For pilots, why is flying on IFR (“Instrument Flight Rating”) so difficult? Can’t a pilot just focus on their instruments and stay oriented and on course?

Question

(Edit: “Rules,” not “Rating.” Sorry.)

Obviously I don’t know beans about flying, but I see many stories about inexperienced pilots who get disoriented flying through clouds, sometimes even to the point of flying upside-down. Aren’t there instruments on your control panel which tell you your speed, altitude, and orientation? How can you be plummeting towards the ground and not notice?

I hope this question isn’t so ignorant as to be insulting. I know flying is difficult and complicated and it’s easy to criticize from here on the ground. I wish I was skilled enough to know how to fly a plane. I just see many stories about accidents where inexperienced pilots seem to be making apparently ridiculous mistakes.

In: Other

Answer 1

It’s a good question and I agree that it’s hard to believe. I’m a flight instructor who can train people to fly IFR.

To ELI5, spin yourself around and around in an office chair until it feels normal. Then stop the chair and your head will spin and your eyes will go crazy. Now someone is there telling you that you are upright, not moving, and everything is normal. You don’t believe them, right? That’s what spatial disorientation is, and if you can’t figure it out quickly by trusting the instruments and knowing what to do to recover, you can rapidly break the airplane by putting too much stress on the wings.