Three IFR Curveballs

Flying IFR can get deceptively routine. Most of the time, it means taking off, climbing, cruising, descending, and an approach and landing-all along well-defined routes and usually in VMC. The majority of IFR pilots tend to fly the same routes and procedures again and again, to the point they might memorize communications frequencies and even approach minimums. Its possible to be extremely proficient at the type of flying you usually do while letting other skills atrophy.

Tom Turner

Sunday, April 28, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

While routine IFR flying can lead to skill atrophy, pilots are responsible for performing any IFR task or procedure, even those less commonly used.
Key less-practiced IFR skills include flying unpublished holding patterns, which often require manual visualization and navigation even with GPS assistance.
Pilots must understand and adhere to terrain and obstacle clearance procedures, such as calculating climb gradients and executing Visual Climbs Over the Airport (VCOA).
DME arcs, though largely replaced by radar vectors, remain a vital skill for IFR pilots to understand and be able to fly manually, although modern GPS systems can automate them.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Flying IFR can get deceptively routine. Most of the time, it means taking off, climbing, cruising, descending, and an approach and landing—all along well-defined routes and usually in VMC. The majority of IFR pilots tend to fly the same routes and procedures again and again, to the point they might memorize communications frequencies and even approach minimums. It’s possible to be extremely proficient at the type of flying you usually do while letting other skills atrophy.

Yet when you accept an IFR clearance, you’re accepting the responsibility to perform any task or procedure in the Instrument Flying Handbook—perhaps in new and untested ways. What are some of the little-used IFR skills you may be assigned at any time, without much warning? What unusual tasks should you practice and have in your back pocket every time you fly IFR?