It is not uncommon for a pilot to have the means to upgrade their instrument panel with the latest technology but not have sufficient time and opportunity to learn or relearn how to use it effectively. [Credit: Adobe Stock]
Key Takeaways:
Instrument flight skills are highly perishable; pilots must maintain legal currency (e.g., six approaches, holding within six months) and consider an Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) if beyond the six-month window.
Regaining proficiency should be approached as a structured process, potentially involving significant dual instruction time, a review of weather theory, and re-establishing fundamental instrument flying skills with a CFI-I.
It's crucial to thoroughly understand both modern avionics (including autopilot limitations) and traditional analog navigation, while also utilizing advanced training devices and scenario-based training to practice challenging approaches and IFR emergencies.
Of all the ratings a pilot can earn, the instrument rating is often the most intense academically and the most useful.
Filing IFR on VFR days gives you priority handling—like flight following on steroids—and the procedures you learn and skills gained can give a pilot more confidence in general.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
![It is not uncommon for a pilot to have the means to upgrade their instrument panel with the latest technology but not have sufficient time and opportunity to learn or relearn how to use it effectively. [Credit: Adobe Stock]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FLY0126_1.6-IFR.jpeg)
