PilotWorkshops.com has introduced an online proficiency training course for instrument pilots that's intended not so much to help you pass a check ride as it is to hone your real-world IFR flying skills.
The IFR proficiency series provides practical and straightforward training and tips in short Web-based segments augmented by audio and PowerPoint-like presentations. The series starts out with a weather and flight-planning workshop and progresses through sections covering instrument approaches, single-pilot IFR and, finally, IFR accident analysis. Discounted price is $99.
The pilotworkshops.com multimedia presentations are designed to work on any computer with a Web browser and Internet access, or, for an extra charge, the course is available on CD-ROM. The online version is great, though, so there’s really no need to order the CDs and wait for them to arrive by mail.
Pilotworkshops.com was founded in 1996 by Mark Robidoux, an instrument-rated pilot who had spent 18 years in the tech industry before trying his hand at online pilot training. The site relies heavily on involvement from a cadre of flight instructors, many of them well known in the industry (Doug Stewart of SAFE and AOPA columnist Rod Machado, to name two), who provide free weekly flying tips to e-mail subscribers.
Pilotworkshops.com also offers an online airmanship series that includes more than 35 segments spanning just about every imaginable topic (discounted price is $69) as well as an IFR mastery series that includes eight scenario-based training segments. Discounted price for the IFR mastery series is $19 per month and includes access to expert instructors in a members-only forum, plus e-mails with IFR tips, tactics and pilot stories.
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