The Instrument Rating training (fully described here) does not fully prepare you for outside the training regime; it merely scratches the surface of what is practically possible with the rating. The course is designed largely structurally – it’s baked into how the training system is designed.
The training is deliberately structured and procedural, designed to get you through the skills test safely and legally. However, it doesn’t fully prepare you for real-world IFR operations outside the training environment. Once you’re released into the busy airways of the UK and Europe, you quickly discover that the rating is just the beginning of a much deeper learning curve.
One area the course barely touches on is comprehensive flight planning. I’ve developed a very methodical, procedure-based approach to every flight. For each trip, I cross-check multiple sources: detailed weather analysis from several providers, Autorouter for route generation and optimisation, and SkyDemon for situational awareness and contingency planning. This layered planning process gives me the confidence to fly long IFR legs in real instrument conditions — something the standard IR training simply doesn’t teach.
That’s exactly why I’m creating the IFR Europe Guide, a practical, pilot-focused series that goes far beyond the textbook. It will cover real-world IFR flight planning, airway navigation, European procedures, useful airports, decision-making, and many of the lessons I’ve learned the hard way since gaining my rating.
The guide is coming soon, and I’m really excited to share it with you.