IFR Navigation
Finding Your Way in the Cloud
While VFR flight relies on seeing the outside world, IFR navigation allows pilots to fly “by the numbers” even when visibility is reduced. Using a variety of instruments and electronic aids, pilots can navigate precisely through clouds and fog – and even at night – by following pre-planned routes and procedures.
Within this section, members discuss the various technologies and techniques that comprise instrument navigation, including:
- VOR Navigation – Members describe how VHF Omnidirectional Radio ranges allows pilots to navigate precisely along airways, even when unable to see the ground. They share tips for Accuracy of VOR navigation.
- ILS Approaches – Members recount experiences conducting Instrument Landing System approaches, walking through the various components that guide aircraft precisely to the runway during low visibility conditions.
- RNAV and RNP – Members discuss Area Navigation and Required Navigation Performance procedures that allow pilots to fly GPS-based customized routes rather than relying solely on fixed radio aids.
- ADF Navigation – For those who flew in the “old days” before GPS, members recall how Automatic Direction Finding navigation gave pilots at least some ability to find their way in the clouds using low/medium frequency radio beacons.
By sharing stories of navigating through fog so thick the wings disappear, this section hopes to convey the mixture of wonder, concentration and trust in technology that instrument flight requires.
While IFR navigation trades the freedom of seeing the outside world for the precision of following electromagnetic signals and numbers on a screen, it still represents a triumph of human ingenuity and skill – allowing pilots to soar above storms and darkness, guided by little more than radio waves and faith in their instruments.
