Should I File an Initial Approach Fix?

After checking the weather, select an approach and file to an initial approach fix for it.

Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 10:03 AM ET

Verified

Check the weather and see what approaches are being supported by the conditions, then select an approach and file to an initial approach fix (IAF) for that approach. [Credit: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots should file an IFR flight plan to an Initial Approach Fix (IAF) for an anticipated approach, determined by checking weather and flow, rather than just the destination airport.
Filing to a specific IAF is crucial for ATC to protect your airspace, especially during lost communications (7600 squawk), as they expect you to proceed to the fix you filed to.
While ATC is not obligated to grant the requested approach, pilots can optionally adjust their filed en route time shorter by five minutes to potentially reduce waiting time for the approach.

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Question: I am working on my instrument rating, and I have a question about filing to another airport. One of the CFIIs I fly with told me to file to the airport but not a particular fix because it’s really up to ATC to decide what the pilot should do. Another CFII told me to check the weather, see what the flow is, and file to an initial approach fix for an approach in use. Who is correct?

Answer: I advocate checking the weather and seeing what approaches are being supported by the conditions, then select an approach and file to an Initial Approach Fix (IAF) for that approach.