Pilotscafe's IFR Quick Review Guide

posts handouts training IFR guides


Updated:

Description

The IFR quick review guide is a PDF I created a few years ago to help readers study for their Instrument checkrides and maintain IFR proficiency. Over the years it about doubled in size from the original 10 pages.

The guide condenses most of the knowledge required for an FAA Airplane-Instrument rating into a convenient short, yet comprehensive, collection.

Please remember that it is not a substitute for more in-depth material. Instead, treat it as a supplementary resource for study and review.

Feel free to share it with your friends. Any error corrections or feedback is appreciated and can be sent through Pilotscafe's contact page.

What's covered?

  • Logging instrument time
  • Recency of experience
  • Minimum aeronautical experience required for an IF rating
  • Documents required for flight
  • Maintenance inspection requirement
  • Decision-making models
  • Passenger & takeoff briefings
  • IFR flight plan requirements
  • Alternate requirements
  • Takeoff minimums
  • DPs and STARs
  • IFR clearance requirements
  • IFR altitudes
  • Flight instruments
  • Minimum equipment required for flight
  • Radio navigation instruments (VOR, NDB)
  • Understanding GPS, GNSS, PBN, RNP & RNAV
  • Components of ILS
  • Approach Light Systems
  • Attitude instrument flying techniques
  • Lost communication procedures
  • Holding patterns
  • Procedure turns
  • Descent planning
  • Airspace
  • Basic VFR weather minimums in US airspace
  • Available weather products and services
  • Weather hazards
  • Aeromedical factors
  • Reference material
  • And much more!

Free Download

Changelog

v2.5.1 (17 Feb 2021)

  • Fixed typos and minor text editing

v2.5.0 (25 Jan 2021)

  • Added sections about airspace and special use airspace.
  • Reformat design of weather section.

v2.4.1 (18 Dec 2020)

  • Fixed typo in example of descent planning calculation (replaced FL320 with FL350)
  • Special thanks: Ian Clark

v2.4.0 (16 Dec 2020)

  • Changed bank angle calculation for standard-rate turns from (KTAS / 10) + 5 (which is only correct for 100kts) to KTAS / 10 x 1.5
  • Reports required in non-radar environment to reflect a change in section 5-3-3 of the AIM.
    • ETA ±3 minutes changed to 2 min, or 3 min if in North Atlantic (NAT). This reflects a change made in the AIM.
  • Added QR Code for quick access to the updates page.
  • Special thanks: Ian Mastenbrook

v2.3.1 (14 Dec 2020)

  • Fixed typo in IFR Cruising Altitude graphics. Replaced 170º with 179º.
  • Special thanks: Ian Clark

v2.3.0 (10 Dec 2020)

  • Special thanks:
    • Captain (ret.) Phil Remmel, DPE of Scottsdale, AZ, for the many improvements, most specifically the revision of the AVIATES acronym.
    • Mahbubur Khan for pointing to the error in hyperventiation wording.
  • Replaced required inspections menemonic AVIATE with AVIATES.
    • Re-arranged meaning of letters in the acronym.
    • Added STC and AD's required inspections to the
    • Added progressive inspections
    • Clarified wording
    • Added examples of when 100 hours inspection is required or not.
  • Added Taxi Briefing (ARCH)
  • IFR Cruising Altitudes
    • Added details about IFR altitudes in controlled vs. uncontrolled airspace.
  • Rephrased Altimeter taxi check.
  • Min equipment required for IFR
    • Replaced "two-way navigational equipment appropriate for the route to be flown" with "two-way communication & navigational radios appropriate for the route to be flown"
    • Corrected DME requirements above FL240 to "at and above FL240".
    • Clock: added "... with sweep-second pointer or digital representation"
  • Basic VFR Weather Minimums section
    • Replaced Class E "above 10,000' MSL" with "at or above 10,000' MSL"
    • Replaced Class G "above 10,000'" with "at / above 10,000' MSL"
    • Replaced Class G "below 1,200' AGL" with "at or below 1,200' AGL"
  • Oxygen requirements
    • Replaced that "12,500'-15,000' (including)" with "above 12,500 to 14,000’ MSL (including)"
  • Terms & Definitions
    • Added AD, STC, RVSM
  • Improved formatting
  • Fixed wording of hyperventilation definition.

v2.2.0 (07 Dec 2020)

  • Added info about VOR Minimum Operational Network program (MON) and new VOR service volumes graphic.
  • Terms & Definitions
    • Added MON

v2.1.7 (25 Nov 2020)

  • For published holding patterns clearance items, replaced "Direction" with "Direction of hold from fix (e.g., N, W, S, E)" for clarification.
  • Fix typos

v2.1.6 (23 Nov 2020)

  • Cleaned up missing chars
  • Fixed typo

v2.1.5 (23 Nov 2020)

  • Changed the phrase for hold turn requirements to "Follow Flight Director bank angle" to "25º bank angle if using a Flight Director system" and added note: "*Whichever uses the least bank angle
"
  • Added Report to ATC at the holding fix.
  • Fixed overflowing text in rate of descent example.

v2.1.4 (12 Nov 2020)

  • Added info about localizer and glideslope modulated carrier signals (at 90 and 150 Hz)
  • Formatting improvements.

v2.1.3 (03 Nov 2020)

  • Fixed decoding of winds aloft example
  • IFR cruising altitudes graphic, added text: "or Flight Levels"
  • Minor formatting changes

v2.1.2 (02 Nov 2020)

  • Replaced 'WKRAFT' acronym, preflight info required for IFR, with 'NW KRAFT', which adds 'N' for Notams to the mnemonic.
  • New language for ELT battery replacement requirements.
  • Minor layout improvements

v2.1.1 (31 Oct 2020)

  • Fixed explanation of flying from high pressure area to low pressure area. Altimeter will indicate higher than desired, not lower as stated before, causing pilot to fly low.

v2.1.0 (30 Oct 2020)

  • Updated requirements for use of FFS, FTD or ATD for acquiring instrument aeronautical experience
  • Added definition table of LIFR, IFR, MVFR and VFR weather reports flight categories.
  • Added information about SVFR
  • Fixed language and contents of O2 requirements.
  • Added SCUBA diving with controlled ascent (wait 24 hours regardless of flight altitude).
  • Added reference to the download webpage so that readers can check for updates of the document.
  • Fixed language describing Inversion Illusion

v2.0.2 (29 Oct 2020)

  • Fixed several typos.

v2.0.1 (28 Oct 2020)

  • Fixed recency of experience section, FAR Part 61.57, requirements for completing recency of experience in a FFS, ATD, or FTD.

v2.0 (25 Oct 2020)

  • Complete redesign
  • Corrections and updates throughout the document.
  • Improved graphics
  • Whats new (highlights)?
    • Using approved training devices for certification & recency of experience
    • Passenger and Takeoff briefings
    • Added information about pitot-static instruments
    • More information about RNP, PBN and RNAV
    • Attitude instrument flying concepts
    • Aeromedical subjects
    • Reference material
    • Terms and definitions

v1.4 (27 Jan 2011)

Last legacy version