Many consider the instrument rating as the most difficult aeronautical achievement. This is probably even more the case today than when I earned that coveted capability almost a half-century ago. While aircraft haven’t changed much, the avionics, regulations, and AIM have all undergone significant metamorphosis.
Today’s GPS equipment and the procedural techniques required in Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA) require even greater levels of proficiency. Programming the avionics demands a familiarity with button-pushing that can easily confuse a pilot who’s not intimately familiar with the systems.
