Test Your Knowledge with This IFR Acronyms Quiz

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Can you define all these IFR aviation acronyms?

8 IFR SOPs That Could Save Your Life

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Do you fly with SOPs? Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are commonly used in the corporate and airline flying world as a way of formalizing the do's and don'ts of a flight department and making sure every pilot follows the same procedures. I'm generally suspicious of SOPs in life, because they limit your ability to be flexible and react creatively to life's inevitable changes (we all like our freedom). But when it comes to IFR flying, I believe SOPs are a critical safety tool.

Video Tip: Filing an IFR Flight Plan? Here’s What Matters Most to ATC

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Most of the information filed in an IFR flight plan is based on weather forecasts that are released well before your wheels ever leave the ground. Here's a look at what parts of the flight plan actually matter to ATC so that you know how to react if and when the weather conditions don't match the forecast.

Welcome to IFR Focus: Sharpen Your Skills, Master the System

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IFR Focus is a new destination dedicated entirely to the art and science of flying in the system. Whether you’re an experienced IFR pilot looking to stay sharp or a student climbing toward that checkride, you’ll find practical content here to help you fly safer, smoother, and smarter.

How to set up aircraft equipment codes in aviation apps to file IFR flight plans

Filing a VFR or IFR flight plan today is a breeze when using an aviation app like ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot, since the File function is integrated right into both apps' standard flight planning features. The one area related to this, which can be slightly confusing though, is entering all the correct aircraft equipment codes when you go to file.

Sporty’s Instrument Rating Course: New AI Tools & 2025 Course Updates

Sporty’s Instrument Rating Course available in the Pilot Training app has helped tens of thousands of pilots earn their rating. The platform has grown considerably since it first launched and is known for its fast pace of innovation, bringing new content, new training tools, and technological enhancements every year.

Browse our Free Scholarship Directory

Sporty's Academy, our on-site flight school, is a premier Pilot Training Center located at the Clermont County Airport in the eastern suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. We welcome students from all over the world who are looking for the finest instrument training experience.

Practical IFR: Practice Approaches

The two best things you can do are making practice a habit and upping the stakes. The first part is pretty simple: Set a recurring day, say the second Saturday of each month, when you and a friend or two go bore holes in the IFR system for practice. Three people are better because two get to watch while one flies, and there’s still a party if one of the gang must take a day off.

Ask a CFI: What to Do If You Lose Comms While IFR

Losing communications in IMC is a rare but serious scenario that every instrument pilot should be prepared for. Fortunately, the FAA provides clear guidance in AIM 6-4-1 and §91.185, but interpreting and applying that information on the flight deck—especially under stress—can be confusing. In this installment of Ask a CFI, we’ll break it down and offer some practical tips along the way.

FAA Issues New Safety Alert on Risks of Visual Approaches

The FAA recently issued a new Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) 23004 to highlight operational risks associated with visual approaches. Released on April 2, 2025, this SAFO urges operators, flight departments, and training providers to take proactive steps in mitigating potential hazards during visual approaches—particularly as they relate to controlled flight into terrain (CFIT), loss of separation, and unstable approaches.