What percentage of air traffic is VFR?

[deyoung]

As the title says - does anyone have any rough numbers for how much of the traffic is VFR vs IFR, typically?

Thanks!

 

[eman1200]

I'm gonna guess more VFR

 

[tawood]

I'm gonna guess more VFR

Keeping in POA form, I would say the opposite....plus, all that commercial traffic is IFR.

 

[Mtns2Skies]

I'm going to say... it depends. On a weekend in the summer? I bet it's VFR. A weekday in the winter, most likely primarily IFR.

 

[eman1200]

Keeping in POA form, I would say the opposite....plus, all that commercial traffic is IFR.

ya, sorry, I wasn't including commercial traffic. if so, I'm gonna guess, go out on a limb here, that 100% of traffic above 18,000' is (...eman flips a coin...) IFR traffic.

 

[eman1200]

again, NOT including commercial traffic, if you add 'student' and 'private' you get roughly the same as 'instrument ratings' (slightly more but close enough to call equal):

CATEGORY 2017
Pilot--Total 609,306
Student 1/ 149,121
Recreational (only) 153
Sport (only) 6,097
Airplane 2/
Private 162,455
Commercial 98,161
Airline Transport 159,825
Rotorcraft (only) 3/ 15,355
Glider (only ) 4,5/ 18,139
Flight Instructor Certificates 6/ 106,692
Instrument Ratings 6,7/ 306,652
Remote Pilots 9/ 69,166


with the amount of IR pilots who aren't current (and following the rules) I'd stick with my original guess of mostly VFR. I KNOW, there could be more IFR flights than non, like I said, I'm JUST GUESSING. sheesh.

 

[lancie00]

My guess is that the number of VFR and IFR flights are about the same. I'm also guessing that the number of IFR hours far exceed the number of VFR hours. That's a total guess and I'm probably wrong.