16 Actionable Tips and Tricks for the Instrument Rating

Some pilots will say the instrument rating was one of the hardest ratings of all (second to perhaps becoming a flight instructor). Whereas in the private and commercial license training you are learning the physical coordination of flying, in instrument training it is nearly all a mental exercise to constantly process lots of lots of information about the flight without being able to see what’s happening outside.

It can no doubt be an intimidating 40+ hours of flight training, so here are 16 actionable tips to get the most out of your instrument rating.

#1: Get Some Actual IFR

Unless you’re really lucky, most (if not all) of your instrument rating training will be simulated IFR, meaning you are wearing some sort of view-limiting device like a hood or foggles. These restrict your vision so that you are only able to see inside of the airplane and truly rely on your instruments.

While these view-limiting devices will still substantially recreate IFR flight, there was always a small part of me that was comforted by the fact that if I really needed to I could look up and get my bearings again outside of the airplane.

There is nothing like flying a real instrument approach in real IFR conditions to where you know the only way you get to see outside the airplane is to successfully fly the approach and come out at the bottom. Foggles can never simulate that healthy anxiety during an approach that is waiting for you to break out of the clouds and back into VFR conditions.

If at all possible you really don’t want the first actual IFR experience you have to be “the real thing” when you’re solo. If that happens, just treat it like your training, but I promise you’ll feel more comfortable if you schedule some lessons on days you know there will be some stable IFR conditions.

Try to get some actual IFR practice whenever possible during your training, and especially enjoy the fact that a crummy weather day won’t cause your lesson to be rescheduled but rather enhance it all the more!

#2: Be Ahead of the Airplane

Probably the best advice I was given during my instrument rating (that still applies to every instrument flight) is to be ahead of the airplane. For example, don’t begin the approach and then start briefing the approach. Be several minutes (if not a lot more) ahead of the airplane in terms of what to expect. A great practical application of this is to expect what is coming next with ATC communication.

One of the overwhelming moments for me at first in my instrument rating was all of the new radio calls that were happening that I had not experienced in VFR flight. As with most radio communication, it gets a LOT easier once you learn what to expect, and that couldn’t be truer than in IFR flying. Here are a few ATC calls to expect and be ready for in instrument flying:

Weather and NOTAMS: When nearing the airport, ATC will ask if you have the weather and NOTAMS at the field. It’s always good when you don’t have to report back when you have that information, and so get that information as soon as practical in your flight. Cruise flight is a great time to start briefing the descent as well as the weather and traffic environment at the destination.
Cleared for the Approach: When being vectored to a final approach fix, expect that they will give you a heading and altitude assignment until established on the final approach course (or localizer) and also clear you for the approach in the same sentence. This was the most intimidating part of radio communications for me because it felt like a lot to remember until I realized more conceptually what they were trying to accomplish.

The instruction “916DF you are three miles from JERIT, fly heading 300 and maintain 2,100 until established, cleared RNAV 33 approach” for some reason that always felt like a lot of information to me until I realized that I didn’t need to repeat my position from the final approach fix (JERIT), and more than likely I was already flying heading 300 (to intercept the 335 approach course), and 2,100 feet was the minimum altitude of that leg of the approach (as published on the chart).

So really I wasn’t having to repeat much net new information. All of this to say, be expecting how they might get you onto the final approach course and never be afraid to ask for clarification or to repeat a transmission.
Enroute: Expect enroute that they are going to ask what approach you would like to make into your destination, and once you tell them they will usually (not always) clear you to a certain fix within that approach. So once you tell them the approach, be familiar with the fix names within that approach so that it doesn’t sound foreign when they say “cleared direct UCETI.” If you didn’t know that UCETI was an initial fix in the approach it would sound pretty confusing at first.

For more practical advice on ATC communications be sure to check out our post 13 ATC Communication Tips and Tricks for Pilots.

#3: Memory Technique for GRABCARD, FLAPS, etc.

If there’s one thing that aviation is full of, it’s acronyms. And just when you thought you couldn’t handle any more acronyms from your days as a private pilot, the instrument rating is waiting to pile on a few more to your list. Between GRABCARD, FLAPS, and others, there are a few more to learn to get this rating.

