Hard IFR?

摘要

Pull up a digital copy of the FAA's regulations and search for "hard IFR." Can't find it anywhere in the FARs, can you? That's because it's one of those terms that everybody understands on one level but really can't agree on a definition for. It's a popular term though: you'll hear it from instructors, hangar-flying sages and avionics shops, all of whom have different motivations. Like Justice Potter Stewart, they know it when they see it. Of course, calling something "hard" implies it's difficult. Or maybe it's just solid and resists penetration. When it comes to denning "hard IFR," both concepts can apply at the same time.