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:
- After a five-year lapse, the author (a former IFR editor) found his instrument proficiency significantly eroded, particularly in "headwork" like navigation management and regulatory knowledge, though basic aircraft control remained surprisingly solid.
- An in-aircraft Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) highlighted the challenge of integrating aircraft control with navigation tasks, demonstrating areas of both proficiency (ILS) and struggle (VOR approach, oral knowledge).
- A subsequent simulator IPC, while challenging due to less precise flight dynamics and G1000 system demands, proved to be a highly effective and cost-efficient training tool for procedural proficiency, practicing failures, and system learning.
- Despite a personal preference for real aircraft, the author concludes that simulators offer superior training value and affordability for maintaining instrument currency and mastering complex systems, especially when combined with efficient digital approach plates.
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