Warbird Information Exchange

My insurance requires me to do an instrument compentcy test every year. I can't just do the required approaches and hours and be current, the ins co requires a sign off by an instuctor each year. This is not just for IFR flights, rather it is just to have insurance on my plane even if I am only flying VFR. Seems nuts, but there it is.

So I needed to renew. They have one of the approved simulators near here, think it is an Elite 500 and it will almost approximate my Bonanza, so I used that. The simulator is not only cheaper than doing it in my plane but saves the wear on the plane. I think the sim gives better training also, since you have to do it all by looking at the instruments, there are no wind noises or feel clues like in the plane to make it easier.

I had not had any practice in months, so I was a little aprehensive when I went in today. But I did ok; started out having trouble with the pitch and pitch trim to hold altitude, but by the end I had the knack of most of it. At the finish I was doing pretty well and I passed the checkout and got the signoff in my log book, so all legal for another year. It was work,but kind of fun. Not like flying behnd a Merlin, however.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Congrats! Question for your Bill. When your Spit was actively flying did the insurance company require you to take any kind of annual checkride in your aircraft or another warbird to show competency and proficiency?

I just had to have the normal biennial for any plane, Spitfire or any other. This nutty IFR thing is only for the Bonanza.

At first when I had a letter of athorization, there was a clause about recurrent type training if I laid off flying the Spitfire for a time. That was not much of a problem when there were 2 T-6s based at my home airport that I could fly. They are not there anymore, but since I now have a type rating that requirement is no longer on the paperwork.
When my plane is finally ready I'll probably do a hour or two of T-6 before flying the Spitfire again, although the T-6 is not really as close a sim to the Spit as it is to the P-51 in my opinion.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK