The physical world is full of inverse proportions and one I’ve noticed is that when winter temperatures dip to, say, 20 degrees, my northern friends are four times more likely to bitterly complain that Florida, where I live, is nothing but a mosquito-infested fever swamp; God’s waiting room, if you will. But it’s something else, too: Florida is where instrument skills go to die.
Real bird vs. RedBird
Key Takeaways:
- The author, an experienced IFR pilot, undertook two Instrument Proficiency Checks (IPCs)—one in a real airplane and one in a simulator—to assess and restore his instrument flying skills, which had significantly eroded over five years.
- During the real-airplane IPC, his basic aircraft control remained solid, but he struggled with the mental workload of complex navigation tasks, leading to fatigue and errors.
- His performance was poorer in the G1000 simulator due to its flight dynamics and the demands of the avionics, but the simulator proved a more valuable and cost-effective training tool for practicing specific scenarios.
- Ultimately, the author concludes that while he prefers real flying, simulators are an indispensable and economical resource for maintaining instrument currency, and he advocates for tablet-based approach plates over paper.
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