One of the riskiest everyday operations pilots are likely to encounter is an instrument takeoff and departure into relatively low clouds. The increased risk comes from the takeoff itself—we’re never really sure the airplane will fly until we try it—and the much smaller margin for any error that being close to the ground in IMC always presents. Importantly, risk also comes from the pilot suddenly being immersed in instrument conditions when they were flying just fine visually a few moments before.
It’s also a busy time for the pilot. We’re concentrating on managing the airplane but also are retracting landing gear and flaps, complying with a clearance’s altitude and heading constraints, monitoring airplane performance and confirming it’s as we expect.
