Assuming Command — VFR Mastery Scenario

Assuming Command

#91 | FEBRUARY 2026

The Tecnam P2010 sitting on the ramp caught your attention, and its owner offered you a deal. Come for a flight as safety pilot for some IFR practice on a beautiful day? You can even both log the time, he says. Off you go in the first new GA airplane you've ever experienced ... but the situation is getting increasingly uncomfortable as there seems to be way more traffic than you'd expect in the spot this pilot chose for practice. It's his airplane and you have no idea how this IFR practice works. That said, is this situation dicey enough for you to speak up?

Wally Moran

Wally Moran is a retired airline captain and spent much of his career as a training instructor and check airman on aircraft including the Boeing 747 and 767. He has held a flight instructor certificate for over 50 years. He is a former FAA DPE for airplanes from single engine to Multi-Engine ATP and gliders. Wally has been awarded the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and is designated a Master CFI by the National Association of Flight Instructors. In 2017 Wally was elected to the NAFI Flight Instructor’s Hall of Fame.