You're departing Capital Region Airport (LAN) on a flight plan to Indianapolis Metro Airport (UMP) via direct FWA, direct HUBLI, direct. Weather is solidly IMC, bases OVC006, tops reported around 5300, negative ice.

In your clearance, you were issued "maintain 3000, expect 8000 one-zero minutes after departure."

Lansing Tower gives you "Proceed direct Fort Wayne, cleared for takeoff." You take off and you turn direct FWA. As you're entering the bases they issue "Contact Great Lakes departure," but when you flip the switch you can't get a response. Going back to Tower, also no response.

What is your game plan? (I'm specifically curious about your altitude, but really the whole scenario is important to think over.)

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?

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."

I'm specifically wondering what is the same, and what is different, about your approach to the airport and your selection of landing runway.

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 ATC if something happens and you report going missed, or get sent around, on short final.

Note: The answer is NOT "turn right direct Victory VOR." Explain why.

This is a real-world scenario that happened to me during the second week after I was certified to work radar. Details changed, of course.

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. Pretend all the airway segments are usable.

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:

Cherokee 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?