Archives: IFR Mastery Scenarios

After a lumpy trip in IMC, you discover the destination weather is worse than predicted. Your planned approach is now an iffy choice, and the other options all have their drawbacks. Any of the approaches theoretically work on paper. The question is: Which will you try first in practice? 

In theory, it’s a binary decision: You complete the approach to a landing or you go missed. In practice, however, there are times when commencing the missed puts you in a position where you could just come around the pattern and land. But when is that smart, and when is that just asking for trouble?

It’s been a simple IFR flight on a VMC morning. Now you’re approaching a destination that’s frustratingly hard to pick out given the suburban landscape and the just risen sun in your eyes. The distance is ticking down, ATC is getting impatient, and the nearby Class B limits your options to maneuver.

Automation has changed the face of our flying—mostly for the better. The faster and higher you fly, the more this can pay off. However, avionics procedures that work flawlessly when everything goes as expected can turn the best of plans into a high-stakes juggling show. How will you keep all the balls in the air […]

The conventional wisdom for many pilots flying ILS approaches was to simply convert to a localizer-only approach if the glideslope didn’t behave as expected. Is there an equivalent for an RNAV LPV? And if so, how much time is enough to change the plan on an approach in actual conditions?

Low clouds, small runway, slick airplane … this sounds like an NTSB report waiting to happen. Then again, you have the skill, the fuel, and the time to make a well-executed attempt with no pressure to make it work out. And you have several backup choices. Stick with the plan or bail out now?

Pilots in the digital age will tell you that avionics proficiency can erode even faster than an instrument scan. How will you handle a canceled clearance with a last-minute hold when you know at least three different ways to accomplish the task? Can you make the magic box behave in time?

One of the pillars of instrument training is trusting your equipment while also verifying the data it presents. That’s fine when there’s a third datapoint to break the tie. But what do you do when your only two navigation sources show a slight discrepancy—but it’s at the end of an approach where every foot matters?

Dogs make great passengers. They don’t care about the schedule. They don’t talk when ATC calls. And they don’t worry when you’re puzzling through an issue. That’s a plus as you try and decide which approach is best to get you and a pooch into the airport—or if you should even try an approach at […]

Chart prohibitions are there for a reason and regulations, so they say, are written in blood. That’s fine until the prohibitions and the regulations conflict with each other, and neither one seems to be an issue of safety. Do you cancel, circle, or continue under IFR to finish a flight at a basically VMC destination?

Every instrument pilot ends up here sooner or later: You thought there was time to slow down before the go down—and it didn’t work out. Now you’re behind the eight-ball and above the V-speeds to get stuff out and slow down. Is there a sure way to fix this that’s not salvaging an already unstable […]

A delightful night flight home turns into a surprise missed approach only seconds from landing. Now back above the unforecast—and widespread—fog, you’re fat on fuel but short on options with the clock already passing midnight. You’ll have to balance between longer time in the air and making the next landing attempt a sure thing.

Weather and alternate airport options required calculating your fuel down to the minute. Now you’re airborne and your destination is a weak bet at best. If you swing and miss, you’ll have a choice between a legal option that’s no sure thing and a safe one that’s on the wrong side of the regs.

The whole point of instrument proficiency training is keeping yourself ready for the days when you must actually fly in the clouds. However, months—or even years—can go by where circumstances prevent flight in actual IMC. How much can you rely on simulators, videos, and other training aids to ensure a flight in real clouds won’t […]

The motto for instrument approach design might be “safety through structure.” You’re now facing an approach where the most structured option is the least likely to succeed. Is that still the best choice, or is one of three less restrictive options the best for reaching the runway without hitting the rocks?

Instrument pilots should assume the approach will end in a missed approach until a landing is assured. At the same time, all pilots should conduct a go-around—even into the flare—if the landing goes poorly. So what happens when your go-around requires a missed approach that should have started two miles behind you?

What will you prioritize: Chart notes that seem pointless (and are perhaps even wrong), or your personal preference for an approach procedure? Does it matter that the legal answer might be more personally hazardous? Does it matter that doing it the “right” way means an even longer flight to finish the day?

You’re loving the upgraded avionics you use every day for work as a cargo pilot—until the GPS throws an error message you’ve never seen before. Suddenly, a successful approach is in doubt. With no time to troubleshoot and ceilings just above minimums, can you find a solution or must you give up on the mission?

The flight was planned in a narrow zone above the MEAs but below the icing. That zone dwindles to zero just as the destination comes in reach, but you aren’t ATC’s priority. Then a controller offers you exactly what you want. Now you must ask yourself: Is it what you need? 

You’re keeping your speed up until final at a busy Class B airport. Then ATC throws you a curveball: a visual approach to a crossing runway. You swing a tight downwind, base and final—only to go back in the clouds. But there’s no missed approach from a visual, so what will you do?

With mountains below and icing above, you already have a narrow envelope for finishing this flight. Then a GPS issue leaves you with only four airports available for an approach—each of which lies in a different direction. How will you choose knowing that once you make the call you’re committed and there’s little leeway for […]

GPS has enabled approaches at far more airports than ever before. But with over 5000 public use airports in the U.S. alone, there will always be times when the weather demands IFR and your destination has no instrument approach. Can you “borrow” an approach from a nearby airport without breaking the rules or an airplane?

