TMetzinger
Final Approach
I suspect many folks have had either VFR-into-IMC experiences, or came close enough to them, to motivate them into getting an instrument rating. Here's my story.
October 2, 1997. I'm a private pilot for 22 months, with 149 hours, 87 X/C, and 21 at night. I'm taking my wife from Frederick, Maryland, to Laconia, NH, in N2820S, a Socata Tobago (180 HP, Fixed Gear, CS prop, 115 KTAS) with a VFR GPS and an STec autopilot.
Weather at the time of our departure is CAVU, with a forecast for scattered clouds over NH around the time of our arrival. So we launch, heading over to College Park (CGS) for brunch, then heading north mover Lancaster, keeping west of Philly and NY Bravo space, and crossing the Hudson south of Albany near the Chester VOR, with flight following on the way. As we cross the Hudson at 5500, I see thicker than expected cloud cover ahead and below us. By the time we're in Massachusetts and nearing Chester, there's a 3/4 broken deck below us. We're on top, great visibility, no danger. We've also got enough fuel to go all the way back to FDK if needed, so I'm not scared for my life, but am worried about completing the trip.
Calling up ATC, I tell them I'm worried about the weather, and ask if they know if Laconia is VFR. They report back that Laconia is IFR, and ask if the airplane and I are capable of instrument flight. I tell them the airplane is but I'm not, and tell them we'll want to divert, and ask if there are any fields reporting VFR. They give us a vector to Orange (KORE), and ask if I'm having trouble maintaining VFR. I tell them no, we're on top and fat with fuel, and just need a place to land and wait for better weather.
As we approach Orange, I can see the cloud deck thickening, but it's still scattered and I can make out the airport and make a visual pattern. A cloud gets in the way on final so I go around and try again on a crossing runway, and land fine. I call up FSS on the ground and close my VFR flight plan, and get the weather - Laconia is expected to improve in a couple of hours. About 20 minutes later the entire ocean rained down on Orange - it just POURED for about 30 minutes. My wife and I found a diner nearby, with velvet paintings on the walls, and terrific food. Perhaps the slight sense of danger helped our appetites a bit.
In a couple of hours, it was VFR again at Orange, Laconia was the same, and we completed our trip.
In my case, I was never scared - we always had lots of safe options. But I was certainly annoyed, and vowed that I'd get the instrument rating soon so that benign weather changes wouldn't delay or cancel flying in the future.
October 2, 1997. I'm a private pilot for 22 months, with 149 hours, 87 X/C, and 21 at night. I'm taking my wife from Frederick, Maryland, to Laconia, NH, in N2820S, a Socata Tobago (180 HP, Fixed Gear, CS prop, 115 KTAS) with a VFR GPS and an STec autopilot.
Weather at the time of our departure is CAVU, with a forecast for scattered clouds over NH around the time of our arrival. So we launch, heading over to College Park (CGS) for brunch, then heading north mover Lancaster, keeping west of Philly and NY Bravo space, and crossing the Hudson south of Albany near the Chester VOR, with flight following on the way. As we cross the Hudson at 5500, I see thicker than expected cloud cover ahead and below us. By the time we're in Massachusetts and nearing Chester, there's a 3/4 broken deck below us. We're on top, great visibility, no danger. We've also got enough fuel to go all the way back to FDK if needed, so I'm not scared for my life, but am worried about completing the trip.
Calling up ATC, I tell them I'm worried about the weather, and ask if they know if Laconia is VFR. They report back that Laconia is IFR, and ask if the airplane and I are capable of instrument flight. I tell them the airplane is but I'm not, and tell them we'll want to divert, and ask if there are any fields reporting VFR. They give us a vector to Orange (KORE), and ask if I'm having trouble maintaining VFR. I tell them no, we're on top and fat with fuel, and just need a place to land and wait for better weather.
As we approach Orange, I can see the cloud deck thickening, but it's still scattered and I can make out the airport and make a visual pattern. A cloud gets in the way on final so I go around and try again on a crossing runway, and land fine. I call up FSS on the ground and close my VFR flight plan, and get the weather - Laconia is expected to improve in a couple of hours. About 20 minutes later the entire ocean rained down on Orange - it just POURED for about 30 minutes. My wife and I found a diner nearby, with velvet paintings on the walls, and terrific food. Perhaps the slight sense of danger helped our appetites a bit.
In a couple of hours, it was VFR again at Orange, Laconia was the same, and we completed our trip.
In my case, I was never scared - we always had lots of safe options. But I was certainly annoyed, and vowed that I'd get the instrument rating soon so that benign weather changes wouldn't delay or cancel flying in the future.