Definition
A flight plan that specifies VFR operation for one portion of the flight and IFR operation for another portion, filed as a single plan with ATC.
Plain English
A flight plan where part of the trip is flown under visual flight rules and another part is flown under instrument flight rules, all filed together as one plan.
Context Anchor
Seen when filing or reviewing a flight plan that changes between VFR and IFR during the same trip, especially in military or special-use operations.
Derivation
‘Composite’ comes from Latin componere, meaning ‘to put together.’ The term describes a flight plan put together from two different parts — VFR and IFR — under one filing.
Why Pilots Care
It allows a pilot to file once for a mixed-rules flight instead of submitting separate VFR and IFR plans.
Intuition Check
Composite does not mean the aircraft is made of composite materials. Here, it means the flight plan combines VFR and IFR parts into one planned flight.
Example Sentence 1
She filed a composite flight plan, departing VFR from the small grass strip and picking up her IFR clearance over the VOR before entering the clouds.
Example Sentence 2
During the IFR segment of a composite flight plan, air traffic control provides separation services while the VFR segment requires the pilot to maintain visual separation.