Everyone has a different learning style, so you’ll need to find what works best for you. But the one memory technique that has helped me tremendously in not only aviation but in many other areas of my life is the memory palace technique.

The concept is to basically be able to take lists of information and be able to convert this into very vivid memories that are hard to forget. And it’s actually pretty easy to do with a little bit of practice.

I highly encourage you to watch our few minute video below to learn about this technique. I personally used it for GRABCARD and FLAPS so that when the question came up in my check ride, it was something I barely even had to think about in order to answer.

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#4: Brief Approaches So There Are No Surprises

Perhaps the most critical phase of an instrument flight is the instrument approach. While the entire flight is certainly worth briefing, no part of the instrument approach should be overlooked.

Even things like the radio frequencies on the chart are especially easy to glance over, but it’s always good to think through what each of them mean. Does the airport have AWOS or is it an ATIS? Is there a control tower or will this be uncontrolled airspace that might have unannounced VFR traffic underneath a marginal VFR layer despite the fact that you are flying an instrument approach?

But perhaps the biggest overlooked part of an approach briefing is the missed approach procedure. We obviously want the approach to conclude with breaking into VFR conditions below the cloud deck, but that’s not guaranteed (despite what the ATIS or AWOS might tell you). You don’t ever want to be in the situation where you thought you’d definitely pop out of the clouds above minimums but you don’t, and then have to scramble to brief the missed approach procedure. Know every part of the approach before you ever get cleared for the approach!

#5: Train at Night

One logistical advantage that instrument training has over your days getting your private license is that you can do some, most, or all of it at night (not to mention in bad weather). I was able to knock out my instrument rating relatively quickly because I was able to train 2-3 times per week after work from about 6-9pm.

Whereas the private license can take people quite a long time limited to mostly weekends, getting your instrument rating can sometimes be much more flexible if you opt to do some of your training during weeknights.

On top of it being a logistical perk, training at night for your instrument rating can also help you be a more proficient instrument pilot since you’ll likely be less intimidated to do night IFR.

One caveat to all of the above… be sure to do at least some of your IFR training during the day to develop the “site picture” for what the cockpit looks and feels like during the day in IFR conditions. If at all possible, try to get actual and simulated IFR during both daytime and nighttime operations. Plus, skies will generally be busier during the day and so it will be good to get used to flying in more congested airspace while IFR.

#6: Always Scan and Cross-Reference Instruments

This will be an important part of your training but never forget outside of training environments to constantly be cross-checking other instruments to spot any erroneous readings. One system failure that can be particularly dangerous and harder to spot (especially in an all-steam gauge aircraft) is a vacuum failure.

The danger here is that unless you see your vacuum gauge go to zero or the annunciator light for low vacuum illuminate, it’s going to be extremely hard to catch. Eventually your attitude indicator will begin to display incorrect information but because it takes the gyroscope a while to lose speed, the instrument will only gradually display errors in attitude.

This means you can very easily end up chasing the attitude indicator to get back to what you perceive as level flight even though if you looked at your other correctly performing instruments you’d realize the attitude indicator was actually failing.

So while you are checking your attitude indicator in your instrument scan, be sure to occasionally also check the vacuum suction gauge to verify the legitimacy of the attitude indicator. Also cross-reference the attitude indicator with other instruments, such as your VSI or directional gyro. Does the attitude indicator show that you are in a banked turn but no other instrument is indicating that you are in fact turning? Does the attitude indicator show a nose-low attitude but your VSI actually shows a climb?

It’s easy to just scan over the instruments, but actually interpreting the information and cross-referencing that information against other instruments takes a little more thought and is vital. Your instrument rating will be a very tiring one because of the amount of mental focus required on each flight, constantly analyzing systems, navigation, and situational awareness.

#7: Hacks for Copying Clearances

You’ll probably learn pretty early on the acronym “CRAFT” for writing down your IFR clearance. CRAFT stands for cleared to, route, altitude, frequency, and transponder. That is the order in which ATC will give you your IFR clearance, and so that acronym will definitely help get your notepad organized so that you are ready to copy.

