IFR or VFR?

Percent of Flight Hours in Last Year was under an IFR Flight Plan?

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WDD

WDD

Final Approach
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Vintage Snazzy (so my adult children say)
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I seem to be doing a lot of IFR flying lately. Wife and I did buy the plane primarily to see friends and family, so we fly a bit from ATL to Louisville, Chicago area, Southern Illinois, as well as I get to have fun with US SE area Angel flights (which must be IFR).

What percent of your flight hours in a given year under an IFR flight plan?
 
Depends on what I'm flying. 100% of the warbird stuff is VFR. When I'm flying my Beech 18 it is almost always cross country and then at least 75% of that is in the system.
 
Not many IFR hours this year, but then again not as much TT this year as last. I guess it just goes that way sometimes...
 
write-stuff said:
The biggest tier is the 0-25% group. Were all of those people able to fly IFR? I'll guess that a lot of them were pilots without instrument ratings. That would mess up the comparison.
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Not really. I’ll assume people without an IR don’t want to and hopefully don’t fly IFR.

Seems like most flying around here is VFR.
 
WDD said:
Not really. I’ll assume people without an IR don’t want to and hopefully don’t fly IFR.

Seems like most flying around here is VFR.
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Fair enough, I suppose. It just depends on what you're trying to measure.
 
I was thinking POA skewed to IFR flying that was higher percentage than the general pilot population (non ATP, non commercial for hire), but maybe not.
 
Somewhere around the middle of the zero to 25% category. I only file IFR when it's absolutely necessary, or appears that at some point in the trip there's a good chance it may be needed. Other wise, it's VFR with advisories, and an occasional pop-up IFR.
 
Folks actually track this? Or more of a guesswork?
 
WDD said:
Not that hard to track if you've got your back up is on Excel.
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Same question.
asicer said:
Folks actually track this? Or more of a guesswork?
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I have been logging electronically since DOS. I still don’t have a field that captures whether I filed IFR.

Apparently, you do, but I’d guess you are a small minority.
 
If I'm flying locally (including to the restaurant 25 min away), I'm VFR, but if I leave the pattern I'm almost always getting flight following. If I'm "going somewhere", it's IFR, even if it's severe clear.
 
100% of xc flying IFR, just easier.
 
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Gave up IFR ,as my age ay be a factor to consider.Did a bunch of IFR in my younger days
 
The best answer is...it depends. Flying around locally? VFR. Taking a substantially long trip somewhere? IFR almost always: more options especially for MVFR or finding a better ride, and easy entry into Class B airspace and other airspace compliance.
 
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I haven't flown an aircraft certified and/or equipped for instrument flight for years. That makes the choice simple.
 
Interesting question and I actually don't know what percentage. I'll always file IFR on long XC flights, but often those flights are all or mostly in VMC so my Actual time won't be a good reference. On a lot of those flights I've made a note in the Comments that it was an IFR flight, but that still doesn't show up in any of the reports to have a number to get a percentage.

Now however, ForeFlight has added an "IFR" field to the Instrument section in the Logbook (Actual, Simulated, **IFR**, Holds). I guess this was added because in Europe they actually want to know how many hours have been flown in the system as well as how many hour VMC or IMC (Actual). Although not a need, there is zero reason for pilots here in the US (Canada or wherever) not to start logging that time too. So down the road if someone asks again how many hours on an IFR Flight Plan, you'll actually be able to tell them.

I may actually go back and slowly add in the IFR time for those flights I've either made a note in the comments or just know it was IFR because it was a leg on an X-US flight. I know I've got a lot of hours just hopping off to lunch or someplace for the weekend an hour or two away and it was probably a VFR flight. But it will be interesting to see if the "IFR" flights get past 25 or 30%.
 
M20K said:
I may actually go back and slowly add in the IFR time for those flights I've either made a note in the comments or just know it was IFR because it was a leg on an X-US flight. I know I've got a lot of hours just hopping off to lunch or someplace for the weekend an hour or two away and it was probably a VFR flight. But it will be interesting to see if the "IFR" flights get past 25 or 30%.
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No notes, but I can probably do that for the past few years but since I still enjoy VFR, it would still be mostly guesswork.
 
