What does a pilot rely on primarily during IFR conditions?

During IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) conditions, pilots primarily rely on navigation instruments and ATC (Air Traffic Control) guidance. This is crucial because IFR conditions typically involve limited visibility due to weather, clouds, or other factors that obstruct visual references outside the cockpit.

Under these circumstances, it is essential for pilots to utilize their aircraft's navigation instruments—such as the heading indicator, altimeter, attitude indicator, and GPS—to maintain control of the aircraft and ensure safe navigation. These instruments provide critical information about the aircraft's position, altitude, and orientation, allowing pilots to fly safely despite the inability to see outside.

Moreover, ATC plays a significant role during IFR operations by providing clearances, traffic advisories, and routing instructions to pilots. This guidance is essential for maintaining situational awareness and ensuring separation from other aircraft in the congested airspace.

While experience and intuition may assist a pilot in various flying scenarios, they are not dependable strategies for IFR flying, as the lack of visual references requires a reliance on the aircraft's instruments and external guidance from ATC. Visual references cannot be used effectively in IFR conditions, and while autopilot systems can support certain tasks, they cannot replace the comprehensive situational awareness required in instrument flying that necessitates active