The Not-Quite-VMC Trap

As in the article, many airports are one approach at a time, either due to the nature of the approach, the terrain or radar coverage. In these cases, its considered courteous to cancel IFR as soon as you can so that anybody waiting behind you can begin their approach.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, November 05, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

At airports that can only handle one IFR approach at a time, it is courteous for pilots to cancel their IFR flight plan as soon as possible to allow other aircraft to begin their approach.
Instrument pilots must remember and adhere to VFR cloud clearance and visibility requirements (VMC) specified in 14 CFR 91.155 before cancelling an IFR flight plan in the air.
There is no "middle ground"; a pilot is either in IMC (requiring IFR) or VMC, and cancelling IFR prematurely without meeting VMC is illegal and unsafe.
The primary advice is to cancel IFR as soon as possible, but no sooner, always ensuring compliance with VMC regulations to prioritize legality and safety over courtesy.

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As in the article, many airports are one approach at a time, either due to the nature of the approach, the terrain or radar coverage. In these cases, it’s considered courteous to cancel IFR as soon as you can so that anybody waiting behind you can begin their approach.

To paraphrase a famous quote from Albert Einstein about keeping things simple, you should cancel as soon as possible—but no sooner.