Follow Get the latest posts delivered to your mailbox: