IFR Training: More Than Just a Requirement

The applicant was disappointed and argued he never intended to fly in instrument conditions, so the training would be a waste of time and money.

He wasn't the first private pilot applicant I have encountered who left the three hours of flight by instruments to the end of the training. A former colleague got all the way to the check ride  only to find out he was missing the training when the DPE went through his logbook. The applicant promptly booked a three-hour flight with his CFI for the next day. They spent all the time in the practice area under the hood mostly flying straight and level, with a few climbs, turns, and descents, and one unusual attitude to fulfill the letter of the regulation.

"Did you learn anything?" I asked. I know from experience that flight by reference to instruments only is one of the more fatiguing lessons, and when the student reaches saturation, no learning takes place. I can’t imagine doing it all in three consecutive hours and having the applicant retain much.

The applicant shrugged, then said he was "never going to fly in instrument conditions," so he really wasn't worried.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) aviation accident database is filled with accident and incident reports that detail the experiences of noninstrument-rated or nonproficient instrument-rated pilots encountering IFR conditions and losing control of the aircraft. For this reason,  with the exception of emergency procedures like a loss of engine power or fire, the flight by reference to instruments only is some of the most important training for the private pilot.

Federal regulations— specifically cFAR 61.109—requires the applicant log "three hours of flight training in a single-engine airplane on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments, including straight and level flight, constant airspeed climbs and descents, turns to a heading, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, radio communications, and the use of navigation systems/facilities and radar services appropriate to instrument flight."

As flight by reference to instruments only takes a fair amount of concentration, it can be one of the more fatiguing tasks a low-time pilot undertakes, and for learning to take place it is best introduced using the building block approach.

I start them with .2 under the hood or Foggles early in a pre-solo lesson with straight and level flight, climbs, turns, and descents, and then on the next flight introduce recovery from unusual attitudes. 

Flight by instruments is continuely folded into the lessons in increments of .2 and .3 as the learner practices the skill. By the time the learner is performing dual cross-country flights, they fly under the hood for at least .5 as they use navigational systems and radio communications (flight following). If learning has taken place, they can stay ahead of the airplane and they may enjoy IFR so much they commit to getting an instrument certificate.

The purpose of the three hours of flight by instruments is not to encourage the applicant to intentionally fly into low-visibility conditions—we are not encouraging scud running—it is to keep them out of harm's way if they encounter a condition where they lose sight of the horizon if, for example, unforecast fog suddenly forms or they inadvertently fly into a cloud.

According to the FAA, a nontrained pilot or one with lapsed instrument skills can lose control of their aircraft in less than a minute, succumbing to spatial disorientation. In layman's terms, the signals from your inner ear will tell you the airplane is doing one thing, like flying straight and level, when in reality the airplane is doing something else, such as an uncommanded turn, climb, or descent. To get control of the aircraft, the pilot needs to look at the instruments, correctly interpret them, and take prompt and correct action. This is mighty difficult when your body tells you one thing and the instruments indicate another.

The first "instrument maneuver" I teach my applicants is the 180-degree turn using rudder only. It starts with a scenario: The pilot was head down in their sectional or tablet and didn't notice they flew into a cloud. It starts with the reminder to always verify the aircraft is in trim for level flight before looking at your tablet or sectional. 

Oh, no! Your head was down and now you are in a cloud. It's like the airplane is wrapped in a sheet. It’s hard not to react by grabbing the yoke or stick, and doing a fighter pilot-esq banking turn to reverse course, as that will almost always result in an unusual attitude.

Instead, take a breath and look at the instruments. If the aircraft was in level flight before you lost the horizon and in a close to trim situation, letting go of the yoke or stick won’t result in much of a change in attitude. I count five "alligators" like I am playing touch football to get a read on if the airplane is trimmed, climbing, or descending, adjusting power if in a dive, nudging the wings to level, gently adjusting the nose to the horizon, then applying trim a little at a time, such as a manual half roll of the wheel. Then,count to five again to see if that was enough. 

Once the aircraft is trimmed, note the heading you are on, then initiate a turn to the left terrain permitting (you were looking at the section, so you should see where the terrain is) using rudder only at half standard rate. Be patient. Roll out on the new heading, and give it a few minutes to get out of the cloud. Again, be patient, using a timer in the cockpit if you have it. A few seconds can seem like an eternity when you are in a stressful situation, but you need to give the solution you have selected time to work. Hold the altitude and the heading.

Don’t forget you can contact ATC, declare an emergency, and ask for a vector out of the clouds.

If you don't have an instrument rating, flight by reference to instrument only should only be practiced in VFR conditions with another pilot acting as your safety pilot. You need that other set of eyes looking outside as you will be focused on the instruments. You may want to work flight by reference to instruments only into your flight review as well.

There are some CFIs who will be happy to fly instrument approaches in VFR conditions with the client under a view limiting device as it gives the client a chance to experience instrument skills and the CFI a chance to practice their IFR skills. CFIs, especially those that teach in IFR-deficient areas or do not have instrument clients often find it difficult to maintain their instrument skills and they may jump at the chance to practice.