However, I have found that sometimes ATC will read your clearance so fast that even having CRAFT on the page doesn’t help much because of the rate the information is coming at you. But there’s a trick I used that solves this problem 90% of the time.

I file my flight plans in Foreflight and get a handful of emails after I file – things like a confirmation email of what I filed, weather and NOTAMs, and any expected route updates versus what I originally filed. That route update email is incredibly handy because I can go ahead and write out that route on my kneeboard in CRAFT and simply underline each part of it as ATC says it, instead of having to write it in real time.

This works unless ATC has a last second route change for you, in which case you can just copy it as usual and you’re still okay. But usually this helps me keep up with just about any controller, even the fast ones.

A second handy trick is coming up with some abbreviations for commonly used instructions in a flight plan. Here a few I routinely use that help me to copy IFR clearances much faster:

As Filed = AF

Direct = D-> (can leave off the arrow to be faster)
Radar Vectors = RV
Runway Heading = RH

Altitudes (leave off the 000’s… so 6,000 would just be 6)
Climb and maintain 2,000, expect 8,000 one zero minutes after departure would just be “2, 8, 10” next to the “A” in “CRAFT”

#8: Know Your Backup Systems

Make sure you are aware of what backup systems your aircraft has, how to use them, and how any instruments will perform differently (if at all) when the backup system is in use. Two practical examples of this would be the alternate static source and a standby vacuum system.

The alternate static source is covered a lot during your instrument training and is a backup in case the static system gets clogged or iced over. It uses static air inside of the aircraft in replacement of the static outside air and as a result is a little lower pressure than the static air outside of the aircraft (because of the venturi effect of the air moving around the fuselage).

When the alternate static system is in use, you need to know that your altimeter and airspeed indicator will read slightly higher than normal because the alternate static air is actually a little lower pressure than the static air outside of the airplane it would otherwise be using for these instruments. Be sure that you know how to active the alternate static source so that in a real world scenario you aren’t having to go looking for it.

Secondly, be sure to know if your aircraft has a standby vacuum system installed. I did not train with one of these and so this system was new to me when I bought my Cessna 182. If you do have one, it’s important to know that in a pinch your standby vacuum system can keep your vacuum-driven instruments running in the event of a vacuum pump failure.

It works by taking the pressure differential between the intake manifold and ambient air pressure and using that to drive the flight instruments. In a vacuum pump failure in actual IFR situation this backup system can be a lifesaver, so be sure to know how to engage it (and know if your airplane is equipped with one in the first place).

#9: Know How to Diagnose Pitot Static Failure

Pitot static blockage is something that is certainly covered in training but in my opinion is under-emphasized. Not recognizing a pitot static system error can get you into trouble very quickly, and it’s very important to know how to diagnose that you may have a problem. Even larger airline flights have been victim to undiagnosed pitot static failure that resulted in tragedy, such as Northwest Airlines Flight 6231 in December 1974 (a Boeing 727-200). Here are some of the main failures and how to spot them:

Pitot failures:

Remember that the pitot tube only controls the airspeed indicator. Be sure to have “airspeed alive” (or some equivalent airspeed check) while accelerating down the runway so that you are checking this system before you ever make it into the air. Even professional pilots sometimes take off with the pitot tube cover still on, and so it can happen to anyone. Here are two key failures to be on the lookout for:

Clogged pitot tube (but drain hole isn’t blocked): Airspeed indicator goes to zero. This is probably the easiest of the failures to spot.

Clogged pitot tube (and drain hole is blocked, too): Airspeed indicator effectively acts like an altimeter, since the air that was in the pitot system gets trapped and gets compared to the changing ambient air pressure as you climb or descend. This can be tricky to spot at first though because in level flight your pitot tube could ice over but the airspeed might contribute to display the same reading until you change altitude.

With a completely clogged pitot tube, as you climb, airspeed will show an increase. As you descend, airspeed will decrease. Both scenarios if undetected can be very dangerous as in a climb you might continue to pitch up thinking you are speeding up, when in reality you could be (and likely are) losing airspeed. In a descent, the opposite happens where airspeed will appear to be decreasing when you could be (and likely are) gaining airspeed. Try engaging pitot heat to resolve the issue.

