Each new year presents an opportunity to review the last 12 months. Like our editor in 2020, 2021 saw me receive the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for a half-century of flawless flying. Okay, it wasn’t truly flawless, but nothing got bent.
As I review this period, I am somewhat amazed at the metamorphosis that has quietly overtaken the art of instrument flying. While the stick and rudder aspects have remained somewhat static, the navigation, panel, information available, and the regs have seen dramatic changes. While the old maxim, “more is better,” has some validity, there is a point of diminishing returns.
