Title:
USHST Pilot Safety - When VFR Stops Working - Making the Decision Before You Enter IMC
Topic:
A Real-World Look at Weather, Risk and the Decisions that Prevent VFR-into-IMC Accidents
Date and Time:
Thursday, October 8, 2026, starting at 19:00 Eastern Daylight Time (16:00 PDT; 17:00 MDT; 18:00 CDT; 13:00 HST; 15:00 AKDT; 16:00 Arizona; 23:00 GMT)
Brief Description:
VFR-into-IMC accidents rarely begin with a single bad decision. Join Chris Baur for this National offering for an interactive look at how deteriorating weather, terrain, darkness and changing conditions can progressively eliminate a pilot’s options—and how better preflight and in-flight decisions can break the accident chain before an emergency develops.
Select Number:
EA61146424
Seating:
Check Additional event Information below for possible registration requirements.
Sponsoring Division:
FAASTeam
Additional Event Information & Acknowledgement of Industry Sponsor(s):
VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions remains one of aviation’s most persistent—and preventable—accident scenarios. Chris Baur & his guests will use real-world scenarios to examine the decisions that occur well before a pilot inadvertently enters IMC.
Participants will work through changing weather conditions and discuss when to continue, divert, land or transition to an instrument option. The session will also explore modern resources available to pilots, including graphical weather information, FAA weather cameras and emerging flight-planning tools designed to identify deteriorating conditions before they become an emergency.
Audience takeaways: Pilots will learn to recognize the early indicators of a deteriorating VFR flight; identify practical decision points before options disappear; better use weather forecasts, observations and cameras; understand how terrain, darkness and changing ceilings compound risk; and apply a simple “what is my next safe option?” mentality throughout a flight.
At what point does a perfectly reasonable VFR flight become a bad idea?
Join us for an interactive examination of VFR-into-IMC risk. We’ll put you in the pilot’s seat, change the weather as the flight progresses, and ask the question that matters: What would you do now?
Credit Applicability:
1 Credit for Advanced Knowledge Topic 1
FAASTeam Project Information:
National Project:
Safety Promotion Outreach for Pilots
Additional Event Documents:
