The instrument flight can be broken down into basically three
components
1. Control of the Aircraft
2. Navigation of the Aircraft
3. Radio Communications.
Secret # 1
Secret Lesson # 1 if you want to save money LEARN
COMMUNICATIONS SHORTHAND first, ON THE GROUND.
When you are trying to get an instrument rating, the radio
communications seem the simplest part, but I have found that for
lack of learning a communications shorthand, many students can't
keep up with controlling the airplane, navigating and
communicating at the same time.
Clearance shorthand gives you extra time to control the
plane and navigate with less pressure.
For instance, every clearance should be writen down, but if
you don't have some system for doing it, while you are trying to
get this under control, it is so distracting that the control of
the aircraft gets away from you.
The writing down of a clearance is also very important
because if you get distracted by something else and forget, then
you have something to refer to, without going back to center.
(Which you absolutely should do if there is any question about
your clearance). It is also protection against a violation.
Thus, when you read back a clearance, you should be reading
it back from a WRITTEN clearance, not simply from memory.
Jeppesen/Sanderson has a tape, ATC CLEARS for about $10.00
that has a little booklet with clearance shorthand and exercises.
Mastering this tape, ON THE GROUND is something that even a
student pilot can do, and then he can keep up with any airline
captain.
However, trying to cope with this gibberish in the air
without some practice will just make your flight instructor rich
(HA HA HA) because you will be burning up a lot of expensive
unnecessary time learning under difficult conditions that which
you should be spending on learning to control the plane.
Really, this is where the private pilot starts to come to
pieces when he blunders into IFR weather and he is not rated. He
knows theoretically how to navigate by radios, and how to
communicate, but when it is all thrown at him at once, he hasn't
had enough practice to keep the act together in a timely manner.
It's something easy to learn, but I have rarely seen people
teach this first. (Only one school so far). Probably because
instructors are usually paid for time the plane is running.
Hint # 1 - Get a copy of ATC CLEARS and learn the clearance
shorthand before you put a lot of money into IFR Training. Sporty's
Pilot Shop, Batavia Illinois carries it.
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