Your excellent experience prompts me to ask this follow up question:
For the number of hours JFK Jr. had flown, is it odd that he didn’t yet have his instrument clearance? Would most pilots with similar hours have accomplished that certification by then?
Also, is there anything odd about the order he accomplished his training?
Any discrepancies/ oddities jump out at you?
Just pondering...
More than half of private pilots get their instrument rating but having the rating is only part of what’s needed. To remain current, a pilot must have performed and logged six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses using electronic navigational systems. Failure to maintain currency earns you six months grace period during which you cannot fly in IFR conditions. After that you’ll basically have to requalify with a full Instrument Proficiency Check.
Point is, instrument flying is serious business and takes not just training but practice and usage to become proficient, and many pilots choose to just fly VFR (and probably stay alive). I used to fly with a guy who had over 30,000 hours and pretty much knew how to fly IFR but never bothered to get the rating, and was probably a safer pilot as a result because he just didn’t have the situational awareness and focus needed.
Alot of private pilots only want to fly in perfect conditions, so they see no need for the expense of get instrument rated. Unfortunately weather changes and sometimes your destination drops below 1000/3 mile vis. If all you are doing is short flights, you could return home (if weather is good) or find a suitable spot nearby that meets the mins.
Looks like JFK Jr did most of his flying to the same place and was familiar with it. I can't imagine him not having the dough to get an instrument card, but you do have to practice for proficiency and instrument flying is kinda boring. Many pilots practice instruments during VFR @ day and night, but of course there are two pilots if the practicer is under 'the hood'. An additional expense if you don't have a similarly skilled bud to fly with and split the cost.
Also, is there anything odd about the order he accomplished his training?
He started, then came back some years later and banged out good time with an instructor @ Flight Safety Intl in Fla where he did about 10 hrs/month and most of it was with an instructor. If I had that kind of money I probably would have flown more, but then I wouldn't have been running for office either.
As defconw pointed out the media isn't trustworthy, but it was reported that he was intending to have another pilot (presumably an instructor) with him the night he crashed. Guy no-called/no-showed. That would be odd to me. But as I referenced earlier he (needed) to get to his destination and so he went, that is a prime example of The Road to Abilene thought process. Gets many pilots.