It’s a cold and snowy approach to Boise, Idaho. All is going well until your altimeter disagrees with your glideslope indications. You’re used to making cold-weather corrections, but none are needed for this approach. Do you continue on faith, adjust your minimums, or give up even though your business future is on the line?

Circling approaches have their place—and this time that place is between a rock and something hard. Visibility is restricted, so by the time you see the airport, if you fly this as published, you’ll be hot and high. But the terrain and traffic limit other options. What’s the best way to resolve this conundrum?

At the end of a long flight, you just want to land, but a trainee controller and instrument practice traffic have created the perfect storm—and you’ve just been cleared directly into it. Can you trust a controller who’s already made an operational error, or will you violate an FAR because you believe it will avoid […]

Professional flying means rolling with the changes thrown your way. However, a last-minute route change has you scratching your head, while the passengers in the back twiddle their thumbs. The simplest solution makes things harder for you, but the safest one could be a challenge on your equipment. How will you get this flight underway?

Every pilot has been there: A need to drain a certain personal sump and a choice between holding it or diverting for a pit stop. However, this diversion is in IMC and the best approach includes a requirement you can’t meet, but certainly won’t need. Will you go for it … or just go later?

A quick day trip to a national monument throws you a curve when the GPS signal is lost. What will you do when your only navigation source takes the afternoon off?

Your hotrod airplane has the latest GPS navigator, but that opens the door to procedures you’ve never seen before. How will you handle an approach in IMC when it contains something you’ve never practiced? Think fast; at your current groundspeed, the decision will be made for you in 20 seconds.

Who thought a busted heater could create an IFR dilemma? But that’s exactly what’s happens with your family high over the western mountains in IMC. You have few options and none are ideal. What will you choose?

It’s a dark and chilly autumn night with your family in the back as you approach the seaside airport your plane calls home. You’re faced with a dilemma: Accept a few minutes flying low and over the water on approach, or divert only for fear of something so unlikely, it’s hardly ever considered.

After a challenging series of practice approaches, you return to your home airport to find that winds and traffic seem completely different than ADS-B weather led you to expect. In fact, it seems aircraft are popping up out of nowhere, busting VFR minimums, and landing the wrong way. What now?

It’s a crystal clear night as you descend for Santa Maria, California on an IFR flight plan. You’re feeling secure and ahead of the airplane until ATC throws you a curveball that puts everything into question: They say you’re low, even though your centered on the approach and PAPI. How can this be?

Since getting your instrument rating, you’ve been steadily honing your skills–and lowering your personal minimums. Now you’re faced with an approach that’s below your current personal minimums, but above the minimums you were planning on going to. Will you give yourself a “field promotion”?

Modern avionics improve safety with both advanced guidance and built-in warnings. What do you do when the guidance says you’re spot-on and safe but the warning says you’d better change plans and fast? This approach to Sidney, NY has you stumped and you have only seconds to figure it out.

It’s a rare day when dozens of VFR aircraft complicate an instrument approach to minimums, but that’s exactly what’s happening as you try to visit the Greenville International Seaplane Fly-In. Is there a way to end this flight safely, or is it simply time to call it quits? The decision is up to you.

Not everyone can afford a glass panel in their aircraft, but the iPad revolution means anyone can have a moving map and backup attitude indicator for less money than a new TV. Having that backup is one thing, but using it in place of an instrument during an emergency is something else.

iPads and other EFB devices have become increasingly popular in the cockpit with the incredible situational awareness and detailed information they provide. But when something goes wrong on an IFR flight you make frequently, does your iPad help you or hurt you?

It sounded perfect for building your IFR confidence: 1000-foot ceilings and stable clouds with a mission to bring your daughter home from a commercial airport to your home town. Now you’re on approach in IMC without an instructor on board–and the instrument indications don’t make sense.

A chance to ferry a plane for your local FBO and build up some free flight hours goes well until you approach the destination airport to find fog is rapidly closing in. You realize there are several legal options that will allow you to complete this flight. But of those items, what’s still safe?

You’re maneuvering your airplane to land during the final stages of a circling approach. Add low weather conditions, nervous passengers, and a few other minor distractions to the mix and the risk is quickly cranked up. Will this be straightforward, or a seriously challenging maneuver?

You have a new glass-panel airplane, but you’re not instrument current or proficient using the new equipment. You are planning an important business trip and might need to fly IFR. A local CFI whom you’ve never flown with offers to make the trip with you. It seems like a good idea, until you get into […]

Failures are never good, but the worst place is in the last stage of the approach—especially when you can’t do anything to fix it. Ride along as John Krug presents a scenario based on a real situation that happened to him. Nothing is off limits when the stuff hits the fan.

After a long cross country trip, you are faced with the prospect of making an approach to minimums with deteriorating weather and strong turbulence. To make matters worse, you’re attempting the approach at night after a long day of flying. How will you make a rough day end well?

When you’re offered Super Bowl tickets on the morning of the big game, owning your own airplane means you can fly yourself and a friend to Dallas in plenty of time to make the kickoff. Everything is perfect, except for the weather. Now you’ll have to make some tricky decisions. See you at the game?

Sometimes the best choice is not so obvious, and each option creates unique challenges. This is a real-world situation and your evaluation and decision making can make the difference between an uneventful approach and a hazardous one. How will your decisions play out?