Voted 76-100% Wife and I use our plane primarily for traveling and our most common trip (1-2x per month) is 472nm one way. Definitely prefer IFR for longer flights. Ignored my full time gig as a helicopter pilot that is >95% VFR.
 
Surprisingly I am at 42% of my hours in the past 12 months being IFR, and almost 10% IMC.

Reasons for filing vary. Obviously the IMC factors in. But I also prefer to file when I go to KGFK because I am west of there and IFR is easier for me than flight following through the ridiculous “T”FR. As an airspace eraser, IFR is nice when I go to bigger cities. I like to file for night cross country over 1 hour or when it’s not absolutely clear and a million, and day cross country over 3 hours or when I’ll be above a layer that’s more cloud than not.
 
I’ve filed more than I’ve encountered IMC. The one trip I really could have entered IMC would have meant entering a thunderstorm, so I diverted.
 
So while sitting on boring Webinars or waiting on a phone call I've slowly been chipping away at my numbers. I know all my long X-US flights were all IFR, but a lot of 0 IMC on them. Luckily I also noted a lot of flights were "IFR/VMC" so those all went in the total. Also anything that had any Actual at all went in the total as it is unlikely I would have departed VFR knowing I might run into IMC. And I was pretty close to my earlier guestimate in the 25% range.

Since I started flying:
IFR Flights: 26%
Actual: 9%

Since my first IMC flight:
IFR Flights: 29%
Actual: 10%
 
I always fly IFR for anything over 1 hour. I rarely fly IMC. VMC at 7000 or 9000 is nice and smooth.
 
Sigh... Too much flying for work, not enough flying for fun. I'm not at 100%, but I'm certainly not below 75% for the year.
 
IFR or IMC? I do a ton of IFR, but most is 85% VMC with enough IMC to require IFR filing.

Sunday was KETB - KLIT. Filed IFR, all VMC. Monday KLIT - T41. IFR, last 30 minutes was marginally IMC; approach was real, but went visual ~800 AGL.
 
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NealRomeoGolf said:
I'm filing IFR 95% of the time. My flying is mostly cross country and I like being in the system.
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That is my scenario as well. The only time I'm VFR is local IFR practice approaches and such.

I really enjoy flying in the system, and talking to all my friends on the radio, and they look after me!

* Orest
 
Local flight for eats VFR, unless wx dictated otherwise. Any trip was always IFR, even if a VFR day. I also liked flying in the system.
 
Mostly VFR for local and longer XC South of Virginia unless IMC conditions. Always IFR going into the NE and the fun of getting "amendments to your route".
 
M20K said:
Now however, ForeFlight has added an "IFR" field to the Instrument section in the Logbook (Actual, Simulated, **IFR**, Holds). I guess this was added because in Europe they actually want to know how many hours have been flown in the system as well as how many hour VMC or IMC (Actual).
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This came up in another group. Here's the EASA reference. Their rough equivalent of our 61.51, FLC.050, includes as a logging task, "Operational conditions, namely if the operation takes place at night, or is conducted under instrument flight rules." It looks like there are a few qualifications or prerequisites which require the pilot to have a certain number of hours "under IFR."
 
I'm IFR rated, but the last time I flew an approach in actual conditions was before GPS was invented! My current plane doesn't have an autopilot and flying serious IFR without one is just way too much work. My plane is also a single engine machine and that seems a bad choice for IFR over terrain that isn't forgiving. Besides, I'm retired and I only fly for fun these days. If I get trapped somewhere due to weather, it isn't a big deal anymore. I don't have a schedule I need to adhere to. I got IFR current again a few years ago, but being current and being proficient are two very different things. I finally accepted my lack of real proficiency and the limitations of my plane and just fly when the weather is inviting. My main flying interest these days is airplane camping, and that isn't fun in IFR conditions anyway. Having the rating does reduce my insurance costs, and I spend my flight reviews in simulated IFR so if push ever comes to shove, I'll be able to get back on the ground safely. I also keep my plane IFR current even if I'm not.
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