I'm officially an instrument student!

[Radar Contact]

Lots of people say that.

It's quite wrong. Returning to your starting point involves a lot of doubling back, a poor choice with an emergency if you have any alternatives.

If I have an emergency in IMC leaving Palo Alto, I'm not returning to Palo Alto. I'm lining up with San Carlos or San Francisco if I have enough power to get over obstructions, and landing in bay mud otherwise, while avoiding Facebook. If pigs are flying and 13 is in use, I'm landing at Moffett.

Most of the country isn't as congested as Palo Alto. Yes, If I'm leaving a congested spot and could straight ahead join a great instrument approach to a different runway/airport, that's what I would do.

At a minimum for the rest of the vast country, I make sure I can get back into my departure airport.

 

[Radar Contact]

So far, nobody I asked in the past could answer me this simple question: "if you are doing a 0/0 takeoff where you cannot see the rwy centerline, how in the heck did you get to the rwy in the first place?"

Not all airports have the same reporting capability. If it's less than their min reportable value, I'd say it's zero. In my case when I was young and dumb it was a class E airport and I could just make out one centerline stripe at a time. Stupid.

 

[MAKG1]

Most of the country isn't as congested as Palo Alto. Yes, If I'm leaving a congested spot and could straight ahead join a great instrument approach to a different runway/airport, that's what I would do.

At a minimum for the rest of the vast country, I make sure I can get back into my departure airport.

You're right; other parts have BETTER emergency landing spots, with or without instrument approaches.

The Bay is hardly unique with airports less than 10 miles apart. I see that MORE frequently, not less, away from urban centers. In urban environments, small airports are much more valuable as large housing developments or office parks, and they disappear.

Unless you start to get far out into the desert, where IMC isn't common, and when it is there, the IMC itself is the emergency. Or into the high mountains where IMC isn't flyable in a small piston.

 

[Radar Contact]

You're right; other parts have BETTER emergency landing spots, with or without instrument approaches.

The Bay is hardly unique with airports less than 10 miles apart. I see that MORE frequently, not less, away from urban centers. In urban environments, small airports are much more valuable as large housing developments or office parks, and they disappear.

Unless you start to get far out into the desert, where IMC isn't common, and when it is there, the IMC itself is the emergency. Or into the high mountains where IMC isn't flyable in a small piston.

We'll just have to agree to disagree. My suggestion is to not depart in a GA airplane from an airport you can't get back into because it's below mins for arrival. If you think that's a bad suggestion, that's fine.

To suggest other parts of the country are BETTER with emergency spots, maybe so? At least my suggestion will give you 200-500 ft when you break out to pick your spot. Your's will just be whatever you hit I guess since you're suggesting departing below arrival min's?

Either way, more often than not the less flying miles will be to tear drop back to an approach on the reciprocal departure runway...providing of course the plane is still flyable and you break out with enough time to land on the runway.

I'll be "quite wrong" and be a little more conservative until I get my GV.

 

[mscard88]

So far, nobody I asked in the past could answer me this simple question: "if you are doing a 0/0 takeoff where you cannot see the rwy centerline, how in the heck did you get to the rwy in the first place?"

At the airlines, the big airports (like ATL) actually have taxi center line lighting, and numerous hold points on the taxiway. Tower has a fancy ground radar that shows your target and info while you're taxing. Jepp has a taxi chart we used, called SMCGS I think it's called.

But at small airports, say an uncontrolled airport, it's slow going but doable.

 

[JingerBurger]

Great. I am planning to get on my instrument training too!

 

[TW82]

Took my first instrument instruction (albeit ground instruction) I'm really hyped and spirits are high!

Anyone have story's from their instrument student days they want to share?

On my last stage check I had to do the traditional RNAV, non-precision, and precision approach and a hold. I did the hold as part of a VOR approach, did the RNAV and was getting vectored for the ILS to another runway when tower mentioned that "there is an area of extreme precipitation 4.5 miles north of the field (which was near the FAF). I peaked from under the hood at my check instructor who said "let's go". I get established and the sound is horrific, rain pounding the airplane and I'm scared to death just trying to fly the glide slope. My instructor pulls the hood off and says "look up". The windshield had sheets of rain on it; can't see out. We broke through the rain and landed and the instructor told me "I wanted you to have that experience. We did it since it was only rain". That experience was worth a ton. I am glad for going through it because it taught me what the plane and equipment can do. It also taught me that I will never do that again if I get a vote.

One other thing, learn what your OFF FLAGS look like, where they are, and what makes them display.

 

[denverpilot]

On my last stage check I had to do the traditional RNAV,

"Traditional RNAV"... damn it, that makes me feel old.

 

[TW82]

"Traditional RNAV"... damn it, that makes me feel old.

I meant three traditional, or required for the ride, approaches. My bones make me feel old.

 

[PilotRPI]

Ive got lesson 3 coming up. Its been awesome so far. Biggest challenge is not falling asleep reading the FAA books.

 

[Rgbeard]

Took my first instrument instruction (albeit ground instruction) I'm really hyped and spirits are high!

Anyone have story's from their instrument student days they want to share?

Rebel Lord, did you ever finish your instrument rating?

I finished mine in March of this year. I began in August of 2016, but was run over by a semi-truck in Sept, so that delayed my process just a little bit.