Filing for Local (actual) IFR Training question

[Rick_A]

I want do an actual IFR flights to a nearby airports, do a couple of approaches and then return to my home field.

When I file a flight plan should I my the Destination the "nearby" airport and then request a return to my home field while on the radio with ATC? Would I mention the request for a practice approach and return home in the Remarks?

Or, should I make the Destination my home field and put the request for practice approaches at the nearby airport in the Remarks section?

[MED]

If you have remote radio access to a tower, just ask for a pop-up ifr clearance for practice approaches. No flight plan required. Works around here, but there is not a lot of interfering IFR traffic most days. Worth a try.

[scard]

That is a good one and you have a lot of local experts up there.

Down here in Central TX, I've done it every which way, mostly related to the weather. The most important thing is absolute clarity of your "real" intentions with whatever controller you are talking to at the time. There can be a big difference between interpreting "the paperwork" and the thing that is going down right now .

[Foghorn]

You could file from home airport to KXXX and make your home airport the alternate. In the remarks put "local IFR approaches". Once you're talking to ATC just asked them for numerous approaches at KXXX and when complete you'll need an approach to your alternate (home).

If you have the number for ATC you can call them before and tell them what you want to do.

[bill.hutchison]

You can file a "Round Robin" flight plan and usually ATC will work with you on it.

File your plan to final destination with intermediate destinations in the route. Specify in remarks missed approach at each intermediate destination and ask for what you need en route (missed, hold, etc) - in my experience, ATC will work with you on this.

[scrollF4]

Hi Rick,
Good to see you. Here's how I do it out of 52F.

- File the IFR flight plan to each IAF for the approaches/airports you want to shoot approaches into. File to the IAF waypoints, not to the airports.
- Use your no-kiddin' final destination as your destination, even if it has no IFR approach (like 52F).
- In the comments, plainly state you want to fly practice IFR approaches into KAAA, KBBB, and KCCC. State that from KCCC (the last practice approach airport) you will proceed VFR or under Special VFR to your final destination.
- THEN, after filing, if you know the ATC Flight Data phone number, call them and see if they have any questions. DFW TRACON flight data is at 972-615-2799.

This works for me, and my neighbor (a senior controller at Ft Worth Regional Approach) recommended it.

[Taltruda]

I would put the home airport as both the origin and destination. Then put a via point as some vor or fix out there from where you start your first approach. Then just tell ATC how many practice approaches, and which ones.

[1001001]

The way most people seem to do it around Pittsburgh is to put your home airport as both the origin and destination, put direct [second airport] direct in the route, and in the comments section write "practice approaches."

If you're doing approaches to more than two airports, just keep adding them along with "direct" in the routing.

Here in the Pittsburgh area it's really common to do instrument training in actual IMC (because our weather generally sucks that way), so the approach controllers are conditioned to expect it.

[David Z]

Call up ATC on the phone and discuss what you want to do and how they want to see it filed.

[BobTurner]

Originally Posted by Rick_A

I want do an actual IFR flights to a nearby airports, do a couple of approaches and then return to my home field.

When I file a flight plan should I my the Destination the "nearby" airport and then request a return to my home field while on the radio with ATC? Would I mention the request for a practice approach and return home in the Remarks?

Or, should I make the Destination my home field and put the request for practice approaches at the nearby airport in the Remarks section?

If you’re flying ‘actual ifr flights’ then you want one or more ‘approaches’. They’re not practice if you’re really in imc.