Seven Habits for IFR Approaches

There’s more to an effective approach than keeping the needles crossed.

- JOHN ZIMMERMAN

Single-pilot IFR is the hardest thing most people will ever do. If you’re a heart surgeon, you might disagree, but for almost everyone else, there’s nothing that compares. The combination of high stakes and an unrelenting workload makes for a unique challenge, and there’s no undo button.

Instrument training should embrace that challenge, with a focus on both attitude-instrument-flying technique and a true pilot-in command mindset. That means more than just physical skills—a good instrument pilot has good habits, ones that automatically build in safety margins. And approaches are where habits matter most. In 2020, these have less to do with identifying VORs and more to do with managing technology, but the fundamentals remain the same.

Brief Every Approach