Training in Actual IFR Can Be Good for You

There's no rule that says you must fly in the clouds, but, if you need to, an instrument rating will allow you to do so legally and safely.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at 11:36 AM ET

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Having an instrument rating can give you more confidence in the airplane and can also reduce your insurance costs. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The article emphasizes the critical importance of logging actual instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) flight time during instrument training and maintaining proficiency, highlighting the immediate dangers faced by non-rated or unproficient pilots in low visibility.
An instrument rating provides significant benefits including increased pilot confidence, the legal ability to fly in clouds safely (with proficiency), potential insurance reductions, and is a prerequisite for flight instructors teaching private pilot candidates.
Effective instrument flying requires a disciplined "scan" of instruments to prevent disorientation in IMC, and the author advises pilots to actively seek out training environments that provide valuable actual IMC experience if their initial school or region limits it.

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“Get on the gauges, you’re going to feel a little bump.”

These were the words of my CFII (certified flight instructor-instrument) the first time he took me into the clouds. He is ex-Air Force and taught me to fly the AF way. The acronyms MARTHA, the UPs and the 5Ts were all part of my training—as was going in and out of clouds. “Nothing but water vapor!” he declared. We always double checked the temperature because flying through a cloud in freezing conditions would turn us into a Cessna-cicle or Piper-cicle in a hurry, something we wished to avoid.