Andrew Sarangan writes:

Since you are comparing IFR to VFR, I am assuming that conditions are
VMC.

Not necessarily, although I see your point. I was thinking mainly in
terms of the cockpit workload for IFR vs. VFR.

I actually find IFR easier than VFR in a simulator, but there are some
key differences between simulation and reality that might keep this
from being fully representative. It's hard to "turn" one's head in a
sim, since the view is mostly out the front of the aircraft, and the
landmarks on the ground below may be less (or sometimes more) clear
than in real life. Whatever the case may be, I find that looking at
instruments seems to require less work than looking out the window,
worrying about other traffic, and so on. A flight in IMC (without any
icing or really rough weather), where the only traffic is IFR, makes
me worry somewhat less about hitting someone.

Also note that VMC does not necessarily mean VFR. The vast majority of
IFR flights take place in VMC.

Once the autopilot or FMC is set up, it seems like it would be mostly
relaxing and sightseeing out the window.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.