Is your aircraft equipped for IFR?

§91.205 of the Federal Aviation Regulations prescribes what equipment aircraft must have to operate in the United States. This is where pilot’s can find equipment required for IFR. But like most things in aviation, It’s a lot for anyone to remember! Luckily an acronym exists to help break down the requirements and make sure you are both safe and legal to fly!

IFR Required Equipment

Just remember: GRABCARD. Don’t forget though, these items are required in addition to that equipment required for VFR Day and/or night operations. You can view those requirements here.

Let’s review each item in the mnemonic:

Sources of Navigation

So what constitutes a “suitable” source of navigation for the intended route?  In the age of modern avionics, that can be a bit of a tricky answer…

Defining what minimal navigational system is legal for an IFR flight requires assessing what navigational aids are available along your intended route as well as at your intended departure and arrival airports. Some areas or airports may only have one of the many types of navigational systems available for pilots.  Taking this into account is invaluable for ensuring your aircraft is both IFR legal as well as planning for alternatives in the event one system is to become unavailable or malfunction.

A more important question pilots should ask themselves when considering navigation source is how confident he or she is with a particular system. Pilots should never fly IFR with avionics they are not completely confident using. This is especially true for modern GPS units.

Back in the Golden Age of aviation, basic VOR, DME, and ADF systems were all anyone needed to confidently fly IFR. Today; however, Global Positioning Systems have added an additional layer of complexity to aerial navigation. The most important questions pilots need concern themselves with now is if their particular aircraft’s GPS unit is IFR compliant. Consulting a flight instructor if you are unfamiliar with a particular navigation system is always the best way to ensure you are both legal and safe. 

The key take away: never fly IFR unless you are confident that your aircraft is IFR compliant and specifically that your navigational system is suitable for your flight.