Offering IMC/VMC Club Programming

This is the first in a series of articles highlighting each of the 10 criteria considered when determining chapter recognition scores. See more information on the chapter recognition program ›

March 2021 – One of the things people enjoy most about chapters is the social component, which almost always includes some "hangar flying." Sharing flying experiences with each other is something that happens naturally whenever you get a group of pilots together. While it tends to have its share of good-natured exaggeration and bragging, there is also much wisdom and insight to be gained from such conversations as pilots talk through and debate the pros and cons of decisions made in various circumstances.

VMC and IMC Clubs take the hangar flying concept and organize it into regular meetings where a real-world scenario is presented and those in attendance are given the opportunity to discuss what decision they would make at various points along the way. It is predicated on the understanding that there are not always right or wrong answers for each situation, encouraging open discussion of many possibilities.

The IMC Club's purpose is to promote instrument flying, proficiency, and safety through monthly meetings that allow pilots to network and share their knowledge and experiences. The intent is to create a community of pilots willing to share information, provide recognition, foster communications, promote safety, and build proficiency in instrument flying. The VMC Club is modeled after the IMC Club concept but for pilots who are not instrument-rated and fly primarily under visual flight rules and under VMC.

If your chapter is interested in starting an IMC or VMC Club, you will need to select someone to be the IMC or VMC coordinator. Their role is simply to select a scenario from a library of video archives and then to facilitate the meetings. If your chapter decides to offer both IMC and VMC programming, one person can fill both positions. Next, select a time to meet each month. Because it is an offering directed specifically toward those who are pilots or pilots-to-be, we suggest that you keep this separate from your usual chapter gathering. If your chapter decides to have both IMC and VMC Clubs, you could alternate each time between IMC and VMC scenarios. You will need to have a CFI present for VMC Clubs meetings and a CFI-I present during IMC meetings to assist in keeping the discussion on track and to provide an accountability check on alignment with the FARs.

For more information on how your chapter can form and IMC and/or VMC Club, please visit:

IMC Club  |  VMC Club

Addition of an IMC and/or VMC Club to your chapter's offerings is a simple way to add a point to your recognition score for this year but it is so much more than that. It is an opportunity to get together and learn from your fellow pilots, improve safety and proficiency, share your experiences, and have a ton of fun doing it!