Archives: IFR Mastery Scenarios

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165. Making the Call at Kingston

Instructors
Doug Stewart

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 […]

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164. Anticipation Near Anaheim

Instructors
Mark Kolber

The flight is short and the weather is decent, but the airspace is unfamiliar and one of the busiest places to fly in the U.S. Flying IFR should simplify that. You find the right route and put it into the GPS. However, a tailwind after takeoff throws an unexpected curve into your plan.

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163. Kickapoo Cancellation Complications

Instructors
Tom Haines

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?

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162. Ely Departure

Instructors
Kevin Plante

One little problem at an inopportune moment is all it takes to turn a feasible plan into a snowballing emergency. Now you must evaluate the options in the little time available and commit to one at the expense of all others. How far off the standard playbook will you go to reach safety?

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161. Cleared Through Gateway

Instructors
John Krug

The National Airspace System works because hundreds of Centers, Approaches, and Control Towers coordinate traffic through their interlocking system of airspaces. When flying under VFR, you’re the lynchpin for this communication. Under IFR, it should be done for you. Sometimes, though, it’s not clear who’s responsible for handling the call. Is this one of them?

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160. Best Forward Speed

Instructors
Doug Stewart

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 […]

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159. Dummy in Duluth

Instructors
Mark Kolber

You never should have taken this flight, in this airplane, in this weather, in the first place. Next time you’ll do it differently—but now you must land soon enough to ensure there is a next time. How will you get this VFR-only airplane out of the weather when snowy approaches look like your only option?

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158. Heading Straight to Nashville?

Instructors
Elaine Kauh

It’s a perennial problem for pilots looking to gain experience, whether it’s new situations, new equipment, or entirely new sectors of aviation. And a logbook full of hours might not help. How do you decide if the challenge you’re facing is a good opportunity to expand your horizons—or an invitation to disaster?

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157. Tillamook Takeoff NA

Instructors
Bruce Williams

Departure procedures aren’t required under Part 91 unless mandated by ATC. However, it’s conventional wisdom that you should fly one when it exists. How far do you take that? Is it better to accept a questionable takeoff to fly the procedure or can you ignore it just because you deem it’s actually safer to do […]

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156. The TAA at Tillamook

Instructors
Catherine Cavagnaro

You’re the only airplane inbound and ATC has cut you loose to join the approach as you see fit. However, the more you review the approach chart the more complex it becomes. The simplest options will be the toughest to execute given the winds and descent, but the easier options might not be legit.

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155. Foggy Thinking

Instructors
Tom Haines

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.

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154. A Quick Hop to Birmingham

Instructors
JP Dice

There’s no reasoning with a thunderstorm. It goes where it wants to and you go elsewhere to wait it out. This time the thunderstorm is right over your airport, so the question becomes: Where do you wait? Should you do as the airliners are doing for this airport or make your own plan?

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