I have my instrument rating but don't let that confuse you...I don't know everything.....

This question pertains how to depart an airport without terminal or enroute radar services IFR.

Can you file to anything other than a VOR as an initial fix? Assume no GPS on board (although my understanding is no 'GPS direct' without radar contact)

 

You could file to an NDB. Or you could find an old RNAV unit. Ok, the Instrument Flying Handbook says if you don't get specific departure instructions to proceed on course via the most direct route. If there is a victor airway over the field it's not an issue to file the airway as your first "fix." The question is how far can you go and I don't know. I've filed airways 10 or 15 miles from the airport. What you have to remember is ATC has to protect your airspace. If you file to an airway 100 miles away, ATC is going to have to protect half the state you're in. They're probably not going to be happy about that.

 

in regards to the airway over the field....

I did that once with an airway about 18 nm away and when filing they asked me my route to that airway.

I didnt know what to say.

I could have told them direct to a radial/distance on that airway, but how would you actually navigate?

Just draw a line and fly a course corrected for forecast winds? (if departure doesnt have VOR on the field or you cant use a nearby VOR radial that you can extend through the airport and fly it to a published route)

 

If you have issues when filing, the only thing that matters to the person on the other end of the phone is whether or not the computer will take it. There are some situations that are finicky, but not necessarily legal or illegal. My understanding is that the computer won't accept direct to an airway, because there is not definition of how to get there. Basically, if you can navigate it, you can file it...but even that's not 100% correct.

In the future, filing from airport to a fix that you can adequately navigate to will work. Also remember that the way you file is not necessarily the way you will fly...only what to expect AND what you will do when lost comm. The most practical, real world way to do it is to file to a fix first, then continue via the airway that defines the fix. Even if that takes you slightly out of the way, once you get in radar contact you will probably be able to request a more direct route. Of course, the only penalty to that is that you may not get more direct and you will have to be prepare to fly the way it was filed and have enough fuel to legally conduct the flight the way it was filed.

 

This question is assuming no radar availability.

Take for example a flight departing 3d1 to RIH. You would like to fly V493 to RIH. You would logically decide to file to CRAZE for an initial fix to get you started on the airway.

But how do you navigate to CRAZE? Can you legally draw a course line and fly a heading untill the airway needle centers?

 

only other thing I can think of is drawing a line on the chart from departure airport to IMT and flying that IMT radial to the airway. You could than define that point as IMT19036 and file direct to that point.

But....
that only works if you have a usable VOR within distance

I guess you could use (for the sake of the computer accepting the route) a VOR 120 miles away to define a point on the passing airway, and file direct to ABC230120. But since you cant use the VOR for navigation do to the range can you navigate basically by dead reckoning to the point where you pick up the airway?

 

Wasnt anyone here ever taught "point to point" nav? I was taught that in basic IFR nav in the military. You should be able to navigate from your current radial/dme to the radial/dme you wish to fly to.

 

Too hard if you don't have a HSI/RMI

 

Please explain, if you don't mind. (Assuming you do have a HSI/RMI)

 

I HATED Point-to-Point navigation; never was very good at it, but it got a *little* easier once I was able to draw course lines and use the navigation display for range scales.

USMCFLYR