In article om,
"Jay Honeck" wrote:


3. Instrument Flying Sucks. This is something I've rarely seen
discussed here (maybe never?), but instrument flying is one of the most
boring things I've done. Neither of us learned to fly so that we could
stare at what amounts to a computer screen for hours on end. In fact,
we learned to fly for the freedom of flight, and the sheer beauty of
the experience.

One of my three most beautiful memories of flying was possible
because I was IFR. It was popping out of a (benign) cumulus
cloud into the incredible valley of clouds, with the sun streaming
in.

Now that I think about it, one other time was seeomg the moon rise
over the atlantic as I was flying in the northeast. I don't think I would
have made the night flight if I wasn't current for instrument flight
(too much danger of blundering into clouds in this technical
mountainous area).



In other words, getting there -- not being there -- is the reason.

I don't understand this. Properly used, an instrument rating will
increase your freedom of flight. An instrument rated pilot is NOT
required to file and fly IFR. An instrument rated pilot can do every
one of your VFR flights and more.


[snip]
4. Safety. This may sound counter-intuitive, but of all the instrument
pilots I know -- and I know a LOT of pilots -- there is only ONE that I
would fly with in the soup. The rest are technically instrument
pilots, but they fly instruments so infrequently that I know -- and
they do, too -- that they are not proficient.

I figure that I'm not the one pilot mentioned above, especially since
I haven't been current for over six years.

otoh - who do you think would have a better chance of surviving
a VMC-IMC mistake, the VFR Jay or the IFR Jay even if not current?




My basic fear is that I
would not maintain my instrument skills at a level high enough to
ensure that our flight safety would actually be enhanced by having the
rating.

Jay, you fly so much with Mary, that if you couldn't maintain proficiency...
....well words fail me.

Does anyone think Jay's situation is not almost ideal? Once or twice a month
doing some hood time for a portion of the flight would be so simple.

In any case, you still are going to be heckled.

--
Bob Noel
Looking for a sig the
lawyers will hate