Flight-sharing : VFR or IFR ?
The aeronautical language is full of abbreviations. As a result, conversations between pilots are often incomprehensible to a newbie.
Today let's focus on the difference between a VFR and IFR flight.
A flight under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) is the easiest and the freest way to fly. As the name already suggests, it is only about seeing and avoiding. This flying mode is only authorized under certain conditions of visibility. Amongst other things, these are highly dependent on the cloud conditions, which are regulated by the VFR (Visual Flight Rules). This technique requires the fewest instruments and is the first technique that was used during the early stages of aviation.
The weather conditions must be clear enough for the VFR-flight to be maintained. This is why pilots often warn you that a flight might be cancelled in the event of poor weather conditions. In Europe, most private pilots fly under VFR.
A flight under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) on the other hand, does not require an outside visibility. The pilot navigates the plane only by reference to the instruments in the aircraft cockpit and guidance from the air traffic control, without any outside visual reference. All airline pilots use this method of flying. The most important instruments for IFR include GPS, ILS, etc. (again, more abbreviations…).
The advantage of a flight under IFR is that the flight can take place even if there are clouds, a poor visibility or rain. Thus a flight under IFR is rarely cancelled (except in extreme cases).
More and more private pilots are qualified for IFR, which allows them to maintain their flight despite the poor visibility.
This is why the flight preparation and the anticipation of weather conditions are indispensable for any pilot: he/she has to know if the weather conditions allow him/her to fly with a qualification for VFR, or not.
On Coavmi.com, you'll find flight-sharing opportunities under IFR or VFR. This information is specified on every ad, as shown here:
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