How to Choose the Best Alternate Airport for Your IFR Flight: A Pilot’s Guide

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Keep an eye on the weather as you approach the destination, using both ADS-B datalink weather, and by tuning in the local ATIS/AWOS on the radio. If it looks like the weather will be near the minimums for the approach, it is time to start thinking about what the best alternate airport will be based on the current weather. If it still looks like the planned alternate is the best option, go for it.

PilotWorkshops’ Guide to Visual Approaches for IFR Pilots

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Controllers need at least 500 feet cloud clearance above the MVA to vector an aircraft on a visual. There are workarounds. A controller can drive someone on a downwind for a published approach — that’s not a vector for a visual — but know they’ll likely report the field in sight and can hop off on a visual. Remember, if you’re cleared for a published approach, you can’t spontaneously switch to a visual.

RNAV Circling Approach and Procedure Turn at Cecil, FL – Sporty’s IFR Insights with Spencer Suderman

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In this episode, ride along with Spencer in a G1000-equipped Cessna 172 as he flies a full RNAV circle-to-land approach with a holding pattern course reversal into Cecil, Florida.

TAA Instrument Approaches: How to Navigate Terminal Arrival Areas

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The Terminal Arrival Area (TAA) approach is designed to provide a transition from the IFR enroute segment to the approach environment with little required interaction between the pilot and air traffic control (ATC). This is accomplished by publishing operationally usable altitudes in lieu of a traditional minimum safe altitude (MSA) altitude defined within a circular sector.
CHOOSING AN IFR ALTERNATE

How to Choose the Best Alternate Airport: A Guide for Instrument Pilots

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One of the most important skills pilots learn during flight training is sound decision-making. Every flight, regardless of the complexity of the airplane or the distance of the trip, is comprised of a continuous series of decisions involving a host of variables that the pilot must make in order to safely get from point A to point B.

Video Tip: How to fly an LPV (GPS) approach with a Garmin GTN 650

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LPV instrument approaches provide ILS-like precision to over 4,000 runways in the U.S. In this week's video tip, we'll explain the differences between a traditional LNAV and LPV instrument approach, and show how to fly one using a Garmin GTN 650 navigator.

IFR challenge from Pilot Workshops: What would you do?

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In this PilotWorkshops IFR Mastery scenario, you own a Beech Sundowner equipped with upgraded instruments, an IFR GPS and an autopilot. The Sundowner will take you, your spouse and a family friend from Abilene, Texas (KABI) to McAlester, Oklahoma (KMLC). On approach to your destination, you execute a missed approach in low IFR conditions. Should you try this approach again or cut your losses and head to the alternate?

ILS approach with Spencer Suderman to Jacksonville Int’l

The Instrument Landing System (ILS) is a precision approach that provides instrument pilots with both lateral and vertical guidance to a runway. In this video, Spencer Suderman demonstrates what it's like to fly an ILS in a Cessna 172 with a Garmin G1000 avionics system, and how to use the runway approach lighting system to descend below the decision altitude and find the runway when the ceiling is less than 200' AGL.

Choosing an IFR arrival procedure (STAR) — Advanced IFR, by Pilot Workshops

STARs may have mandatory speeds and/or crossing altitudes published. Other STARs may have planning information depicted to inform pilots what clearances or restrictions to “expect.” Learn to the nuances of selecting an appropriate STAR from Pilot Workshops.

Instrument Flying (IFR) FAQs – top questions this week

Sporty's CFI team is answering a series of IFR-related questions, or FAQs. Questions are answered daily on the IFR Month homepage.