IFH in plain English.
IFR fundamentals — attitude instrument flying, navigation systems, ATC procedures, holding, approaches (precision and non-precision), emergency operations.
The Instrument Flying Handbook (IFH) is published free by the FAA. As of 2026-08-02, The FAA handbooks index links FAA-H-8083-15B as the Instrument Flying Handbook. This index breaks that handbook into 52 named topics across 9 chapters so you can jump straight to a subject instead of scrolling a PDF. Not indexed here yet: Chapter 1 (The National Airspace System) and Chapter 7 (Airplane Basic Flight Maneuvers Using Analog Instrumentation).
Chapter numbers on this page follow FAA-H-8083-15B. Some topic URLs still carry a chapter number from an earlier edition — /handbook/ifh/5-gps-and-rnav-ifr is GPS and RNAV, which is Chapter 9 in the current handbook. The URL is a permanent address; the chapter heading is the current number.
Source: FAA handbooks index (FAA-H-8083-15B); date_retrieved: 2026-08-02.
IFH Chapter 2 · The Air Traffic Control System
5 topicsIFH Chapter 3 · Human Factors
4 topicsIFH Chapter 4 · Aerodynamic Factors
4 topicsIFH Chapter 5 · Flight Instruments
5 topicsIFH Chapter 6 · Airplane Attitude Instrument Flying Using Analog Instrumentation
6 topicsIFH Chapter 8 · Helicopter Attitude Instrument Flying
2 topicsIFH Chapter 9 · Navigation Systems
8 topicsIFH Chapter 10 · IFR Flight
11 topicsIFH Chapter 11 · Emergency Operations
4 topicsIFH · Building IFR Proficiency
3 topicsFAA-H-8083-15B has no chapter for instrument currency — it covers the instrument proficiency check in its front matter under “Maintaining the Instrument Rating”, and instrument training in Appendix B, “Instrument Training Lesson Guide”.
IFH FAQ
- What is the IFH (Instrument Flying Handbook)?
- The Instrument Flying Handbook is the FAA’s guide to instrument flight — human factors and spatial disorientation, flight instruments, attitude instrument flying, navigation systems, ATC clearances and IFR procedures, holding, approaches, and emergency operations. The FAA handbooks index links it as FAA-H-8083-15B.
- Which IFH chapter covers a given topic?
- Use the chapter list on this page: chapter numbers here follow FAA-H-8083-15B, so Chapter 1 is The National Airspace System, Chapter 3 is Human Factors, Chapter 5 is Flight Instruments, Chapter 9 is Navigation Systems, Chapter 10 is IFR Flight — which is where 15B keeps approach procedures, rather than in a separate approaches chapter — and Chapter 11 is Emergency Operations. Instrument currency and the instrument proficiency check are not a chapter at all in 15B: they sit in the front matter under “Maintaining the Instrument Rating”, with the training material in Appendix B.
- Is the IFH enough to prepare for the instrument rating?
- The IFH is the core knowledge reference, but the instrument rating also draws on the Instrument Procedures Handbook, the AIM, and Title 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91. The FAA Instrument Rating ACS lists exactly what a checkride can test.
- Where can I read the official Instrument Flying Handbook?
- The FAA publishes it free as a PDF from its Aviation Handbooks & Manuals page. Use this index to jump to one instrument-flying topic in plain English.