Hey guys,

With the nicer weather comming, thought I'd ask a question, this hasn't really been a real issue for me, but still a hmm kinda thing.


So let's say I go spend a weekend out somewhere in my amphib beached out somewhere, time to pack up camp, weather is like a 700' cieling, Non mountainous, nice and warm, plane is a well equipped /G and I'm IFR.

Presuming cell, radio coverage or something, is there any way to get a IFR out of a lake or backcountry strip? How would you go about it? Give them a radial/DME, lat/lon, etc?

Radial/DME for departure point works fine.

What other options work? Pop up clearance (assuming you are well aware of terrain and obstruction conditions), etc from an unregistered departure point?

You can pop up from anywhere you want anytime you want, but the friendlier thing to do is notify ATC ahead of time if you can. Lots of places you can't contact ATC before departure so you have to be a little careful, both to maintain your own terrain separation, and not to disrupt legitimate IFR aircraft already in their protected airspace. Typically once you have radio contact and better yet transponder contact, ATC will ask you if you can maintain VFR until blah, blah waypoint/altitude where you can pick up your clearance, but really it is just the ATC system confirming you are responsible for your own terrain clearance and it won't be on their conscience if you end up eating pinecones. Expect to get kicked around a bit as a pop-up, like getting vectors to oblivion-land, ATC don't like pop-ups.

Pretty normal in Canada to go IFR from location to location without ever talking to ATC, you broadcast on the common frequency and work out any separation required.

Caveat: if you're in controlled airspace, you must remain VFR (not just be able to avoid the terrain--there's a difference) until you get your clearance, if you're going to do a pop-up.

The old way that still works is (assuming you have some sort of phone service) filing the IFR flight plan on the ground, with a clearance void time. I learned the hard way to ask for longer than ATC wanted to arbitrarily give me, and for me, 20 minutes worked pretty well if I already had the airplane preflighted and loaded. That way you're actually on the IFR flight plan and are legal in the soup because you have your clearance, even before you make contact on the radio with ATC.

If on the other hand you're not in controlled airspace at all, it's legal to go into IMC so long as you and the airplane are current for IFR, and so long as you can do it safely. There are fewer and fewer places where that can be done, but in the old days, I did it frequently, pre-cellphone, when I flew home from visiting my folks at Sundance, WY. Once I could make contact with either Sheridan FSS or Denver Center, I'd file in the air and get my clearance, although I'd been in the clouds legally for awhile.

Cary