Elaine is a professional pilot, Master Instructor, aviation writer and an active speaker at safety seminars, where she enjoys meeting pilots to talk about all things flying. As a skilled instrument instructor, she specializes in emergency procedures while helping aviators sharpen their skills. Her other specialties include tailwheel, CFI stall-spin and high-performance endorsements.
The ability to take off into the clouds is a great use of instrument privileges. As with any phase of flight, departures are made safer by knowing the risks. Those include spatial disorientation, which can be managed well with the knowledge and skills you need for “logging actual.”
Thunderstorms don’t always follow the forecast, and a traditional IFR alternate may not be enough when plans change quickly. In this article, Elaine Kauh introduces the concept of “safe havens”—a more flexible way to think about diversions that prioritizes options, fuel, and reduced stress in the cockpit.
Even when you’re flying IFR, airspace still matters. From hidden Class D boundaries to surprise speed limits and VFR traffic in Class G, staying aware of the airspace around you is key to safe instrument flying. In this article, professional pilot and instructor Elaine Kauh explains why.
Staying IFR current doesn’t guarantee proficiency. This article explains how to flip the script—putting proficiency first so currency takes care of itself, without the stress of constant IPCs.
Your personal minimums aren’t just numbers on a checklist—they’re dynamic limits that should evolve as your skills and experience do. In this month’s IFR Focus, Master Instructor Elaine Kauh rethinks the idea of “personal minimums” as personal operating ranges, complete with red lines, yellow arcs, and moving needles. It’s a fresh, practical look at how to monitor proficiency and manage IFR risk.
How far you’re willing to go in shifting headings, altitudes and destinations is ultimately a PIC decision, and that can include not just one, but a number of changes. Having an early assessment to prepare for possible changes helps frame the overall strategy to avoid bad weather. That way, you’re ready. So when a flight ends with the feeling you were prepared, you won’t regret going in the first place.
There’s a lot to keep track of when nearing the initial approach fix or that last vector-to-final. Along with all those numbers for altitudes and courses to fly the procedure, you have things to do to the airplane—like adding flaps and adjusting power. It’s all part of what makes the approach a high-workload phase, so anything to help you get ready before it gets busy is a good idea. And that means being ready for anything. Enter the approach briefing.
