Hi, as you'll soon painfully realize, I'm pretty clueless as to IFR procedures and stuff. I've had a bout 5 hrs of instrument training back in the days when it was mandatory for the old PPL, but it's the procedures I'd like to know more about. So here goes - a theoretical real example:
Let's say I want to fly from Lydd (that has a localizer/ILS) to Elstree (that hasn't), a pretty low level journey. The weather is terrible and I'll be in hard IMC all the way. The cloud base at Elstree is around 400ft.
Now, how is this done in real life?
Do I file a flight plan and ATC clear my via low level airways (above Transition Level) for a direct route crossing over London? Do I always have to file a flight plan for IFR? Or am I simply flying along in the clouds at my own chosen height pretty much as if I was in VFR except I can't see the ground, staying in G airpace? If so, how do I separate myself from another IR aircraft doing the same?
As I come to Elstree - can I land on it even though it has no ILS or NDB? Is there like a Minimum Decision Height for airports with no navaids or ILS's? If not, can I do an ILS approach down to where I'm in sight of the ground at a close by airport (Northolt, for instance), and then fly low level over to Elstree? Or am I pretty much only able to use airports with an ILS? Is the GPS legal to do approaches to minimas on?
Toldja, lots of silly questions. But these things keep me up at night.
