Ever since the day I received my private pilot certificate, my instructor has been on my case to train for an instrument rating. If you are serious about traveling in a small aircraft, he always says, you need to be instrument rated.
For years I did not think much about his advice because most of my flying consisted of short hops in fair weather with no pressing need to reach a particular destination. After we bought our own aircraft late last year, though, I quickly came to understand the appeal of instrument flying. Now there are places my family and I want to go, and the airplane is the ideal transport—as long as the clouds are not too low, the morning fog has lifted, and the smoke from recent wildfires in Canada is not too thick.
