All Pilots Could Benefit From IFR Refresher

There is a reason you earned that instrument rating.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, February 06, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

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:

While the instrument rating is valuable, its skills are highly perishable, and maintaining proficiency goes beyond meeting minimum currency requirements (e.g., 6 approaches, holding, tracking in 6 months per 14 CFR 61.57).
If rusty, an Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) should be approached as a multi-flight process, not a one-time event, budgeting time for re-familiarization.
Pilots should refresh their weather knowledge, practice fundamental attitude instrument flying, and thoroughly understand their aircraft's avionics, including both modern systems and traditional analog tools.
Utilizing advanced aviation training devices or real aircraft for scenario-based training and IFR emergencies is crucial to build confidence and ensure proactive responses.

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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.