Happens to me all the time hence the discussion which began from discussing ifr vs vfr. Throw in bizarre ATC routing and flying VFR is faster in the PC12 than IFR in the jet in many destinations I go.

I don’t fly into 80 knot headwinds. Which is why I’d only ever buy a jet that could get to FL450 to get above them. Lately headwinds haven’t been less at FL450 though so now we’re back to where we are now. Full circle.

Hate to break it to you, but that is not the case at. Hell, in UK you fly IFR in IMC and not talk to anybody.

I would rather be in class A airspace in cruise even if only FL180 or 190. I have a pretty good TCAS in my aircraft, but they still rely on the other aircraft having accurate instruments for good altitude reporting. There can be some crazy closure rates above where the speed limits end. Here was an airliner 1000 ft above coming right at me. Look at the closure rate (CR) here. Even though I knew exactly where he was, he was really close by the time I acquired him visually, at that point, if he were not where the TCAS said he was, little I could have done. It can be hard to tell if a target going that fast is above, below or at your altitude.

Around here its either take the headwind or fly in the ice under FL200.
I will take the headwind anytime.

On a 240 nm flight that I do 2-3 per month its westbound at FL220 mostly for ATC routhi g and eastbound at FL270 to pick up tailwinds.





Happens to me all the time hence the discussion which began from discussing ifr vs vfr. Throw in bizarre ATC routing and flying VFR is faster in the PC12 than IFR in the jet in many destinations I go.

I don’t fly into 80 knot headwinds. Which is why I’d only ever buy a jet that could get to FL450 to get above them. Lately headwinds haven’t been less at FL450 though so now we’re back to where we are now. Full circle.

Hhhmmmmm.......this is just not true. I have flown in several countries where one can fly vfr and not speak to anyone.

Hate to break it to you, but that is not the case at. Hell, in UK you fly IFR in IMC and not talk to anybody.

I'm with Chuck, once you are in the high teens you're dealing with fast traffic, ascending and descending... closure rates get pretty scary at 300 - 400 knots.

No joke. Or 600+

If I'm in the high teens, that means 180-190.

If I add the time I've been delayed being IFR in the last year (600 hours) it couldn't add up to 10 minutes.

IFR, fat on fuel, and a spectacular lunch already planned out, and I'm good.

assuming you are not going to towered airports, after clearing customs in mexico you can go anywhere you want. Most of the Caribbean is the same.

assuming you are not going to towered airports, after clearing customs in mexico you can go anywhere you want. Most of the Caribbean is the same.

Yea, its kind of ironic that you can go anywhere you want if its non towered and never speak to a soul, but land at a controlled field, and all of the sudden you have 5 pages of paperwork that has to be stamped by 5 different people. The Mexicans love their stamps!!

Yes they do!

The seem to treat pilots with more respect, but expect more and anything that goes wrong is the Capitan’s fault!

You must have been around more than me! Do you have some examples, I don't travel outside the US much and have been under the assumption that we have freedom of flight unlike any other country.

I am including filing a flight plan for a VFR flight, not just talking to air traffic control. The point being, at least in the countries I've traveled private in, you have to tell someone where you are going and what you're doing.

Turning off your radio and flying VFR around large metro areas is perfectly legal and so is driving 55mph in the fastlane.

I think both are rude.

But, once departed from a towered Airport you can go wherever you like, just like the US?