Stevens mined records from 1973–2017 and collected hourly measurements of weather conditions—including temperature, dew point, cloud ceiling, and visibility—at the 30 busiest airports in the United States. He then used these conditions to calculate the number of IFR hours each airport experienced per year. His motivation for the study was partly personal—he’s a private pilot. “I’m forced to think about the weather every time I go flying,” he said.
More than half the airports saw at least a 25 percent decrease in their number of IFR hours between 1973 and 2017. Stevens noted the largest change at San Francisco International Airport: In the 1970s, SFO experienced roughly 1,500 IFR hours per year. In the last few years, that number has dropped to below 500.
here is what IFR flying feels like - nice if we can be spared this kind of flying
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