Single Pilot IFR

Single Pilot IFR.

Oh boy.  As a pilot, flying an airplane under IFR (instrument flight rules) includes a lot more work than normal VFR (visual flight rules) flight.  This is because the pilot is required to fly the airplane at a specific, monitored altitude, and to arrive at specific times at each location.  Commercial airliners always fly under IFR, but most are required to have more than one pilot.

The safety advisory published by AOPA addresses this situation in general aviation.  SPIFR is something that can be accomplished by a proficient, confident, and prepared pilot.  This article does a good job of addressing the factors that will cause most pilots to struggle in SPIFR, as well as procedures to overcome these issues.  One thing specific was keeping ahead of the aircraft.  The article stated that if a pilot cannot anticipate the necessary action with the aircraft at least 2 minutes in advance, that pilot could not fly SPIFR safely.  Sometimes it is necessary for a pilot to anticipate IFR procedures up to an hour before arriving at that part of the approach.

Personally I have not ever flown in IFR conditions, but I believe I would feel comfortable doing it if I had an opportunity to prepare and practice flying in "actual" IMC conditions with another experienced pilot and/or an instructor.  I enjoy flying IFR flight plans, and have kept myself proficient in flying multiple types of instrument approaches consistently.  While I understand that overconfidence is a definite hazard, I believe that I would be able to handle the necessary workload of SPIFR.