Static Failure:

Remember that the static port affects your airspeed indicator, altimeter, and vertical speed indicator (VSI).

Blocked static ports: The main error that will occur is that the static port(s) will get blocked. When this happens, the altimeter will “freeze” on whatever it was indicating when the blockage happened, and the VSI will remain at zero. However, when you climb, your airspeed indicator will show a decrease in airspeed because of the difference in pressure of the trapped static air and the decreasing pressure of the pitot tube air.

Your recourse for static port blockages is to use the alternate static source which will pull static air from inside the cockpit. Because this alternate static air has a slightly lower pressure in the cabin than the outside air due to the venturi effect of the air flowing around the fuselage, three things will happen when the alternate static source is in use:

The altimeter will indicate a slightly higher altitude than normal
The airspeed will indicate slightly higher than actual
The VSI will show a momentary climb but then stabilize (if in level flight)

Be sure to know where your alternate static source is located and how to engage it should the need arise. You can test this in flight in your particular airplane to measure the differences to the pitot static instruments mentioned above.

For more in-depth reading on all of the flight instruments, the FAA actually has a pretty good PDF on the topic.

#10: Know the Pitch and Power Settings of Your Airplane

Each airplane is different, but it will be helpful if you can develop some base line pitch, power, and airspeed settings for your particular airplane that you can use as a guide for steady flight, approaches, and more. This will take some experimentation to determine what is right for your airplane but it can be an incredibly helpful tool.

For example, rather than needing to chase your airspeed and descent rates to chase the glideslope, you can know what you’ll need to pull the power back to once intercepting the glideslope and following it to the runway, trimming the airplane for your desired airspeed and controlling descent rate with power.

As a starting point in a Cessna 172 you can use 2100rpm, 90KIAS, and 450fpm descent, and adjust accordingly. Always remember trim for airspeed and use power to control your descent rate. It can help make your instrument approaches more predictable and stable when you already know what approximate power settings will get you in terms of climb/descent rate and airspeed.

Remember that it will vary from airplane to airplane, and even from flight to flight depending on the flight conditions and weight and balance of the airplane itself.

#11: Use a Moving Map with Integrated Approach Plates

The biggest challenge for me in instrument flying is maintaining situational awareness. Especially without the use of a GPS, you are constantly having to picture in your head where you are in relation to an instrument approach or desired flight path. It is MUCH easier if you can use a GPS moving map that also incorporates the actual IFR charts or approach plates as part of that map.

Personally I use Foreflight on my iPad (coupled with a Stratus) that has a feature to embed an approach plate onto the sectional itself, and show your position to scale on that map. It is SO helpful with situational awareness to be able to visualize with confidence where you are in the approach and eliminate any chance of confusion.

I use this mounting device (link to read reviews on Amazon… I REALLY like the RAM mounting kits… highly recommend) for my iPad and highly recommend the stratus and or the sentry (link to read reviews on Amazon) which will both load traffic and weather information to display in Foreflight.

Disclaimer: I got my instrument rating “the hard way” with no digital charts or approach plates, and did a lot of it without a GPS. There’s merit to learning this way so that in the absence of new technologies you can still fly IFR.

#12: Watch YouTube Videos of Approaches With Your GPS

Now that YouTube is so full of rich information, you can most likely find good walkthrough videos of approaches and general IFR navigation for any GPS that you might be using. It can be a really great use of time to watch someone provide the ins and outs of your particular GPS so that you know it backwards and forwards in IFR. If you are lacking in your confidence on how to use every part of your GPS, take some time on the couch to watch some training videos on YouTube. It’s definitely a good use of your time. For example:

#13: You Can Disagree With ATC

As pilots we sometimes forget that we hold the ultimate decision making authority as pilot in command, and are responsible for the safety of the flight. During IFR flights this can be even harder to remember because we are using the ATC system more heavily than we otherwise might in VFR. Nonetheless, we need to always remember to use our own discretion for the safety of the flight.

