Page 32 - Volume 16 Number 5

the six-month grace period for regaining instrument currency, a major step backwards by eliminating alternatives to regaining instrument currency. Various aviation advocacy groups reacted negatively and pressured the FAA to issue an official interpretation of the new wording.So, on Feb. 28, 2012, the DOT/ FAA’s Office of Chief Counsel issued an official interpretation of the Dec. 16, 2011 rewrite of FAR 61.57(d), saying, in part, “...a pilot must perform the instrument recent flight experience required by 61.57(c) within twelve months of the last date that the pilot was able to act as PIC under IFR or weather conditions less than the minimum prescribed for VFR. If a pilot fails to meet the recent flight experience within this twelve calendar month period, then the pilot must pass an IPC in order to act as PIC under IFR or in weather conditions less than the minimums prescribed for VFR.”Simplified, the IPC is only mandated if an instrument pilot allows the six-month instrument currency to lapse and does not regain that currency in the subsequent six- month period. So, 61.57(d) remains pretty much the same as it has since the ICC became the IPC.The IPC: unfairly perceived?So, we’ve established when you must pass an IPC. But, does that mean that you should only take an IPC when it is mandated by the FARs? Certainly not. If you’ve read this far, you have gotten to my real motivation for writing this article; to change the perception of the IPC. An IPC does not have to be a reliving of your instrument checkride. Yes, it requires the pilot to perform to specific standards, and it can be passed or failed. But, failure should not be viewed so harshly. Such “failures” are not grounds for “pink slip” issuance, FAA notification, or negative logbook entry. Rather, it simply becomes an instructional event and can be logged as such. So, an IPC is an opportunity to30 • TWIN & TURBINEbecome better acquainted with your instrument flying strengths and weaknesses to devise better training and practice regimens.I believe the IPC has a conflicted existence amongst the ranks of instrument pilots, blame for which lies with CFIIs. While there are many creative ways to conductan IPC, there’s no way around the testing requirements or performance standards. I think this is where some CFIIs create confusion. Some don’t ask their client to perform all maneuvers required or they don’t require the specific performance standards to be met, or both. The IPC is less open-ended than a BFR and must be treated differently. Yet,MAY 2012