IFR or VFR?

k_camacho11 Guest

I usually fly in FS2004 using IFR most of the time. It is easier when the tower tells u what runway to land on, the headings, and tells u which altitude to climb or descend to. The reason I don't use VFR is because you pretty much have to guess when to start your descent and how low you will need to cruise. Is there a way of knowing when to start your descent for an approach and what altitude to cruise? And what is the difference between High Altitude Airways and VOR when u are choosing your flight plan?

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Pro Member Chief Captain
pilotwannabe Chief Captain

In VFR you can still get approach guidance by tuning into the appropriate airport when within range. You select your prefered approach from the ATC window for example ILS DME RWY 27R and then the controller will vector you in.

Hope this helps

Don Wood Guest

Flying VFR, it is quite simple to determine when you should begin your descent. All you need to know is your current altitude, the initial approach fix altitude, your descent groundspeed, and what rate of descent you will use. To keep it simple, let's use a current altitude of 19,000 feet, a IAF altitude of 4,000 feet, a groundspeed of 150 nautical miles per hour, and a descent rate of 1,000 feet per minute.

In this example, you should start your descent 15 minutes before reaching the IAF (15,000/1,000 fpm descent) or about 37.5 nautical miles from the IAF (150mph/60*15). If your a/c is equipped with GPS or DME, these points can be read from the instruments. If not, you need to do a bit of map reading to determine where the 37.5 mile location from the IAF is along your course line.

Pro Member Chief Captain
Jake (JarJarBinks) Chief Captain

i always fly VOR because i like to be in control i dont really like being told that im 50 feet to high or 120 feet to low i mean as long as you get there fine and nothing is damaged and im not being smart or anything but for me it is just simpler to fly VOR because i find that it is also more enjoyable.

but thats just my opinion. 👍

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