Flight Training - March/April 2025 - 5

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BoODE TO IFR
y, did Sarah Deener's " Ode to IFR "
article (November/December 2024 Flight
Training) hit home with me. I earned
my IFR rating in 2016, and what a rite of
passage it was! Since then, with over 30
hours in actual IMC, I have been diligent
about maintaining currency in my
beloved Cessna 182. Living on an island, it
is difficult to find qualified CFIIs or safety
pilots to fly with me for currency while
I'm wearing foggles, but I've managed.
This year, however, summer vacations
overseas, my airplane in for its annual,
plus a flurry of hurricanes derailed me
from instrument currency flying with my
incredible CFII, who now flies for United
Airlines and is based out of Chicago. We
rescheduled several times, but I've now
managed to take a bad spill, hurting both
my legs, which are going to take weeks to
heal. My biggest concern is my instrument
currency-I'm now in my six-month grace
period. I had brief thoughts about simply
letting it lapse, as I rarely fly in true IFR
weather, and thought I'd just be a " VFR
Flight Following " girl. But no, I can't let
that happen, and my aviation community
is cheering me on to not let it lapse. Like
Deener, when I get back on my feet, it's
time to get to work.
Karen Atkins
Amelia Island, Florida
We welcome your comments. Please email
flighttraining@aopa.org. Comments may be
edited for style and space.
FLIGHT TRAINING MARCH/APRIL 2025
5
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ALWAYS LEARNING BY SARAH DEENER
Flight Training Editor SARAH
DEENER just scheduled her
instrument profi ciency check.
sarah.deener@aopa.org
or New York Class B airspace because
IFR traffi c isn't met with " remain
clear of the Bravo, " or enjoying the
serenity of the frequency on a calm,
cloudy day when VFR traffi c remains
on the ground. Plus, emerging from
the top of a cloud to the smooth air
above a blanket of white feels like the
triumphant scene of a fantasy movie.
My fi rst experience in actual IMC was
during primary training, when instead of
canceling, my instructor fi led IFR. The
experience introduced me to the cadence
and structure of ATC transmissions; the
sensation of popping in and out of clouds,
adjusting my visual reference between
inside and out; and the otherworldly
experience of plunging into the vapor and
emerging on the other side.
ODE TO IFR
What good is an instrument rating if you don't use it?
I earned my instrument rating in 2015, and I confess I've fl own under instrument
fl ight rules only rarely since. I fl y mostly for pleasure, so it's easy to push off a fl ight if
the weather's looking iff y. And I have no appetite for the type of hair-raising down-tominimums
approaches retold in hangar sessions: There I was...
But an instrument rating is only any good if you use it. Basic attitude instrument
fl ying skills and procedural knowledge degrade quickly, so practicing instrument fl ying
regularly is essential to fl ying safely and confi dently in the clouds.
According to an analysis by the AOPA Air Safety Institute, accidents caused by VFR
fl ight into instrument meteorological conditions are the most fatal of weather-related
accidents in general aviation. The unexpected loss of visual references can lead to a loss
of control from spatial disorientation or controlled fl ight into terrain, and an instrument
rating alone doesn't safeguard against VFR into IMC accidents: Nearly one third of
pilots in VFR into IMC accidents between 2008 and 2020 held an instrument rating.
Safely fl ying in low visibility requires both keeping current in the skills to maintain
control and navigate without outside reference and participating in the system designed
to keep aircraft safely separated-practice and fi le.
The rigors of the instrument rating refl ect the additional risks associated with fl ying
in the soup. Pilots learn to maintain spatial and situational awareness and control the
airplane even when a primary fl ight instrument fails. During training, peaceful enroute
segments typical of cross-country fl ying disappear into an endless series of holds and
approaches. Bumping along on sunny summer days with Foggles obstructing the natural
horizon only turns up the heat.
After the rating, the world of instrument fl ying expands. In " Head in the Clouds, "
which begins on p. 34, Alicia Herron explains the myriad benefi ts of earning an
instrument rating: enhanced safety, more fl ying days, access to airspace, and more. I've
realized many of these benefi ts in my own IFR fl ying-cutting through Philadelphia
6
FLIGHT TRAINING NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
INSTRUMENT FLYING IS
EQUAL MEASURES OF
WORK AND REWARD.
I was fortunate to have instructors
for primary and instrument training
who valued real IFR experience and
gave me an opportunity to fi le and fl y
under their guidance. Many instructors
don't. I recently spoke with a colleague
who completed her instrument
rating without ever fl ying in actual
instrument conditions. It seems like
a lost opportunity. Flying in the IFR
system and in instrument conditions
presents challenges and rewards that
view-limiting devices just can't replicate.
Fortunately, on her recent instrument
profi ciency check she got to experience
the magic of breaking through the clouds.
In spite of all the benefi ts of
maintaining instrument fl ying skills,
I've let my instrument currency lapse. A
swath of dreary weather blanketing the
mid-Atlantic this week has motivated
me to correct that, as rain dotted the
windows and clouds lingered overhead
for days. I canceled a fl ight for forecast
IFR conditions-not a big deal, as I didn't
have to be anywhere right away. But
wouldn't it be nice to break through to
sunshine above? Instrument fl ying is
equal measures of work and reward. It's
time for me to get to work. FT

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Flight Training - March/April 2025

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