Practical tips, scenarios, and tools for IFR pilots : IFR Focus

LATEST POSTS

Airspace: Who Cares?

March 10, 2026

/

Even when you’re flying IFR, airspace still matters. From hidden Class D boundaries to surprise speed limits and VFR traffic in Class G, staying aware of the airspace around you is key to safe instrument flying. In this article, professional pilot and instructor Elaine Kauh explains why.

Video: Understanding TEC Routes — Advanced IFR, by Pilot Workshops

March 6, 2026

/

0 Comments

Follow along on this scenario-based IFR flight from Riverside, California (KRAL) to Long Beach (KLGB). The short, 20-minute flight presents immediate challenges as the workload is high from start to finish in the busy southern California airspace. The flight will utilize and explain a Tower Enroute Control (TEC) route which is an FAA program of standard routes that keep a flight solely within approach control airspace

The Go/No-Go Decision Isn’t Binary

March 3, 2026

/

3 Comments

“Do I fly or not?” It’s a question that may seem simple in the comfort of your living room couch, but in truth, it’s rarely a single, definitive moment. Weather changes. Equipment issues appear. Fatigue creeps in. By the time you reach your destination, you’ve already made dozens of go/no-go decisions. Some of those may have been conscious decisions, but some are instinctive.

Webinar Video: Instrument Approach Decision-Making—IFR Mastery

February 28, 2026

/

3 Comments

In this live PilotWorkshops IFR Mastery webinar, the PilotWorkshops team will walk pilots through a realistic, thought-provoking scenario from the IFR Mastery series. You’ll be placed in the cockpit of a Beechcraft Bonanza and faced with a critical decision: how to enter and execute an instrument approach into Wichita Falls, Texas, with low ceilings and strong winds complicating the picture.

Approach Lighting Systems: Scenarios for Instrument Pilots

February 27, 2026

/

0 Comments

You’ve probably seen runway approach lights at larger airports many times during your training and when flying at night. These systems take on additional importance when flying IFR since they provide the basic means to transition from instrument to visual flight for landing. If an approach lighting system is available for a runway, the symbology will be displayed in both the small airport diagram in line with the runway, and in the briefing strip towards the top of the instrument approach chart.

IFR Decision-Making Under Pressure: When “Go” Becomes the Wrong Answer

February 24, 2026

/

0 Comments

We often talk about IFR decision-making and go/no-go calls in comfortable environments, classrooms, safety seminars, or sitting in an FBO with a cup of coffee. In those settings, the decisions are clean. Detached. The weather is hypothetical. The passengers are imaginary. There is no fatigue, no operational pressure, no schedule waiting in the background. From that distance, the “right” answer is usually obvious.

Videos

Quizzes

Practical IFR

Approaches

LATEST POSTS

VIDEOS

QUIZZES

ARTICLES

WEBINARS

IFR TRAINING

TOOLS & TECH

RESOURCES

Email Subscription

Recent Articles