For example, never be afraid to ask for a vector or a +/- heading deviation clearance to avoid approaching weather. If ATC has assigned you a heading but that heading puts you into some building cumulonimbus (article: why are cumulonimbus clouds dangerous?), you can always tell them “unable.” Don’t let them put you into a compromising situation.

ATC is run by humans, and humans make mistakes. Make a habit of validating in your mind each instruction from ATC and make sure that you can safely and practically comply with the instruction before blindly doing it. If you can’t, speak up.

#14: Use a Simulator

One practical way to cut down on the expense of getting your instrument rating (article: how much does an instrument rating cost (and how to reduce it)?) is to use an AATD, or advanced aviation training device, to count towards some of your simulated instrument time. Up to 20 hours of the required 40 instrument training hours can be counted in an AATD, and these hours will almost always be less expensive than flying an actual airplane. Not to mention it can be a more approachable and less overwhelming situation to start on before you get in the airplane and put the foggles on.

My first 3-4 hours of instrument training was actually in a simulator, and while it saved me some money which was nice, it more importantly made me much more confident and prepared when I hopped in the airplane to start doing the real thing.

Quite honestly, since getting your instrument is such a mental focus battle as anything else, I found the simulator to be an extremely helpful warm up to what cockpit management would be like, as it is much different than the VFR flying you have gotten used to.

#15: Take Your Written First

People will have different opinions on whether you should train first and then do ground school or the other way around. But especially for the instrument rating I strongly recommend you take ground school (and ideally your written test, too) first before you get in the airplane.

The instrument rating in particular is such a mental challenge that it will help so much to go ahead and get all of the book knowledge down (or at least be familiar with it) before you get in the airplane and try to do it.

Whereas the private license has a lot to with the actual coordination and dexterity of flying the airplane, the instrument is almost purely a mental exercise to be able to navigate and execute procedures and maneuvers all without seeing outside of the airplane.

In order to do this you really need the book knowledge first of the ins and outs of what you’ll be doing up there. Plus once you start the flying portion of your training, you can focus on just the flying and no longer worry about your written test because it’s already out of the way. For more reading and the pros and cons of doing your written first, check out our article should I take the written exam before flight training?

In terms of actually taking ground school and the written test, personally I recommend doing an intensive ground school such as American Flyers that has a 3-day course where you take the written at the end (article: American Flyers: My Review After Training 100+ Hours There). It is a lot of information to take in that quickly but it is 8am-5pm on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to get through everything.

As a second option, I do recommend King Schools self-guided curriculum as they have a great track record and you can watch the videos as many times as you want for each section. I used the King Schools curriculum for my Commercial ground school and got an A on the written. I did the intensive 3-day ground school with American Flyers for my instrument written and did equally well. Everyone has a different learning style so you’ll just need to decide what is best for you. There are other digital learning methods other than King but I have not personally used them. American Flyers and King Schools I can personally recommend with confidence.

#16: Fly Often

This goes for not only the instrument rating, but any rating or license you are working on (or flying in general, for that matter). The more you fly, the better you are going to learn and retain information. I recommend that if you aren’t in a season of life where you are going to be able to fly at least once per week, wait to start your training until you can better commit to the schedule. Personally I recommend flying 2-3 times per week if at all possible (some weeks will be less) to make sure that you remain committed to the process and learn information at a pace that feels rewarding.

The less you fly, the longer it is going to take to complete your training, and the more likely you are to quit before you finish.

Whereas you have to do mostly all of the private pilot training during daylight, the instrument rating can be done anytime. I found that flying after work helped me be able to train 2-3 nights per week and complete the rating much faster than I did my private. Whatever you need to do, just make sure that you can remain committed to a training schedule so that you don’t quit half way.

Additional Reading

The instrument rating can be one of the hardest but most rewarding flight training experiences, and can really open up realm of possibilities for your flying both logistically and educationally. IFR ceilings change from being a flight cancelation to an opportunity to practice your skills. Fewer flying trips will get canceled on account of weather, and you’ll have a broader set of skills that will make your aviation experience all the richer.

We wish you the best of training as you pursue the instrument rating. Here are a few other reading resources on Airplane Academy in relation to IFR training:

Blue skies! (Well actually, low overcast skies so that you can get some actual IFR practice!)