Landing Question For Airline Drivers

[GeorgEGNT]

Hi there,

I was just wondering what the procedure generally is when the visual conditions are acceptable for a visual approach whilst flying under instrument flight rules?
Do you tune the appropriate nav aids still and just fly the aircraft yourselves? I'm sure you cannot change between IFR and VFR during a flight?
Just confusing me thats all, any answers appreciated.
Cheers, GeorgEGNT

[Intruder]

You can do a visual approach under IFR (Instrument Flight Rules), as long as the actual weather is VMC (Visual Meteorological Conditions). A visual approach is simply one of the available approach options.

Depending on the situation, the VOR or ILS may be tuned for reference, but the altitude and path restrictions for the instrument approaches do not apply.

Actually it IS possible and permissible to switch from IFR to VFR (and back), but that is more complicated, and may involve inflight refiling of the flight plan.

[SNS3Guppy]

George,

IFR and VFR are rules...hence the name...Instrument Flight Rules or Instrument Flight Rules. These rules cover the amount of fuel that must be covered, distances from clouds, weather minimums, etc. VFR and IFR are also types of flight plans, or in other words, flight plans specific to the operating rules.

Airlines operate under IFR. A visual approach is an IFR procedure, though it may not be an insrument procedure. One can operate IFR is clear visual conditions...and one frequently does. IFR places on in the airspace system, participating in radar traffic separation, etc.

I don't know about other operators, but the operations I've worked for (and currently work for...until the upcoming furlough) require us to fly under IFR, with an IFR clearance, on an IFR flight plan. We're allowed to depart VFR and pick up a clearance in the air, so long as it's done within 50 miles, and we can cancel a flight plan and land under VFR when within 35 miles of the airport. Different operators have different requirements. As a general rule, we don't do either one.

In the case of a visual approach, if the airport is served by an instrument approach, we fly the approach, and always at altitudes above those prescribed for the approach that serves the runway. It's perfectly acceptable to fly visually to the runway and land, and we sometimes do, but the procedures for the runway gaurantee obstacle clearance and a stable approach, and where they're available, we follow them...whether we're flying by automation, or hand flying.

I frequently fly approaches by hand, as often as flying them on automation.

[GeorgEGNT]

Thanks for the informative answers guys. Cleared it up for me.