An instrument-rated pilot called me a while back, seeking an IPC to prepare for a trip he wanted to make. Unfortunately, it had been nearly a year since he’d flown at all.
So we set out one night in his favorite G1000-equipped C-182. To our mutual disappointment but not surprise, we discovered that his IFR skills had badly atrophied. On a missed approach while turning to avoid heavy weather, he became disoriented and at one point allowed the airspeed to decay to 57 knots before I shoved the forgiving 182’s nose down. Learning had stopped; it was time to land.
