The physical world is full of inverse proportions and one I’ve noticed is that when winter temperatures dip to, say, 20 degrees, my northern friends are four times more likely to bitterly complain that Florida, where I live, is nothing but a mosquito-infested fever swamp; God’s waiting room, if you will. But it’s something else, too: Florida is where instrument skills go to die.
Real bird vs. RedBird
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot with lapsed instrument currency found that while basic aircraft control persisted during dual Instrument Proficiency Checks (IPCs), his "headwork" skills—including navigation, procedure management, and cognitive load—had significantly deteriorated.
- The airplane IPC highlighted the fatigue and complexity of integrating flight control with complex radio and approach tasks, whereas the simulator IPC offered superior training value for practicing G1000 systems, partial panel scenarios, and reviewing performance.
- Despite preferring real-world flying, the author concluded that simulators provide a far more cost-effective and efficient method for maintaining instrument proficiency, advocating strongly for the use of tablet-based approach plates over paper.
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