An Instrument Proficiency Check Each Year

the applicant must demonstrate the ability to perform the Tasks listed in the table below. The person giving the check should develop a scenario that incorporates as many required Tasks as practical to assess the pilot's ADM and risk management skills.""

Amy Laboda

Monday, August 22, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Legal IFR currency (FAR 61.57) does not equate to actual proficiency; the article strongly recommends an annual Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) for all instrument pilots, irrespective of their current logbook status.
Most general aviation IFR pilots do not acquire enough real-world Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) time or actual approaches, and the IFR system and avionics are constantly evolving, necessitating consistent, objective skill evaluation beyond minimums.
Maintaining true IFR proficiency requires more than just compliance; it involves proactive and regular practice (including desktop flight simulation for perishable skills) and a thorough, structured IPC guided by the Airman Certification Standards (ACS).

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There’s no question in my mind; instrument pilots who fly IFR without proficiency are an accident waiting to happen. They used to call it “competency” but the word, I suspect, has negative connotations that the FAA wanted to avoid. I say call it what it is. After all, what competent human would put his life—and the lives of his passengers—in jeopardy deliberately? That’s what a pilot who has not practiced IFR or is unfamiliar with the avionics in his aircraft does when he or she blasts off into cloud.