Definition
The complete process of planning, filing, flying, and closing a flight conducted under Instrument Flight Rules, including weather analysis, route and altitude selection, fuel and alternate planning, obtaining a clearance, complying with ATC instructions, flying by reference to instruments through any weather encountered, executing an instrument approach at the destination, and closing the flight plan upon arrival.
Plain English
Carrying out a flight from start to finish under the rules that allow flying through clouds and low visibility, with ATC handling separation. It covers everything from checking the weather and filing the plan to flying the approach and reporting safely on the ground.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument training when the handbook moves from individual instrument skills to the full real-world flow of an IFR flight: planning, clearance, departure, en route flight, arrival, approach, and landing.
Derivation
Conduct comes from a Latin idea meaning “to lead or bring together.” That fits aviation use: conducting a flight means managing all the parts of the flight together as one operation.
Why Pilots Care
Ensures traffic and terrain separation when visual references are unavailable, preventing disorientation and controlled flight into terrain.
Grounding Statement
Conducting an IFR flight is the whole organized operation, from preflight planning to shutdown, carried out under instrument flight rules.
Intuition Check
Do not assume IFR means “flying in clouds.” IFR means the flight is being operated under instrument flight rules; it may happen in clouds, in clear air, or both.
Example Sentence 1
Before conducting an IFR flight, the pilot reviewed the weather, filed a flight plan, and selected a suitable alternate airport.
Example Sentence 2
Conducting an IFR flight requires continuous instrument cross-check and strict adherence to the assigned route.