IFR departure from non FAA airport

4RNB

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4RNB
So, I've seen some landing strips in folks back yards or farms. I have a question or tow about departures and arrivals.

My understanding of flying IFR to such an airport is that one can file and fly procedures to a nearby airport, then if legal and visual fly to the farm or other airstrip. Is this true and how it would work?

What about departures? Will they issue a departure clearance whilst on the ground from such a setting? How does it work?

I ask because I dream of a home landing strip.
 
My understanding of flying IFR to such an airport is that one can file and fly procedures to a nearby airport, then if legal and visual fly to the farm or other airstrip. Is this true and how it would work?
You file to the airport at which you’re going to do the approach, and tell the controller that you’d like to fly the approach, and plan to cancel when you’re below the clouds and continue to your destination.
What about departures? Will they issue a departure clearance whilst on the ground from such a setting? How does it work?

I ask because I dream of a home landing strip.
You can file from the lat/long of your airport, in which case you’ll get a telephonic clearance that starts off with “enter controlled airspace….”
Or you can file from a fix enroute, take off under VFR, and call for your clearance airborne.

The specifics and best choices will often depend upon the actual location of and airspace over your airport.
 
Helicopters have been doing IFR from remote locations for decades. The IFR ops offshore US have enjoyed a good safety record. See AC 90-80C for details. The FAA does not certify the oil rigs and moving ships as landing sites. They do provide that AC for guidance.
Bottom line, if a helo can pick up a clearance to land or depart a remote location, an airplane can also.
BTW, helos arriving IFR out in the ocean request a cruise clearance. Read up on those.
 
So, I've seen some landing strips in folks back yards or farms. I have a question or tow about departures and arrivals.

My understanding of flying IFR to such an airport is that one can file and fly procedures to a nearby airport, then if legal and visual fly to the farm or other airstrip. Is this true and how it would work?

What about departures? Will they issue a departure clearance whilst on the ground from such a setting? How does it work?

I ask because I dream of a home landing strip.
They can issue them. It’s no different than public airports. Some you can get them on the radio. Others you have to use the phone. But there are no differences in the rules concerning separation, both from obstacles and other aircraft.
 
Helicopters have been doing IFR from remote locations for decades. The IFR ops offshore US have enjoyed a good safety record. See AC 90-80C for details. The FAA does not certify the oil rigs and moving ships as landing sites. They do provide that AC for guidance.
Bottom line, if a helo can pick up a clearance to land or depart a remote location, an airplane can also.
BTW, helos arriving IFR out in the ocean request a cruise clearance. Read up on those.
Do some of the platforms have Approaches? Just curious, I understand how ‘cruise’ works to airports without Approaches.
 
If weather is above VFR minimums you can usually depart VFR then call up ATC on the radio and get your clearance. Depending on the situation this is often preferable from an uncontrolled field as it makes things easier. No void times or holds to deal with if you depart VFR. The main problems that might come up would be traffic if you're near busy airspace or not being able to climb high enough to make radio contact.
 
Do some of the platforms have Approaches? Just curious, I understand how ‘cruise’ works to airports without Approaches.

Yeah quite a few. Only the twin dual pilot aircraft (S92,S76) do them.

 
If weather is above VFR minimums you can usually depart VFR then call up ATC on the radio and get your clearance. Depending on the situation this is often preferable from an uncontrolled field as it makes things easier. No void times or holds to deal with if you depart VFR. The main problems that might come up would be traffic if you're near busy airspace or not being able to climb high enough to make radio contact.

I am aware that this is possible but have seen a video where ATC was too busy to issue clearance. As a newer pilot, I intend to get clearance on the ground for now.
 
I am aware that this is possible but have seen a video where ATC was too busy to issue clearance.
That's usually geographically or weather-dependent. Yes in very busy airspace picking up IFR in the air can be dicey because of either workload or inability to fit you into the system due to traffic (the latter is more often the reason than the former). But by far most of the time, picking up in the air on a good VFR day is no big deal.
 
WTF is an FAA airport? I'm not even sure where that is.

I've departed IFR from my private strip. Back a few years ago, we were in ZTL's airspace and I could reach them on the ground for a clearance. Now, we're under CLT's airspace which means calling for a void time clearance or scud running a few miles north until we're in ZTL-land again.
 
I think he means a runway in G airspace.
 
WTF is an FAA airport? I'm not even sure where that is.

I've departed IFR from my private strip. Back a few years ago, we were in ZTL's airspace and I could reach them on the ground for a clearance. Now, we're under CLT's airspace which means calling for a void time clearance or scud running a few miles north until we're in ZTL-land again.
Where is your airport? Does it have an identifier?
 
Do some of the platforms have Approaches? Just curious, I understand how ‘cruise’ works to airports without Approaches.
Yes. Called "OSAP". See AC 90-80C.
 
You can file from or to a lat/long or Fix/radial/distance point if the airport does not have an identifier. You can call the local center to get a clearance. You are responsible for terrain and obstacle clearance until you are at the MVA or MIA. With ForeFlight, if you enter a lat-long as your departure or destination, you can add an optional place name which is just text, like Johns Farm or Lake Wyle. If you file to your airport that does not have an approach, you need to file an alternate. When you get close to the destination, if the weather is VFR, you can ask the controller to descend you to the MVA and if you spot your airport with the prevailing visibility 3 SM and 1000+ foot ceiling, you can request a visual approach. If you fly the visual approach, you only need to remain clear of clouds until you meet VFR cloud separation conditions, because you are still IFR, so you don't want to cancel until you can meet all VFR cloud separation conditions. You can cancel via the phone on the ground by calling ARTCC or the local TRACON. The center phone numbers are listed in the Chart Supplement and you can usually determine an applicable phone number by AFD entries of nearby airports. If you are not able to be visual with the airport in sight at the MVA, you will need to go to an alternate and do an approach. I would not scud run after an approach, but it does depend on the actual conditions and how familiar you are with the local area and you would have to stay legal in any G or E airspace or you might have to obtain a special if inside a surface area and conditions were lower than the surface area requirements. The other option is to land at the airport with the approach and Uber it home.
 
WTF is an FAA airport? I'm not even sure where that is.

I've departed IFR from my private strip. Back a few years ago, we were in ZTL's airspace and I could reach them on the ground for a clearance. Now, we're under CLT's airspace which means calling for a void time clearance or scud running a few miles north until we're in ZTL-land again.

My intent in using non FAA airport was to describe a place one can takeoff from that does not appear on a chart. Kind of like the one in photo.IMG_4258[1].JPG
 
You may have a hard time getting the computer to accept a departure point without an identifier if you're going to prefile it.
 
You may have a hard time getting the computer to accept a departure point without an identifier if you're going to prefile it.

ICAO flight plans accept non icao identifiers as points of departure and destination utilizing the latitude and longitude. Is there something specific you are referring to?
 
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