IFR is a thinking game, and the authors emphasize ways of avoiding mental lapses that can turn simple difficulties into lethal crises:

• Making sure you’re fuel-safe when your destination is at minimums.
• Recognizing and thinking through the dangers of nighttime and circling approaches.
• Shifting strategies and tactics when the winds aloft misbehave.
• Avoiding the traps of the missed approach: before, during, and after.
• Choosing right when you’re number one for takeoff and a thunderstorm is approaching the field.
• Staying on top of equipment needs, quirks, and failures.