IFR flight plan

Testing Tuesday: VFR on Top

5 August 2014 by Andrew Hartley Leave a Comment

VFR on Top is a strange combination of an IFR clearance and a VFR clearance, where a pilot can climb through a layer of clouds and then continue a flight in VFR conditions, but still on an IFR flight plan. A pilot on a VFR on Top flight plan follows both VFR and IFR rules, such as maintaining an altitude at or above the minimum enroute altitude, but also at an appropriate 1000-foot increment plus 500 feet, and assuming responsibility for traffic avoidance.

But how do you obtain a VFR on Top clearance?

When can a VFR-On-Top clearance be assigned by ATC?

Only upon request of the pilot when conditions are indicated to be suitable.

Any time suitable conditions exist and ATC wishes to expedite traffic flow.

When VFR conditions exist, but there is a layer of clouds below the MEA.

Click here to display the answer…

Andrew Hartley is a certificated flight instructor and commercial pilot in Columbus, OH.

Testing Tuesday: IFR Lost Communication Procedures

24 June 2014 by Andrew Hartley Leave a Comment

Losing communication capabilities is nerve-wracking in VFR conditions, but is relatively straight-forward if you can see where you are going, even if where you are going is controlled airspace – though under VFR you can very easily go to a non-towered airport without talking to anyone and no one would really even know the difference (you might annoy other pilots in the pattern, but you would be perfectly legal). Towered airports can still communicate with you via light signal – you do have those light signals memorized for the checkride right? And if you are post-checkride, you have a cheatsheet on your kneeboard or pasted to your instrument panel, correct?

That said, under IFR, lost communication is a situation that might require a change of underwear upon reaching your destination – how the heck are you supposed to know what you are expected to do if air traffic control can’t give you vectors and altitudes?

This Testing Tuesday, we have a question that you will definitely hear on your IFR checkride’s oral exam:

What are you expected to do on an instrument flight when two-way communications has been lost?

Click here to display the answer…

This somewhat depends on the situation:

ALWAYS: Squawk 7600 on the transponder, and continue to transmit in case your radios still work outbound, you just can’t hear anything coming in. Don’t forget to troubleshoot – volume knob, intercom squelch, etc. Assuming you have a real radio failure and you are in an actual lost communication situation:

1) If you are in visual meteorological conditions (VMC), or if you encounter “good” VMC along the way, you should maintain VFR and land as soon as practical.

2) If you are in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), you need to think about two things – ROUTE and ALTITUDE:

ROUTE:

The route last assigned by ATC (or the route ATC has told you to expect in a further clearance)
If you are being radar vectored, use a direct route from the point of radio failure to the fix, route,
or airway specified in the vector clearance.
If you have not been assigned or told to expect a route by ATC, then fly the route you filed in your IFR flight plan.

ALTITUDE:
Fly the highest of:

ATC assigned altitude
altitude ATC has advised you may expect in a further clearance
minimum enroute altitude (MEA) for the route segment being flown

So that covers the enroute phase of the flight – what if you are in a hold (or have received a clearance limit) when the lost communication situation occurs?

Continue holding (or hold at the clearance limit), and leave the hold/clearance limit at the expect further clearance (EFC) time. You did get and make note of the EFC time, right? Adjust your last circuit of the holding pattern to arrive at the holding fix and be able to depart the hold as close to the EFC time as possible. If the hold was enroute, continue the flight using the above route and altitude procedures.

Fantastic. Now how do I know I am cleared for the approach in a lost communication situation?

ATC will expect that you will begin the approach at or after the estimated time of arrival (ETA) you filed on your flight plan (or as amended with ATC when you were still in communication with them). If you arrive at a fix to begin the approach before your filed ETA, hold as published on the approach procedure until the ETA – and again, plan to depart the hold (and begin the approach) as close to the ETA as possible.

If no hold is depicted on the approach chart, hold at the initial approach fix (IAF), AND MAINTAIN THE ENROUTE ALTITUDE until you are able to start the approach at your filed/amended ETA. Plan your descent and departure from the hold to begin the approach procedure as close as possible to the ETA. You may have received an expect approach clearance (EAC) time. If this is the case, use this time instead of your filed/amended ETA as the time to begin your approach.

RESOURCES:

Andrew Hartley is a certificated flight instructor and commercial pilot in Columbus, Ohio.

Testing Tuesday: IFR Flight Plans

17 June 2014 by Andrew Hartley Leave a Comment

Smart Flight Training posts a question (and an answer) you might find on an FAA Knowledge Test or during the oral portion of a checkride each Tuesday.

Today’s question is about IFR flight plans and when they are required.

When is an IFR flight plan required?

When less than VFR conditions exist in either class E or class G airspace and in class A airspace.

In all class E airspace when conditions are below VFR, in class A airspace, and in defense zone airspace.

In class E airspace when IMC exists or in class A airspace.

Click here to display the answer…

Andrew Hartley is a certificated flight instructor and commercial pilot in Columbus, Ohio.