IFR Flight from Olympia (KOLM) to Renton (KRNT) in a Diamond DA42 VI

IFR flight from Olympia (KOLM) to Renton (KRNT) on an IFR practice flight in the Seattle area on a nice winter day in Nov 2021. There is some IMC although the approach into KRNT is done under VMC conditions.
2018 Diamond DA42 VI with G1000 NXi avionics. Also flying with Garmin Pilot on an iPad Mini. Some screen captures are added to the video.
GoPro Hero 9 with RAM mounts and an Nflightcam audio cable

[@skhalid6597]

Great video thanks for making this. Hope to see you around the airport at renton!

[@General56th]

Thanks for the ride along, I drive past that airport all the time, looks like I have another airplane to keep an eye out for!

[@blakebrothers]

Really enjoy your videos - thanks Trevor!

[@HairHelmet]

Interesting to see the instrument process in a familiar place, I fly this area VFR often. Beautiful plane from all angles.

[@Deathbykill]

Enjoyed the video, thanks!

[@twmba65]

Many thanks!

[@rosscomer]

Thanks for sharing the video! New IFR pilot here w/a question: I think the procedure turn / hold at LUTSY should have come in when you loaded the approach but it never showed up. Was it not there or did you clear it outside of the video? While I know ATC typically vectors you for a straight-in, I tend not to delete the hold until I hear "straight in". Thoughts?

[@twmba65]

Hi Ross - Really good question. I'd have to double check but I'm pretty sure I deleted the procedure turn off-video (I'm still wrestling with how much detail to include in the videos vs. reducing time) as soon as I loaded the approach. You are completely correct that good form would be to leave the procedure turn in until I know for sure I am flying the straight in. However the reality of someone who has been flying IFR for ~12 years, in radar environments I don't believe I've ever flown a procedure turn (except when I've asked for one for practice). So for me its the trade-off of getting one thing done early in the approach vs. a moderately high workload situation (but 1 in 100 or 1000) if I needed the procedure turn and I need to reload the approach.

[@rosscomer]

Really appreciate the reply and knowledge sharing. Thanks!

[@twmba65]

@@rosscomer If you have a look at my latest video "Two Angel Flight West Missions ..." at about the 35:30 mark, you'll see the process for entering the RNAV Z 16 at Renton. In this case the G1000 asks if you want to fly the procedure turn at LUTSY (YES/NO) and sets up the procedure waypoints appropriately.

[@austingunn734]

Quick question: How much of this flight would you be able to count as actual IFR, and can you count it as an Approach? Thank you! I feel like the regs are so wierd about this. I don't have a lot of IFR time, so I'm curious,.

[@twmba65]

The quick answer is not much of this flight can be logged as actual IFR. Over the whole flight (which included a couple of other approaches at another airport) I only logged 0.5hr actual time. At the end of each flight I estimate the proportion of the time I spent in IMC. I didn't log either of the approaches you see here but I did log the hold. The hold was in IMC so that was easy. I know the regs are not super clear on when you can and cannot log approaches. I usually use the criteria that if I am still in IMC at the FAF, then that counts. Hope this helps.

[@igclapp]

10:00 I can just about see my parents' old house at roughly 2 o'clock! Nice to see another DA42 flying around Seattle. I flew one out of Galvin this summer working on my MEL. Liked the FADEC. Thought I would like the stick but seems backwards to have the stick in the left hand and power on the right. Wonder if it's ok to fly solo from the right seat? I don't see anything specifically prohibiting it in the AFM. However, PFD is on the left.

[@twmba65]

Thanks, I also flew the Galvin DA42s. That's where I got my Commercial MEL (and where I got hooked on the DA42 ). I haven't had any problem transitioning to the stick. For a while I was flying a C172, a Mooney and DA42 at different times. Even though the other two had yokes, I was still using my left hand for flight controls and my right hand for power. I assume it is ok to fly from the right seat ... as you know, DA42s are very popular ME trainers and the instructor is usually in the right seat. It's a bit of a reach to the PFD but that's pretty typical for right seat ops in most GA planes.

[@igclapp]

@@twmba65 Hi Trevor, actually I learned to fly in a glider with a stick and liked it so no problem with the stick itself, just being in the "wrong" hand. However, I have about 200 hours in the 172 and no issue with the yoke being on the left. I think though that the yoke enables you to see more clearly if the ailerons are neutral. Jim L was my instructor at Galvin and being an ex-Navy carrier pilot he also agreed flying right seat in the DA42 is much better with the power being in your left hand. Hope to be back in Seattle next summer to finish the MEL, then will fly the DA42 for a while to build up multi IFR time before I tackle the CE500 type rating. Best Regards, Ibrahim.

[@twmba65]

@@igclapp Ahh I see now. The glider background makes sense! There are a few secondary controls positioned to the left in the cockpit that might make it annoying to fly solo all the time in the right seat but it should be possible.