Practical tips, scenarios, and tools for IFR pilots : IFR Focus

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ODP Versus VCOA (Visual Climb Over Airport)

July 15, 2026

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Every airport that has a published instrument approach has also been surveyed for departures. It’s assumed that an aircraft will cross the departure end of the runway (DER) at 35 feet AGL, and climb to 400 feet AGL on runway heading, with a climb gradient of 200 feet per NM.

Webinar Video: Understanding Vertical Guidance on IFR Approaches with Bruce Williams

July 13, 2026

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Join instructor instructor and IFR Focus contributing author Bruce Williams as he explains the three primary types of vertical guidance used on today's IFR approaches.

New IFR Mastery Scenario: Which Risk Will You Accept?

July 10, 2026

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After an easy VFR flight to Oregon, the return trip home presents a very different picture. Marginal weather has moved in, headwinds have picked up, and every available route comes with tradeoffs. Do you fly direct over the mountains? Follow the airways? Take a longer route with better weather but more challenging terrain? Or simply wait another day?

Into the Clouds: Hazards in Your Head

July 7, 2026

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The ability to take off into the clouds is a great use of instrument privileges. As with any phase of flight, departures are made safer by knowing the risks. Those include spatial disorientation, which can be managed well with the knowledge and skills you need for "logging actual."

The Checkride Was the Easy Part: Moving Beyond Certification to Operational Mastery

June 30, 2026

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A checkride demonstrates proficiency under evaluation standards. Real-world flying requires pilots to apply those same skills while managing changing weather, passenger expectations, operational pressures, unfamiliar airports, and evolving ATC clearances. This boundary between demonstrated proficiency and operational proficiency is where some of aviation's most valuable learning occurs.

What Lies Beneath the MDA

June 25, 2026

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Continuous descent final approaches have been a staple in professional flying for a long time. They have proven safer and easier to manage than the old-fashioned, dive-and-drive method of flying a non-precision approach. This technique manifests in general aviation avionics as the +V advisory glidepaths for non-precision approaches.

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