Welcome to cloud class

For most pilots, staying current on instruments is one of aviation's greatest challenges. Even if you're a student pilot, the limited abilities that you acquire to fly solely by reference to instruments will be difficult to maintain if you don't periodically practice them. It can be even tougher for instrument-rated pilots who need to show that they've logged six instrument approaches (under actual or simulated instrument flight conditions and including holding, intercepting, and tracking procedures) in the preceding six months. Being really sharp on the gauges is a fleeting feeling unless you practice, and then practice some more.

Any pilot can be plagued by either of the twin gremlins of overconfidence and lack of confidence. To avoid their effects as a new instrument pilot, practice your new skills with a good dose of caution as you learn about the new "blind" world around you. Using the "baby steps first" principle, venture into more and more challenging situations as you gain skill. Recognize that none of us fly all-weather airplanes; canceling the flight is always a good option when you have any doubt as to the safe completion of your trip. The "I think I can make it" mindset is a dangerous one discarded by experienced IFR pilots who realize that "think" isn't enough. Sure bets are the only way to go. Your confidence will grow with experience.

8 tips for instrument proficiency Staying sharp on instruments requires constant practice. Distractions can cause you to lose your concentration and then your scan. It's easy to become overloaded and lose your scan. Ice can build very quickly; have an exit strategy in place; watch your OAT, and exit at the first "dusting." Practice your precise flying while VFR; then pair up with a safety pilot and practice under the hood. Keep returning your gaze to the attitude indicator--the hub of your scan. Master straight-and-level flight to smooth your IFR progress. Practice partial panel--the secret is level wings. Plan ahead for electrical failures; know which components to shut down first. Use a desktop flight simulator; your scan will thank you many times over.

Once you've earned the rating, it's time to start thinking about real-world instrument flying. If you're like many new instrument pilots you'll often file an IFR flight plan for the practice in working with air traffic control, but your actual--meaning in the clouds--time may be limited to a climb or descent through an overcast as you begin to flex your new IFR wings. Occasionally, you'll actually get an altitude assignment that keeps you in the clouds (where it may be turbulent, leading you to request an altitude change), but most pilots log actual instrument experience one-tenth of an hour at a time. But even that in-and-out-of-the-clouds flying can give you some good practice at quickly switching from outside scanning to inside on-the-gauges work.

Instrument flights that transition from day into night can often be a set-up for visual disorientation, particularly if you're descending into an overcast at dusk where you've got twilight on top and then find yourself breaking out of the clouds into a city area filled with near-blinding lights amidst the darkness. I recall flying a localizer approach into San Diego at night, just after I earned my instrument rating. When I broke out of the clouds, I looked up, saw "the rabbit"--the sequenced flashing lights leading toward the runway--and headed for that runway, assuming it was my intended landing spot. Thanks to a crosswind on the surface, I was pointed at those lights and just assumed it was Lindbergh Field. Fortunately, the approach controller caught the error with a "Where are you going?" query. I was headed straight for North Island Naval Air Station.