This is a really tricky question that the examiner probably won't ask you, and probably won't ever be a factor in your IFR flying career... until the day that it is.

Compare and contrast:

• IFR departure from Ionia County Airport (Y70). You got your clearance on the ground via telephone. AWOS reports 3SM vis and OVC007.
• IFR departure from Hiram Cure Airport (C43). You got your clearance on the ground via telephone. There is no AWOS, but you pull up ForeFlight and you see that both Y70 and LAN are reporting 3SM vis and OVC007.

How do you safely navigate yourself from 0' AGL to the minimum safe IFR altitude?

Here's another question that won't be asked on the oral, but it might come up in real life. It happened to me when I was a newly-certified radar controller—I think it was my second week of working without a trainer plugged in next to me.

You have filed a flight plan from Ionia County Airport (Y70) to South Bend via VIO V274 PMM V55 GIJ direct with a filed altitude of 060.

The AWOS at Y70 is reporting ceiling OVC015 and visibility 10SM—marginal VFR, to be sure, but still legal VFR.

Your cell carrier has poor coverage near Ionia, so you elect to depart VFR. You take off from Runway 28. Because you are VFR, you maintain 500' below the cloud layer—1000' AGL, 1800' MSL. You call Great Lakes Approach airborne to pick up your IFR clearance.

The Great Lakes Approach controller issues your squawk code and identifies you on radar. They give you the Grand Rapids altimeter setting and confirm that you are at 1800' MSL. Then they say this:

Skyhawk 345, you're below my MVA. Are you able to maintain your own terrain and obstruction clearance through 2500?

What do you say, and why?

You're going in to GRR. You get the ATIS, which has 05016KT SCT013 BKN035 and says that both the ILS RWY 08R and the ILS RWY 35 are in use.

You're cleared the ILS RWY 08R. Brief the expected immediate/initial response from Grand Rapids Tower if something happens and you report going missed, or get sent around, on short final.

Compare and contrast:

• You are on an IFR flight plan cleared direct Ionia County Airport (Y70) descending to 030. Ten miles out, you report the field in sight. ATC tells you "Cleared visual approach Ionia County, report cancellation of IFR in the air on this frequency or on the ground via telephone, change to advisory frequency approved."
• You are on an IFR flight plan cleared direct Capital Region Airport (LAN) descending to 030. Ten miles out, you report the field in sight. ATC tells you "Cleared visual approach Runway 28L, contact Lansing Tower."

Walk through each scenario from now until engine shutdown.