Do airline pilots ever make VFR flights?

Question

Or is it always IFR?

Answer 1

On a very rare occasion it might be VFR , but I could not give you an example other then cruising under 18,000 feet. Any thing over 18,000 is class A airspace and you are required to file IFR.A regular flight might be VFR upon arrival ...for example- A pilot took off in an airport with heavy rain and just flat out IFR....at the arrival airport he might encounter great weather and be cleared for a visual approach to land , even though he has filled IFR.Hope this helps.

Edit part 2- Well , it doesn't make a difference whether or not the takeoff is in VFR conditions or not , they will still have a clearance that they must follow regardless. They will be vectored via radar to VOR's...alttitudes...and then on filed course.

In short it doesn't matter for takeoff because they will have to follow the same procedure. Unlike landing where they either use their eyes to visually glide down or either stare at a Instrument approach chart and load stuff into the FMC.

Answer 2

As stated it depends on the company and what they want you to do.....and heck you can fly the whole flight by hand of you want......but again some companies require different things to be performed.

Answer 3

Sure, all the time.  It depends on their ops specs, or operations specifications for their particular airline.  Some allow vfr revenue flights, and some don't.  Usually the ops specs will have some rules for things like this.  And, you can always cancel IFR at some point, usually 50 nm from the destination, if you see an advantage to doing so.  Very good question.

PS, yes, some of the answers below are correct.  Usually only turboprops on shorter flights would go vfr the entire way.  That is because you would have to stay under 18,000 feet and have good weather along your route.  Almost all flights in jets are IFR, even if the weather is VMC along the entire route.

Answer 4

Yes.  Some airlines permit it.  Others don't.

Answer 5

Keep in mind that a Visual Approach IS still an Instrument Approach and, obviously, performed while under IFR

Answer 6

Sure, any time you come in for a landing on a nice clear day, and the airplane hits hard or you are wondering to yourself, "I could've hit the deck easier than this guy," then it was probably a VFR!!!  ROFLMAO, sorry, too much vino.

I bow to the thumbs downs, THANK YOU!

Answer 7

Yes on the approach they will. Departures is another thing, Large commercial aircraft wont. Airports has got SIDs (standard instrument departures). For the easiest way by traffic aircraft follow these and they are all IFR. All high altittude airspace is IFR so jets cant fly on there cruising altittude VFR. Weather does not have to be VMC at the airport to do a visual approach, aslong as the final approach path is clear and no thunderstorms in the area.

Answer 8

Yeah... if its a short flight

Answer 9

Its very rare for an airline to depart VFR but it does happen.  It generally only happens when the pilots of that flight are unable to receive an IFR clearance due to any number of reasons.  I have had to do this once departing Salem, OR because the center was not properly monitoring the RCO that I was transmitting over and I could not get in touch with anyone to relay a clearance to me.  Under circumstances like this, we are allowed to depart VFR then pick up our clearance as long as we do so prior to 50nm from our departure airport.

Answer 10

Most likely they won't make an entire flight VFR, however it is common from non-towered airports to depart VFR (in good weather) and obtain IFR clearance once airborne.  Many non towered airports don't have a clearance delivery frequency which makes obtaining IFR clearances on the ground more difficult.

Another instance would be approaching a non-towered airport and canceling IFR when you have the field in-sight.