The majority of instrument rated GA pilots struggle to maintain IFR proficiency. It’s a real problem, and something we’ve seen repeatedly over the past 17 years providing IFR training. Even pilots that maintain the required IFR currency may still have gaps in their IFR knowledge that put them at risk. That’s where this manual comes in.

Our goal was to create a tool pilots can use to improve their IFR knowledge as needed. We wanted it to be useful for a wide range of IFR pilots; whether they are rusty and need an IPC, or fly IFR regularly but need to brush up on a procedure they haven’t done in a while. The manual breaks each IFR procedure down into individual tasks, and explains in detail how to complete each one.

This step by step approach works well because it leverages the structure and consistency of the IFR system. For example, ILS and LPV approaches are flown in similar ways. By breaking them down into individual steps and explaining each one, we can easily show you the similarities and differences between them. This holds true to many other aspects of IFR flying. By explaining each step and laying them out in sequence, it’s easier to understand how each one fits into a procedure, and how each procedure fits into the IFR system as a whole.

The manual addresses things that trip pilots up, and offers useful tips and real world examples to address them. It’s organized by phase of flight, includes a quick-search table of contents, and covers beginner through advanced procedures (see the complete list below).

This manual is not intended to teach IFR basics and is not a substitute for IFR ground school. But for pilots with an instrument rating (or those working on one) it’s a handy tool to refresh and deepen your understanding of the IFR system.