Real Definition of IFR

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

Touchdown! Greaser!
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
Making the final push to check ride.....

I've come to the realization that IFR should be recast not as "Instrument Flight Rules" but "Information Flight Rules". So much to know, recall, apply.

I'm starting to feel like Kelly Bundy on the sports trivia episode where so much was crammed into her head, she forgot her name.

None the less... getting it done. And making sure to avoid the fish.

Airplane-Fish.jpg
 
Ah yes, I had the lasagna....you'll do fine and don't call me Shirley.
 
I often comment that instrument training is no more than 20% about flying. The other 80%+ is about rules and procedures necessary for operating in a system in which your deviations can have broad immediate effects.
 
You are at 9000'. Do you know what a "cleared Cruise, WPT 3000' " means?
 
coloradobluesky said:
You are at 9000'. Do you know what a "cleared Cruise, WPT 3000' " means?
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I don't, and I've flown Cruise clearances before.

The ones I've flown were phrased, "Cruise FL380 to the XYZ airport."

I received the clearence through ARINC over HF, though, so the full clearance was "ATC Clears [callsign] to Cruise FL380 to the [dest] airport, report arrival, read back."
 
Ok, how about "Cleared WPT, cruise 3000'" (is the order really all THAT critical, i dunno, maybe it is).
 
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I dunno if it is that critical either but I'm not sure there even is a Controller Handbook standard phraseology for issuing a cruise clearance that terminates at a waypoint other than the destination airport since by definition, a cruise clearance authorizes an approach at the destination.

If I were receiving a "partial" cruise clearance, personally I'd be expecting "Cruise 3,000 until WPT, then maintain (or expect).." to finish the instruction.
 
I've had ATC say "The approach is approved". I expected "cleared", but I knew what he meant.
 
Ha ha. Ok, I my error. I must have forgotten to take my protein pills that morning. Next time I will say "Do you know what a cruise clearance is?". Thing is, a lot of low time pilots don't.
 
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Good thing that they teach cruise clearances nowadays. Or at last I read about them in one smart book. Surprisingly, they are not too common. I haven't even heard of them until I started my IR training. And I had copied dozens of IFR clearances by then.

We all should just "cruise" for a cloudy burger one weekend.
 
coloradobluesky said:
Ha ha. Ok, I my error. I must have forgotten to take my protein pills that morning. Next time I will say "Do you know what a cruise clearance is?". Thing is, a lot of low time pilots don't.
Click to expand...

That would be a better question. I got that you were referencing a cruise clearance, but I couldn't work out what the rest was about. A better example would just be "cruise 9000."

I also know why you were asking the OP if he knew what they were. Cruise clearances, VFR On Top and ODPs are probably the least well understood procedures among newly minted IFR pilots. Thankfully, 2 of the 3 are relatively rare in the wild (although climbs to VFR on top can have great utility), and depending on the environment in which you fly, you can get away without knowing ODPs for most towered airports. Heaven help the poor bugger who gets cleared as filed from a non-towered airport, flies runway heading and hits terrain before ATC can even get him on radar.
 
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