IFR Training Before the Rating

Pia Bergqvist

Monday, February 06, 2012 at 11:47 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The FAA's mandatory three hours of instrument flying for private pilot candidates can create a dangerous false sense of security, as VFR-into-IMC (Visual Flight Rules into Instrument Meteorological Conditions) accidents have an alarming 90% fatality rate.
Basic instrument training for private pilots is intended only to provide skills for emergency recovery and safe exit from inadvertently entered IMC, not to increase comfort or encourage flying in such conditions.
Pilots can enhance safety by mastering autopilot use, learning to utilize ILS (Instrument Landing System) approaches for supplemental guidance, especially at night, and consistently practicing instrument flying skills with a safety pilot or CFI.
Maintaining proficiency in instrument flying requires continual training and practice, and ultimately, the best safety measure for non-instrument-rated pilots is to avoid entering IMC conditions altogether.

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Max Trescott was the 2008 National Certified Flight Instructor of the Year. Based in Palo Alto, California, he publishes aviation books and software, including Max Trescott’s GPS and WAAS Instrument Flying Handbook and Max Trescott’s G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook. He teaches in Cirrus and other glass cockpit aircraft, and in Lake amphibians. He can be reached through g1000book.com. He says:

I worry that the FAA’s Private Practical Test Standard (PTS) does a disservice to private pilot candidates by requiring three hours of flying solely by reference to instruments. I suspect it creates complacency in some newly minted private pilots who think, “Hey, no problem if I blunder into a cloud. I’ve had three hours of instrument instruction, so I can handle it!”