Student pilots are spoiled these days. With video services like YouTube and Vimeo, it’s possible to back-seat-fly with in all sorts of conditions and in all sorts of aircraft. That’s especially true for instrument flying, where the procedural stuff makes the difference between staying ahead of the plane, or getting bogged down.

So, here’s a look at 3 videos that every IFR student should check out…

Getting Set Up on Any Approach

The first video comes from Dick Rochfort, a master flight instructor who specializes in the PA-46 (aka Piper M-Class). Dick’s videos are phenomenal — I highly recommend checking out his YouTube channel — but this one takes the cake. In it, he breaks down a flow you can use to get set up on any instrument approach. I was lucky enough to find this video early in my instrument training, and I still use the flow today.

If you want to impress your examiner on an instrument checkride, use this flow and verbalize everything you’re doing.

Understanding Holding Patterns

The next video comes from the UND AeroCast. Nothing perplexes instrument students like holding pattern entries, and this video tutorial from UND’s well regarded flight school does a good job of explaining them.

A Real-World IFR Flight

Last up is a real-world IFR flight from start to finish. The video comes from Keith Smith, who heads up the excellent PilotEdge realistic ATC service for flight simulators. In the video, Keith flies his real life Lancair 360 from Allentown to Lincoln Park, NJ. This video is great for a couple of reasons — first, it shows a proficient pilot operating within the system in real IMC, and second, it shows what it’s like to fly a slick well-equipped experimental like a Lancair.

Hopefully, these three videos add to your flying toolbox, whether you’re working towards an IFR ticket in the future, or even if you already have one…