Upset Prevention and Recovery Training and Instrument Flying

In the past, aerobatic or all-attitude maneuvering and instrument flying were often viewed as inhabiting opposite ends of the flying skills spectrum. One involved aggressive maneuvering with visual references, while the other involved minute corrections of a stable aircraft to keep needles aligned and the world in balance.
Recently, the FAA communicated that those two different skills may begin to merge a bit. Advisory Circular AC 61-138 released in July 2013 calls for a significant increase in requirements for Upset Prevent and Recovery Training for pilots receiving an Airline Transport Rating (ATP) through the new ATP Pilot Certification Training Program that came into existence August 1, 2014.
Specifically, the Advisory Circular states that ”A Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) study of 18 accidents and incidents resulting from a pilot loss of airplane state awareness determined that many accidents and incidents occurred when pilots did not have visual references available (i.e., instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) or night). In the past, unusual attitude training was commonly conducted in visual meteorological conditions (VMC), giving the pilot considerable advantage in determining the appropriate recovery. UPRT should include scenarios where visual references are not available.”
That is what we believe at APS, which is why our Professional Pilot Upset Recovery Training includes an Instrument Recovery Training flight profile in an airplane. Because APS utilizes all-attitude/all-envelope capable aerobatic certified aircraft our training scenarios can prepare you for the full range of events that you could encounter in flight.
Aerobatics or, more specifically all-attitude maneuvering can be helpful in improving manual handling skills, but is not conducted solely by instrument reference. For the safest and most effective UPRT, take the advice provided by the referenced Advisory Circular. Find a UPRT provider that can provide scenarios which train for recovery when visual references are not available, as we do here at APS.