Flying IFR - Lesson 53 - More Approaches

Today's plan was of course, more approaches.

Decided to do the Troy/KVLL to practice for the checkride as that tends to be the destination of choice for the examiner when the winds are blowing west, and today the winds were blowing 280.

Unfortunately, I had N6288J which has the new Garmin touchscreen GPS and lacks the NAV 1 conencrtion for the G5.

By the way, touchscreens kinda suck in even light chop conditions as the plane is shaking and you're trying to scroll and instead it thinks you pressed the section.  We couldn't find the track only page in the GPS and used the Map, which was nice, but they won't let you use that on your exam because they're a bunch of technophobic examiner idiots. For example you can't have own ship running on Foreflight as it would show your plane on the approach chart thus increasing your situational awareness which apparently is bad for an exam, but which you like everyone else will use once you pass.

If the plane has the technology, you should be allowed to use it, much the same way that if the plane has an autopilot they will make you use it so fair should be fair.  

Whatever, in short, there was a fair bit of fighting with the touchscreen and I've requested yet again to stick with the 430Ws as that's what I would be using for the exam etc.

So took off and headed to Troy, did a really good first approach, then did the published miss and then did the approach again for more practice.  

I should have quit while I was ahead. On the second time around, I dropped slightly under the circling minimums (about 1350 vs 1400 minimums) which is a fail and which sucks. Need to work on that. Finished the approach and still did it well except for the one dip.

So then on to Pontiac for the Localizer backcourse, essentially partial panel as the GPS and G5s can't do a Localizer approach with the new GPS which is a huge step back technology wise. Good practice and a good approach, but need to be better on using the timer.  

Then on to the RNAV 27L approach and as we were being vectored we had a traffic conflict issued by Detroit Approach with someone not talking to controllers,  and had to descend rather quickly to 2,500.  Fun.  So I did the approach and it went quite well, very well lined up, good descent profile following the glideslope and that was that with a decent but not wonderful landing.

So, one more flight then a mock checkride and mock oral and then a check ride, maybe, eventually, perhaps, potentially, someday.

Now I'm at least signed up only for 430W equipped aircraft, but that included 1869H so I'll be askew but with a fully functioning 430W.  Beggars can't be choosers and all that. 

That's 1.9, 4 approaches, 1.3 simulated instrument, 2 holds, and a decent landing.