Does the IFR Rating Make Us Safer Pilots?

[jordane93]

Or fly straight and level, or hold an attitude, or remember how to fly a traffic pattern, or .......................

Ain't that the truth. Sad thing is a lot of GA pilots are content with sloppy flying. I base my flight reviews on the pilot's certificate. If you are a commercial student you get +/- 50ft. Private you get +/- 100. It's not a checkride but I expect you to perform like what your certificate says.

 

[fiveoboy01]

I would agree that it definitely does not make you safer. It does, however, give you more opportunity to kill yourself.

Does it give you more skills, yes. But I think safety is an attitude, and is mostly learned and ingrained in a person before they ever take their first flight.

 

[fiveoboy01]

Ain't that the truth. Sad thing is a lot of GA pilots are content with sloppy flying. I base my flight reviews on the pilot's certificate. If you are a commercial student you get +/- 50ft. Private you get +/- 100. It's not a checkride but I expect you to perform like what your certificate says.

I was slightly sloppy with patterns and visual approaches on my last BFR because I had literally spent the prior 40-50 hours doing hood work and straight in instrument approaches. It was a bit of an eye opener. I wasn't unsafe, but I could have done better... definitely made me see the importance of flying a pattern here and there.

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

I believe I am much safer as a VFR pilot than I would be w/ IR.

There are far less risks I am willing to expose myself to right now.
And I am fine with that.

I can see how I might end up like R&W's friend if I had that rating.


Now a tail wheel rating....
Those 170s and 180s are starting to grow on me.

 

[denverpilot]

I don't let myself believe any rating is the cause of my safety. The decisions made for *this flight* affect that more.

The rating may give me some more to think about and options but it's not the basis of safety.

 

[Rykymus]

Most of my flying is done with as few turns as possible, and mostly on autopilot. I do this because when I'm flying for travel, with my wife, I'm flying as if I'm an airline. I believe these well planned, carefully executed flights make me a safer pilot.

However, once a month, I go up and fly everything in the PPL PTS. If I do not fly a maneuver to PTS standards, I do it again, and again, until I get it right. I always the flight end after dark, so that I get to do night landings as well.

I am working on my IFR. Once earned, I will be adding practice approaches, holds, etc, to my monthly practice. (With a safety pilot, of course.)

Any rating, be it VFR or IFR, is only as good as it is maintained. Safety starts in the mind. It is an attitude, an approach, a way of doing things. It is knowing your limits, and pushing them on occasion, in a safe fashion, in order to be prepared for those times when you cannot escape risk, and must deal with it.