Instrument Rating Checkride Practice Test

During an approach in low visibility, a pilot should prioritize trusting instruments and confirming settings. This is crucial because, in low-visibility conditions, external visual references are often unavailable or unreliable. The flight instruments provide vital information about the aircraft's position, altitude, airspeed, and course, which aid in maintaining safe flight operations.

Reliance on instruments becomes even more important when visual cues are limited. This means actively checking and cross-referencing the flight instruments to ensure they confirm the planned approach path and to monitor that the aircraft is configured correctly for landing. This focus on instrument readings helps prevent misunderstandings about the aircraft's state and position, reduces the chance of spatial disorientation, and enhances situational awareness in challenging conditions.

While automated systems can assist during the approach, complete reliance on them without continual cross-reference to the pilot's own instruments can be risky. Monitoring radio communication is also important for situational awareness and receiving essential information about the approach, but it should not take precedence over ensuring the aircraft is on the correct flight path and correctly configured. Visual references become secondary when the visibility is low, making instruments the most reliable source of information during this phase of flight.