gismo
Touchdown! Greaser!
I recently read a question from a subscriber to an aviation magazine which pretty much asked "Does an instrument rating make a pilot safer or more likely to become a statistic?". There are several aspects to this, some of which are:
Instrument rated pilots tend to fly in worse weather than VFR only pilots on the average
Instrument proficiency is difficult to maintain.
Single pilot IFR has moments of very heavy workload.
Equipment malfunctions and other "mechanical" problems (like running out of fuel) have more severe consequences in IMC.
Some pilots obtain the rating and then never use it thinking they have a "get out of IMC jail card" in their pocket.
Severe weather is more difficult to avoid when in IMC.
So for all you IR pilots (and wannabe's / IR students), do you think that obtaining an IR made (would make) you a safer pilot, that is one that's less likely to end up hurting yourself and/or someone else in an airplane?
Instrument rated pilots tend to fly in worse weather than VFR only pilots on the average
Instrument proficiency is difficult to maintain.
Single pilot IFR has moments of very heavy workload.
Equipment malfunctions and other "mechanical" problems (like running out of fuel) have more severe consequences in IMC.
Some pilots obtain the rating and then never use it thinking they have a "get out of IMC jail card" in their pocket.
Severe weather is more difficult to avoid when in IMC.
So for all you IR pilots (and wannabe's / IR students), do you think that obtaining an IR made (would make) you a safer pilot, that is one that's less likely to end up hurting yourself and/or someone else in an airplane?