Readback—June 2024

IFR Staff

Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

True instrument flight proficiency, especially in actual IMC, requires more than view-limiting devices and is best maintained with simulators due to significant psychological differences.
Aircraft owners face a complex and expensive dilemma regarding engine replacement, with decisions on overhauls versus maintenance-on-condition dependent on ownership duration and financial implications.
In an electric trim runaway, pilots must immediately locate and pull the trim circuit breaker, use manual trim, and avoid troubleshooting by resetting the breaker in flight.
Post-9/11 security measures at general aviation airports, such as extensive fencing, are often criticized as "security theater" that inconveniences honest individuals without effectively deterring malicious actors.

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ADM and Proficiency

I found “Improve Your ADM” in the February issue by Douglas Boyd, Ph.D. to be an excellent article (although I particularly like statistics). Regarding instrument-rated pilots launching VFR into MVFR, a number of instrument-rated pilots I know aren’t comfortable going up into actual. One might wonder if the underlying cause of both those accidents and the reluctance is pilots who might be current but aren’t truly proficient.

We’ve seen multiple rotorcraft instrument flights end unfavorably, probably due to a lack of proficiency—which could be quite difficult to obtain in VMC in a helicopter considering the multiple views to the outside.