Readback—June 2024

IFR Staff

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

Verified

Key Takeaways:

**Pilot Proficiency vs. Currency**: True instrument flight proficiency extends beyond mere currency, requiring experience with actual IMC conditions and the psychological challenges they present, with simulators being a vital tool for competence and emergency procedure knowledge, such as handling a trim runaway.
**Engine Replacement Dilemma**: Aircraft owners face a complex and costly financial decision regarding engine replacement, as neither overhauling nor running engines past TBO offers an easy solution for resale or long-term ownership.
**Questionable Security Measures**: Post-9/11 security enhancements at General Aviation airports, like extensive fencing, are criticized as "security theater" that are costly and primarily inconvenience honest pilots rather than 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.