I’m currently on an around-the-world trip, and something came up that I did not know the answer to.
Based on weather reports, I decided to try a flight VFR. Unfortunately, the weather report was wrong. I’d planned on flying low out of the departure area and climb to cruise altitude when the cloud cover broke as reported.
That didn’t happen. So, I’m stuck at 3500 ft, and I don’t have enough fuel to make the whole trip. Couldn’t find a way to file IFR mid-trip. Is that a thing in RL? Being unable to do so, I either had to break my rules for the trip or cut it short.
Can you file IFR midflight in RL? Or, assuming an instrument rating, does flight following permit deviation from VFR rules even though you’ve filed under VFR. What would a pilot do in such a situation?
It’s technically possible to file an IFR flight plan midflight in case of emergency. It’s not how you’re supposed to do because your flight plan won’t be processed as it’s supposed to be and a lot of details will be missing, but it’s technically possible and ATC can do it.
So to sum up : it’s forbidden but technically possible. I can’t think of a good reason why an ATC would accept this from a pilot, but it happens for techjnical reasons (the initial flight plan got lost in a computer somewhere, and the fastest solution is to create another one from scratch).
In that case, you have filed a flight plan before departing, you just activate it in flight.
Flight plans need to be processed through numerous systems to check its conformity, allocate slots, etc… When ATC directly files a flight plan, many of these systems are shunted.
Not really. VFR and IFR are such different systems. A prudent IFR-rated pilot who flies an IFR rated plane would only fly VFR if he is sure that the weather is fine.
IFR is much more professional, VFR is mainly for leisure flights. You don’t mix both unless you have no choice.
You can’t start VFR, and choose mid-flight to switch. If you planed a VFR flight and the weather becomes bad, you divert or turn back. If you planed an IFR flight, you take-off IFR.
That makes sense. It’s easy to be cavelier in a flight sim, but with real lives on the line I’m sure a VFR cross-country is planned very carefully with respect to weather.
I’ll have to ask a pilot friend who does a lot of that kind of flying how he approaches it. I remember him saying how much he hates flying IFR because you lose so much freedom.
Honestly, in MSFS I just always fly IFR, but I can also ignore ATC without repercussions!
IFR flying is much easier in real life, controllers are generally more understanding and hand-holding, and very flexible. Plus they don’t fly you into mountains.
How do I approach flying? Well, check the weather. If it’s clear and I’m feeling low and slow, VFR. Otherwise, if I can file IFR, why not? Always helps to have someone looking out for me anyways.
EDIT: forgot to add; if the weather is good on arrival, I’d cancel IFR when in range and continue on a VFR flight plan. If not, then I’ll conduct an instrument approach.
In your situation, a realistic behaviour would have been to divert to the nearest airport, and file an IFR flight plan.
You’re perfectly right : IFR means a secure, planned flight, but highly influenced by ATC (slots and all sorts of regulations) and without any freedom (no you can’t turn around this beautiful little lake to see it better).
In Europe at least, ATC are urged never to accept any flight plan (or significant modification) which hasn’t gone through the whole validation process. That’s because a lot of control sectors are often at full capacity*, so if you accept another plane, maybe that’s not a problem for you, but that will become one for the next controller.
The only exception I can think of is approach controllers who can allow an “IFR-like approach”, for training, when they are not too crowded.
And, I imagine, a RL pilot would almost never take off VFR for a 500 nm flight in a Caravan. Fuel is free to me, and I suppose if I wanted to stay VFR I could have just magically dumped more fuel in the plane and stayed at 3500 for the whole flight.
I’d guess close to 100% of flights like this in planes that want to be at FL100 are flown IFR regardless of weather.
Regulations in Canada require a minimum half hour of fuel on arrival. Some flying clubs specify a minimum of 1 hour as an additional measure.
Most VFR pilots will take as much as they can without being overweight on takeoff, and if they think their reserves will be fairly low they’ll plan a fuel stop anyways. It depends on one’s flying style though.
But long range VFR still exists and can be done up to FL195 in Europe (generally much lower because 99% of leisure planes use piston engines).
In France (in Europe ?), you’re not supposed to land from a cross-country flight with less than 30 minutes worth of fuel. The rules are a bit fuzzy for VFR flights, they mainly determine that you’re guilty if you run out of fuel.
You have to take into account : your route, the wind, enough fuel for an alternate airfield FROM YOUR DESTINATION, “any situation likely to change your fuel consumption”. A lot of pilots translate these rules in “take-off with full tanks, and don’t be too optimistic”.
Any pilot is taught to make a flight plan and file accordingly. Even if it’s a local VFR.
You need to select an alternate, have sufficient fuel for your flight + fuel to go to the alternate + 45 mins reserve + any contingency…
Airmanship is not about vfr or ifr. Is about thinking ahead of everything possible.
Of course, in RL what happened to me would be a rare thing anyway. I’m using REX, and all the airports enroute showed clear skies, with maybe the first 25 nm under a ceiling at 9000. As it turned out, it was IFR conditions from 5000-11000 all the way. Sure, strange things happen with weather, but not this I think on a 2 1/2 hour flight.
No idea how things are done in the UK or Europe, but in Canada, unless something has changed radically, air files, both VFR and IFR are relatively common, due to the extreme size of sparsely populated areas.
I have often been at locations where the forecast weather was VFR for the time I was to be there, but the only way to get weather reporting was when we were in the air. There were plenty of times we expected good weather heading back to civilization but in the north that can change quickly. Usually we would depart VFR (sometimes not, don’t try that anywhere except class G) and when we could make contact with center we would file as required to home. More than once we needed to transition to IFR to get through squall lines or to climb above unexpected freezing precip.
In general all the same information would need to be communicated as when you filed at flight services. I always kept a copy of the plan form in my flight bag so you wouldn’t miss anything when air filing. If in class G airspace things are pretty simple but you need to give Center enough notice to get your IFR clearances into controlled airspace unless you want to find yourself holding over a VOR somewhere.
ATC in Canada is generally pretty accommodating but I wouldn’t make a habit of throwing extra workload at them approaching the YVR/YYJ airspace at 4pm. In busy environs I would make a point of planning ahead.
Hmm, maybe my experience wasn’t too far off then. As it happens, I was departing from MI right off the southern lakeshore and headed to the middle of nowhere, Quebec.
This part of the world flight should be interesting this time of year with live weather. I’m already far enough north that the Skyvector maps basically show nothing but lakes and rivers. Think I’ll just file IFR from here on out!
