IFR Training Before the Rating

Pia Bergqvist

Monday, February 06, 2012 at 11:47 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The mandated three hours of instrument training for private pilots may create a dangerous false sense of security, as this limited exposure is insufficient to safely handle inadvertent VFR-into-IMC conditions, which have a 90% fatality rate.
Basic instrument training for VFR pilots is solely for developing survival skills to *exit* inadvertent IMC, not to promote comfort or proficiency in it, and requires continuous practice to maintain readiness.
Pilots can enhance safety by mastering their aircraft's autopilot, learning to use ILS for supplementary guidance (especially at night), and regularly practicing instrument flying with a safety pilot to develop and maintain emergency exit strategies.

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Max Trescott was the 2008 National Certified Flight Instructor of the Year. Based in Palo Alto, California, he publishes aviation books and software, including Max Trescott’s GPS and WAAS Instrument Flying Handbook and Max Trescott’s G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook. He teaches in Cirrus and other glass cockpit aircraft, and in Lake amphibians. He can be reached through g1000book.com. He says:

I worry that the FAA’s Private Practical Test Standard (PTS) does a disservice to private pilot candidates by requiring three hours of flying solely by reference to instruments. I suspect it creates complacency in some newly minted private pilots who think, “Hey, no problem if I blunder into a cloud. I’ve had three hours of instrument instruction, so I can handle it!”