IFR clearences.. how do I know wich ones will be complicated

[serious_simmer_FSX]

I would love to attempt IFR flying more... but I have to admit I'm scared to death I'm going to get that one clearance, I can't remember from what airport that is super complicated.. very long and complex.. I remember Keith telling me you have it have it memorized because you will never get it down.

which one is that? and Is there anyway you can tell what clearance you will get?

what about out of Van Nuys?

[Keith Smith]

SMO has a pretty complicated clearance, that's probably the one. I don't remember saying that you have to have it memorized.

If you'd like to know what general routing to expect, you should become familiar with the TEC routes if you aren't already (the I3 and I4 ratings). Check out http://myflightroute.com for one of the quickest ways to find out the routing between airports that are covered by TEC routes.

The only issue is that the TEC route gets you from one AREA to another AREA, not necessarily out of the departure airport. For that reason, there are additional instructions that might be on the front of the route to join the TEC route. SMO is the most complex example of that.

If you'd like a preview, find the date and time of a past SMO departure through PEaware then go listen to the recording to find out what clearance they received.

Go through the IFR program, it'll help. Hundreds have already done it and the feedback we've received is that they are generally unafraid to fly IFR on PE as a result.

[Pieces]

Generally, a long and complex clearance is the result of filing a route that ATC doesn't like, so they will have to read you an entirely new route. You will usually get a heads up if that is the case: "Cessna 123AB, clearance is available, it will be a full route clearance". You can avoid that by filing a reasonable route. Since PE covers SoCal, most of the reasonable routes are already given to you as TEC routes. You can also search FlightAware for what real flights are filing between the airports you want.

Also, don't be afraid of a long clearance. Just copy as much as you can (just rote copy, don't try to understand it) and then ask for what you missed. No big deal. Once you have it all down and read back, then you can process it and figure out what the clearance actually is.

Keith beat me to it.

[Jeff N]

Go through the IFR program, it'll help. Hundreds have already done it and the feedback we've received is that they are generally unafraid to fly IFR on PE as a result.

As a new IFR virtual pilot I couldn't agree more. Also, watch the training workshops to really solidify the concepts you'll be learning and practicing in the different ratings.

[jtek]

The key is to develop a good shorthand. First, a clearance is always given in the exact same order: clearance limit, route, altitude, departure frequency, transponder code. A good way to remember that order is the "CRAFT" mnemonic. And some people (people like me) like to write the template down first:

C
R
A
F
T

Now all you have to do is fill in each line as it's read out. The hardest part is, of course, the route. There is a standard list of terms that are going to be used to describe your route. "runway heading", "right turn", "left turn", "heading", "intercept", etc. If you can come up with abbreviations for each of these terms that works for you, you can write down the route much, much faster.

For example, let's say my clearance out of SMO was "On departure, fly runway heading. Upon reaching the LAX 315 degree radial, turn right heading 250. Radar vectors Santa Monica VOR, outbound on the Santa Monica 125 Radial, Victor 64, Seal Beach, Direct." This is what I write down:

RH LAX315 RT H250 RV SMO SMO125R V64 SLI D

Easy.

You can listen to other people's clearances on LiveATC.net or the recordings here on Pilot Edge and practice copying them down. Like anything else, you get better with practice.

[Keith Smith]

And right there on the I-1 rating in the Related Materials is a primer on IFR clearances: http://training.pilotedge.net/object/ifrClearances.html

[Mark Hargrove]

And this PE-oriented YouTube tutorial covers the basics of clearances as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2yHhBgF3Lo

-M.

[Cyrus]

Confession: I'm finally giving in....

I really wanted to make a simple IFR flight last night. I sat in front screen with the PE audio receiver running in the background, studying the charts, hitting MyFlightRoute, Simroutes, studying the TEC routes, catching up on the workshops, and genrally shoving the mouse around SkyVector for almost two hours. In the end, I just went to bed - mainly because I was very tired, but also because I was terrified that I'd get a clearance/routing that I wouldn't be able to keep up with.

So I'm finally going to take the advice of all the people on PE (who seem to be saying the exact same thing). I'm going to work trough the PE training program. In fact, I can attest to its ability to build confidence, after having completed a couple of them already.

I just wish this desire to run-before-I-can-walk would go away. Anyway, as long as I keep pushing my limits with the trainging program, I might occasionally slip in the odd challenging route now and then. That's why I love about PE - *my* ability to mix it up.

V3, here I come.

[Keith Smith]

Cyrus,

Fantastic post, thanks for being so direct and honest about your approach to it. Hopefully you can see that the gains of 'jumping ahead' and "just doing a quick, random IFR flight" actually turn out to be a giant headache if you don't have the information you need to get the job done. Once you know what you're doing, you can do your flight planning for a TEC-based IFR flight in about 1-2 mins, tops.

[Jeff N]

Keep working your way through those PE IFR ratings, you'll get more and more comfortable as you go through them. Don't get TOO comfortable though, as I did today on the aforementioned "scary" SMO departure clearance.

I looked up the obstacle departure procedure and had it all mapped out in my mind. Simply fly runway heading, intercept the LAX 276 radial to SADDE while climbing to whatever altitude I'm given and resume flying the TEC route to SNA. SMO Ground however gave me a slightly different clearance and I misunderstood a crucial turn that isn't in the ODP. Soon after departure and calling up SoCal, the controller made me aware of my mistake - I was supposed to turn to 250° upon crossing the LAX R-315 - not intercept the radial.

Moral of the story is, yes clearances can be different from what you expect and throw you for a loop but just take your time after jotting it down to truly comprehend what you're supposed to do. Don't rush. And if you do mess up, the controllers are typically pretty nice about correcting you and getting you back on track.