History
Very soon after the first flights, pilots sought to push their limits in poor weather conditions. The development of commercial aviation—first for mail, then for cargo and passengers—encouraged them to do so.
Since 1961, IFR has been mandatory for all public air transport flights in Europe.
Details
Instrument flight therefore allows pilots to fly in conditions of reduced visibility, such as cloud (icing clouds, thunderstorms, fog, etc.), enabling them to fly through or avoid such conditions as necessary.
A pilot operates a flight in accordance with Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) when they adhere to a set of rules that enable them, with the aid of their instruments and air traffic control, to:
maintain the aircraft in a flight-specific configuration (attitude, speed)
follow a route prescribed by air traffic control (to ensure separation from terrain, obstacles, other aircraft, etc.)
comply with published regulations and procedures
To do this:
the aircraft must be equipped with specific instruments (radio, transponder, direction finder (indicates direction), autopilot, de-icing system, etc., all of which must be duplicated)
the pilot must have completed and passed the relevant training, and their skills are regularly tested and their licence validated.
Generally, there are two pilots in the cockpit, who are in constant contact with an air traffic controller who monitors the flight on their radar screen and ensures that the aircraft maintains a safe distance from other obstacles (adverse weather conditions, other aircraft, terrain, etc.).
As a general rule, an IFR flight must submit a filed flight plan (FPL). This FPL must be submitted at least sixty minutes in advance to the body responsible for air traffic control at European level, Eurocontrol, via an air traffic control unit (e.g. air traffic control centre). To be able to land at an airport using this technique, both the aircraft and the airport must be equipped with the
necessary technical equipment that provides information regarding azimuth, glide path and distance.
Basel-Mulhouse Airport is equipped with an Instrument Landing System (ILS) on Runway 15 and Runway 33.