Unintended/Inadvertent Entry into Instrument Meteorological Conditions (U/IIMC)

Rotor Safety Challenge (RSC)
Tracks: Operations, Pilot, Safety
Instructor: Eric Cabana, Bell Training Academy (BTA)

This course summarizes the key points of a more-extensive course entailing eight hours of procedural and theoretical training. Pilots will receive an introduction to IIMC, upset recovery, and avoidance techniques that are provided in the full course. We will use various aircraft flight simulation training devices to assist pilots in safely recognizing and avoiding the onset of IIMC. Participants will also learn and practice techniques to safely recover from IIMC and unusual attitudes. If desired, one of the two simulation sessions can be replaced with a flight in the aircraft utilizing the ICARUS vision-restricting training device, allowing the pilot to feel the actual aircraft in the IIMC environment.

Instructor Bio

Eric Cabana holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the US Naval Academy and an MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington. Upon completing Navy flight school, he was designated a naval aviator and went on to fly the SH-60F and HH-60H, specializing in antisubmarine warfare and combat search-and-rescue.  Eric also served as a navy flight instructor at NAS Whiting Field, where he was a standardization instructor in the night-vision goggles, formation, low-level navigation, instrument, and SAR/shipboard phases of training. After 12 years of active duty, Eric left the navy in 2015 to pursue a civilian aviation career with the Bell Training Academy in Fort Worth, Texas, where he served as lead pilot for the 407 and IIMC programs. He is currently a member of the Bell Demonstration Team.