When To Go Visual

I had flown a full day with the new owner of a turbocharged Beech Bonanza, a recently retired airline pilot who also had been a U.S. Air Force tanker pilot. He was IFR proficient from the airline and wanted to focus on visual and hand-flying skills while orienting to his airplanes autopilot and avionics. He did a great job and got markedly more comfortable with the airplane as the day progressed. At the end of the day, I recommended he get more experience with the airplane before going IFR in it. We shook hands and I went to my office to complete my paperwork.

Tom Turner

Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots can leverage various visual flight techniques and clearances within an IFR environment, such as departing visually, flying VFR-on-top, or executing visual/contact approaches, to enhance efficiency and flexibility.
These strategies can expedite departures and arrivals, simplify climbouts, allow for more direct routing, or enable maneuvering to avoid weather or turbulence.
However, utilizing these visual options under an IFR clearance places increased responsibility on the pilot to maintain VFR minimums, ensure obstacle clearance, and manage associated risks effectively.

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I had flown a full day with the new owner of a turbocharged Beech Bonanza, a recently retired airline pilot who also had been a U.S. Air Force tanker pilot. He was IFR proficient from the airline and wanted to focus on visual and hand-flying skills while orienting to his airplane’s autopilot and avionics. He did a great job and got markedly more comfortable with the airplane as the day progressed. At the end of the day, I recommended he get more experience with the airplane before going IFR in it. We shook hands and I went to my office to complete my paperwork.

That evening I checked online to see if he got home okay. I noticed he had delayed quite some time before leaving, and that he had filed and flown IFR. Knowing his airplane was notorious for difficult hot starts, I emailed asking if he had trouble getting the airplane started. No, he had no trouble starting it the way we’d practiced, he replied. He had to wait a long time for his IFR release. That got me thinking about all the ways it can be advantageous to fly visually while on an IFR flight plan.