VFR aircraft can only fly in VMC, IFR aircraft can fly both.
How do we know if the aircraft is just VFR?
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Are you asking from an ATC standpoint or a pilot standpoint?
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If you are asking about IRL, certain equipment needs to be installed on the airplane to be certified for IFR flight. In the US, 14 CFR 91.205 is the regulation that lists required equipment for different kinds of flight (IMC, VMC, night).
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Oh i misunderstood his question š
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Ya something like this. So in IFās terms i guess everythingās IFR?
Yes pretty much. IF does not have enough detail in terms of aircraft systems to limit an aircraft to VFR only.
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This seems like a trivial point to contest in Infinite Flight to be honest. Every aircraft in Infinite Flight has essentially the same capabilities for navigation and instrument flight. I see @SuperJet115 mentioned 91.205, which is a valid mention, I guess, but if we want to look at this issue through that lens, then none of the aircraft in Infinite Flight can fly IFR. For one, slip/skid indicators just donāt exist in Infinite Flight (surprised this is still missing this far into the simās life), and the clock only goes to the minute, not the second. Bet you didnāt think clocks would be the reason we canāt legally fly IFR in Infinite Flight! Heck, none of the aircraft in Infinite Flight are legal for VFR flight per 91.205, who needs engine gauges? Tachometer who? So yeah, IMO, not the best reference. Also just going to ignore regulations about inspections and pilot currency for broadly the same reasons. From the perspective of Infinite Flight, everything is fair game for anything, IMO, and since there are no clearances really or continuous ATC coverage, itās more an issue of how you manage your own flight for your own pleasure than any legality issue or issue of what is allowed. Go have fun flying VFR at 45,000 feet.
In real life, itās really up to the pilot in command to verify the aircraft, and the pilot, is up to snuff for IFR and legal to fly. This encompasses equipment, inspections, pilot currency, and then, of course, getting the required clearance. An aircraft doesnāt have, like, an IFR-approved sticker or something that differentiates it. If you flew your 172 IFR without a static system inspection in the last 24 months, will anyone know? Probably not. Is it smart? No. Will the FAA be pleased if you do get ramp checked or they find out somehow? No. As for ATC, anyone flying IFR will have a very specific clearance prior to flight. Part of this is being given a specific āsquawk codeā that we enter into our transponder, which identifies us to ATC and ties us to our clearance and other flight information.
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VFR vs IFR isnt necessarily a this aircraft can and this one canāt.
It is all entirely dependant on the equipment that is:
A) Fitted.
B) Serviceable.
So whilst the vast majority of civilian airliners for example will only ever fly IFR. They can all fly VFRā¦ whether or not company SOPs/ insurance permit is another thing!
In contrast some models of Cessna 172 wont have the minimum equipment for IFR, whereas some will. I dont know what the minimum equipment is, dual altimeters and a compass ring a bell. Maybe a transponder but that is a guess.
Interestingly, Autopilot ISNāT a requirement for IFR flight.
As has been already said irrelevant for IF. Assume everything can fly IFR š.
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Thereās also another interesting debateā¦ although not relevant to IF really.
Can a pilot fly VFR, VMC above clouds? In that the only way to navigate up there is via GPS or Nav beacons.
In the UK anyway, a civilian pilot can fly above the clouds VFR, VMC and without an instrument rating. UK Military pilots canāt - they have to hold an IR to fly above cloud regardless, although largely irrelevant as (nearly all - there are a couple of niche exceptions) all non-trainee military pilots hold valid IRs on type.
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No idea about equipment rules in the UK, but here in the US, only one altimeter is required, a mag compass is required, though largely a backup in the modern world. A transponder is definitely required; at least in the US, it is often required for VFR as well, depending on what airspace you are in. An autopilot, though, as you have said, is not. Iāve done IFR without autopilot a couple of times; not the most fun, and it definitely increases pilot workload, but it should be safe for a competent flight crew, particularly if there are two pilots.
Also, yeah, VFR on top is a little sketchy. Iāve been VFR on top as an instrument-rated pilot, with an instrument-rated instructor, in an instrument-capable aircraft, in controlled airspace, which feels fairly safe to me. But VFR on top as a non-instrument-rated pilot was a personal minimums thing for me; I was never going to intentionally put myself in that position till I had my instrument rating. Iām surprised itās legal, to be honest. In the same vein, VFR over open water at night. Honestly, thatās more disorienting than in the clouds to me, much easier to get false horizons, and much more confusing in my opinion. In the clouds, itās always been obvious to me that there are no outside references because you can see the clouds wizzing by. Special VFR also struck me as a great way to die. Playing with IMC when you arenāt instrument-rated has killed a lot of pilots before, and it will likely continue to.
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If youāre instrument certified but flying VFR, and somehow manage to fly through clouds, will there be any consequences?
Yes, since thereās no flight plan filled with the FSS. You are incurring in violation of VFR
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To add onto @eliot 14 CFR 91.155 explains the cloud clearance requirements for US VFR aircraft.
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Truth right thereā¦
I think it should remain optional for a couple reasons.
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imho: Pilots should have the knowledge and skill to fly an IFR approach from the IAF to the FAF / minimums and either 1) land or 2) execute the MAP and consider next steps (either a precision approach or going to a planned alternate)
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What happens when the autopilot fails midflight?
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With fully automatic airplanes in development, and comfortably in the distant future of aviation, requiring autopilot for IFR flights is basically the first step towards eliminating the need for us pilots. I dont think any of us want that happening too soon ;)
Gents, I could not disagree more with your comments about SVFR.
Use it in āangerā once professionally and you will see why.
Agreed though, nincompoops (mods I hope I am allowed to use that word, I am sorry if not!!!) with PPLs utilising it without the respect it deserves is a recipe for disaster.
Always thought it was maybe a better instrument pilot only skill, just so you have the tools to save yourself if it closes in. But if your instrument certified then I guess the argument becomes why not just file a flight plan. Narrow use case where SVFR is safe and smart imo.
I would say the Spitfire and P-38 are the only two VFR only aircraft in IF at this time.
There arenāt airspace-type exceptions for transponder equipped ifr?
Flying IFR From Aspen Without ATC Radar | Boldmethod
Just taking a generic AI list of minimum IFR aircraft equipment, it doesnāt appear to exclude any aircraft in IF(?):
One way or another, we pretty much have the above functions at our disposal?
About SVFR:
but
We can easily state cases where the āgapā that SVFR is, adds potential risk to the system. But I have to assume its inclusion is driven by cases where it reduces the risk of finding oneself boxed into more hazardous choices by rigid rules in cases where the conditions vary more than anticipated.
In other words, the safety advantages presumably outweigh the disadvantages (used responsibly), when viewed as a āsafety valveā.
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As previous people have mentioned, I donāt think thereās enough system depth in IF to debate if aircraft are IFR or VFR certified. There is no slip-skid indicator in IF, a generator or alternator wouldnāt be needed since the battery supplies infinite power, no clocks with seconds hands, etc.
Since you have a HUD for every airplane, you can fly in clouds just fine with all airplanes. Debating the legality behind it is just pointless.
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FPV is what I had in mind.
The purpose behind the legality is also what I had in mind. There are no legal consequences in IF of course, so that would indeed be pointless (which is why itās not being debated).
But what goes into the reason for the legal requirement for what equipment is the minimum is certainly worth considering. So, the question is interesting and worth considering.