An Instrument Proficiency Check Each Year

the applicant must demonstrate the ability to perform the Tasks listed in the table below. The person giving the check should develop a scenario that incorporates as many required Tasks as practical to assess the pilot's ADM and risk management skills.""

Amy Laboda

Monday, August 22, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Instrument pilots often lack true proficiency despite being legally "current" due to limited actual IFR flight time, making annual Instrument Proficiency Checks (IPCs) essential for safety.
IPCs are rigorous evaluations, akin to a check ride, that require demonstrating a comprehensive set of IFR skills, knowledge, and risk management, as mandated by the Airman Certification Standards (ACS).
Pilots can enhance proficiency and prepare for IPCs efficiently through ground-based training, including desktop flight simulators for perishable skills and thorough pre-flight discussions with an instructor covering systems and procedures.

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There’s no question in my mind; instrument pilots who fly IFR without proficiency are an accident waiting to happen. They used to call it “competency” but the word, I suspect, has negative connotations that the FAA wanted to avoid. I say call it what it is. After all, what competent human would put his life—and the lives of his passengers—in jeopardy deliberately? That’s what a pilot who has not practiced IFR or is unfamiliar with the avionics in his aircraft does when he or she blasts off into cloud.