The Instrument Rating qualifies a pilot to fly under conditions of low ceilings and/or visability. In the northeastern United States, it is a virtual necessity for business and personal travel. We train pilots to be able to use an aircraft in all weather conditions for which it is certified. Therefore, we emphasize "real-world" conditions, with a goal of at least ten hours of actual IFR (flight in clouds) before the checkride. The 172RG is equipped with a Garmin 430, GPS, XM weather dats and Stormscope, facilitating training in weather decisionmaking and severe weather avoidance.