Editing Instrument flight rules (section)

==Procedures==
{{Main|Instrument approach|Flight procedure}}
Specific procedures allow IFR aircraft to transition safely through every stage of flight. These procedures specify how an IFR pilot should respond, even in the event of a complete radio failure, and loss of communications with ATC, including the expected aircraft course and altitude.{{Citation needed|date=June 2015}}

Departures are described in an IFR clearance issued by ATC prior to takeoff. The departure clearance may contain an assigned heading, one or more waypoints, and an initial altitude to fly. The clearance can also specify a departure procedure (DP) or [[standard instrument departure]] (SID) that should be followed unless "NO DP" is specified in the notes section of the filed flight plan.{{Citation needed|date=June 2015}}

En route flight is described by IFR charts showing navigation aids, fixes, and standard routes called ''[[Airway (aviation)|airways]]''. Aircraft with appropriate navigational equipment such as GPS, are also often cleared for a ''direct-to'' routing, where only the destination, or a few navigational waypoints are used to describe the route that the flight will follow. ATC will assign altitudes in its initial clearance or amendments thereto, and navigational charts indicate minimum safe altitudes for airways.<ref>{{cite web|title=Section 3. En Route Procedures|publisher=Archived from the [[FAA]]|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309151642/http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim/aim0503.html|access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref>

The approach portion of an IFR flight may begin with a [[standard terminal arrival route]] (STAR), describing common routes to fly to arrive at an [[initial approach fix]] (IAF) from which an [[instrument approach]] commences. 
An instrument approach terminates either by the pilot acquiring sufficient visual reference to proceed to the runway, or with a [[missed approach]] because the required visual reference is not seen in time.<ref>[[Canadian Aviation Regulations]], SOR/96-433, std. 602.128 (2)</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Visual References|publisher=Skybrary Aero|url=https://skybrary.aero/articles/visual-references|access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref>