Instrument Flight Rules

In VFR Conditions: Squawk — 7600 Continue flight VFR at a VFR altitude (even in Class A airspace) and land as soon as practicable at the nearest suitable airport. Do not continue to your destination if there is a suitable airport for you to land at unless you’re just minutes from your original destination. Flying another […]

So there I was, wondering if the dark side of the moon was half this cold as I finished the preflight of my Cessna Caravan with the big FedEx logo painted on the side. It was winter in Bishop, California, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which runs down the back […]

Flying IFR is both easier and harder than flying VFR. A predetermined route gets you to your destination, and, as long as you follow your navigation aids correctly, you don’t have to worry about avoiding airspace, how to find the airport or how to enter the traffic pattern. There is no need to plan your […]

You are likely very aware that flying behind avionics you are not familiar with is not only frustrating but also a major barrier to safe flight, particularly if you are flying IFR. To help its customers take maximum advantage of all the features in its popular touch-screen navigators, flight display systems and integrated flight decks, […]

Sporty’s has updated its instrument proficiency check (IPC) program designed for pilots who need a refresher on instrument rules and procedures. The content of the two-hour program, which is available on multiple platforms, has been updated and expanded, and the instructional information is presented using a mixture of analog and glass instrument panels. Airshow announcer […]

If you need to learn or improve your IFR communications skills, Sporty’s has just released a video program available on DVD or as an iPad app. IFR Communications is an updated video series that showcases three separate flights through which you can experience scenarios first hand, as if you were in the cockpit. The program […]

The FAA has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that may allow some pilots to continue descending below 100 feet above the touchdown zone elevation (TZE) without seeing the runway environment. Generally pilots must abort the instrument approach and fly the missed approach procedure unless they can visually identify the runway environment at the […]

Marking the sixth major software update of the year, ForeFlight has introduced some great new features to the latest version of its Mobile flight app that received rave reviews from pilots at AirVenture last week — before the update was even available. The newest version, ForeFlight Mobile 5.3, can now overlay approach plates and airport […]

Certain circumstances make obtaining an airborne IFR clearance convenient and even necessary. Regardless of how a clearance is obtained, it will contain the same basic information, such as routing, clearance limit, altitude assignment, transponder code, etc. No matter the environment, be prepared to copy the clearance carefully, as you’ll be expected to read back and, […]

It’s not often a new craze sweeps the aviation nation, but over the past couple of years just such a phenomenon has taken hold at airports large and small across the country and, increasingly, around the world. The IMC Club is, just as it sounds, a club that provides a fertile ground for pilots to […]