IFR Clearances

IFR clearances can cause some confusion, especially while you're in an unusual situation and you can't find anyone to clear you for take-off.  Here are a set of rules that might help.

You are at a towered airport

Easy -

  1. File your flight plan with the appropriate flight service station (1-800-WX-BRIEF)
  2. When you are ready to taxi, contact departure or ground control for your particular airport (look in the AFD for this information) and request your clearance.  Something like this:

Ground, Cessna N12345 with Alpha (atis code) ready to taxi to active runway for IFR departure.

This tells ground or departure control that you are ready to go and that you will be departing on an IFR flight plan.  This will get the wheels turning for your IFR departure.  The next steps should then take place:

  • Ground or departure will tell you when your clearance is ready

  • You notify the controller when you are ready to copy your clearance

  • You copy your clearance from the controller

  • You re-state your clearance to the controller

  • They tell you weather you got it right or not, then normally tell you to contact the tower when you are ready to go.  It's a good idea to also tell the tower that you are and IFR flight

  1. Take-off and enjoy your flight!

You are at a non-towered airport that has radio contact to Center or Approach/Departure control

This one is pretty easy too

  1. File your flight plan with the appropriate flight service station (1-800-WX-BRIEF).  Ask them for the appropriate frequency for departure.
  2. Taxi to the runway's run-up area and do your run-up.  When you are ready to depart, contact the frequency that the FSS gave you during your flight plan filing and request a departure clearance.  Something like this:

Departure, Cessna N12345 requesting IFR departure clearance from Merced to Sacramento Exec.

This tells departure that you are ready to go and that you will be departing on an IFR flight plan.  This will get the wheels turning for your IFR departure.  The next steps should then take place:

  • Departure will tell you when your clearance is ready

  • You notify departure when you are ready to copy your clearance

  • You copy your clearance from departure

  • You re-state your clearance to departure

  • Departure will tell you weather you got it right or not, then clear you for takeoff

  1. Take-off and enjoy your flight!

You are at a non-towered airport that has NO radio contact to Center or Approach/Departure control

This one is a little more difficult, but not too bad

  1. File your flight plan with the appropriate flight service station (1-800-WX-BRIEF).  Ask them for the appropriate phone number to get a departure clearance from.
  2. If you don't have a portable phone or your phone can't get a signal, call the controlling agency and ask for your departure clearance.

    • Notify departure that you will be ready to depart in about 30 minutes or so.  This is to let them know that you need some time to get the aircraft ready (run-up, etc.)

    Departure, Cessna N12345 requesting IFR departure clearance from Merced to Sacramento Exec departing in 30 minutes

     

    • Copy your clearance from departure

    • You re-state your clearance to departure

    • Departure will tell you weather you got it right or not.

    • Departure will then give you a clearance and a void time.  You cannot take off until your clearance time and the void time is when you can no longer depart - you MUST go back to the phone and request another clearance.

    • Ready your plane and take-off within the clearance and void-time limits.

    • When at a good altitude, contact departure on your COM radio and notify them you have departed.

  3. If you have a portable phone and your phone can get a signal:

    • Get in your plane and get it ready for departure

    • Call departure on your portable phone and ask them for your clearance

    Departure, Cessna N12345 requesting IFR departure clearance from Merced to Sacramento Exec.

     

    • Copy your clearance from departure

    • You re-state your clearance to departure

    • Departure will tell you weather you got it right or not.

    • Departure will then give you a clearance and a void time.  You cannot take off until your clearance time and the void time is when you can no longer depart - you MUST call them back and request another clearance.

    • Ready your plane and take-off within the clearance and void-time limits.

    • When at a good altitude, contact departure on your COM radio and notify them you have departed.

  1. Enjoy your flight!

Multi-Leg IFR Flights

If you are going to do a long cross-country IFR flight, you might want to create multiple legs of the trip which could get pretty complicated if you're not careful.  But it isn't too bad.

  1. Create a separate flight plan for each leg of your flight
  2. File all of your flight plans, each with a different Estimated time of departure.  You will do this with the appropriate flight service station (1-800-WX-BRIEF)
    • You can also just file your first flight plan, then after landing, file your next and so on.  Fueling up and a break isn't a bad idea on a long cross-country IFR flight, so this could actually help you out as the flight progresses.
    • Getting a weather briefing at each leg isn't such a bad idea either - filing after you land will almost force you to do this.
  3. Like any other IFR flight, obtain your clearance for the first leg and depart to your first destination.
  4. When you land at your first destination, check the time, do what you need to do, then contact departure and open your next flight plan.
    • Remember to close your flight plan after landing if you land at a non-towered airport.
    • If you only filed your first flight plan, you will have to file your next with the flight service station, then open it using ground, departure or after departing VFR with ATC.
  5. Do steps 3 and 4 for each leg of your flight.

This page was last modified on 12/03/2006