Any tools for helping me set personal IFR minimums?

[TheGolfPilot]

personal minimums shouldn't be set in stone. It should be case by case day by day. You need to make a evaluation of your situation and make a decision that isn't manipulated by the weather conditions. Which can be very hard sometimes. When someone says "these are my minimums" I see complacency and missed opportunity. I have had moments where I knew I could fly to approach minimums without any issues while other days I just didn't feel 100% capable and sat at home despite weather being see forever 1000' overcast. Its a revolving cycle.

 

[Tantalum]

It should be case by case day by day.

I agree, and I don't think that's at odds with the thing I posted before. I think that just comes down to your overall fitness-for-flight on any given day. There are plenty of days were for whatever reason I may not pass the IMSAF rule, and on days like that I don't fly

 

[TheGolfPilot]

I agree, and I don't think that's at odds with the thing I posted before. I think that just comes down to your overall fitness-for-flight on any given day. There are plenty of days were for whatever reason I may not pass the IMSAF rule, and on days like that I don't fly

That is exactly right. Just because you have the knowledge in your head and the equipment to do it. Doesn't mean its a good idea. I don't directly think "IMSAF" but a decision to not go for personal reasons far more times than not falls into one or multiple of the IMSAF categories. Why I take commercial when I go to Vegas, pre-evaluating my trip back condition.

 

[neilw2]

personal minimums shouldn't be set in stone. It should be case by case day by day. You need to make a evaluation of your situation and make a decision that isn't manipulated by the weather conditions. Which can be very hard sometimes. When someone says "these are my minimums" I see complacency and missed opportunity. I have had moments where I knew I could fly to approach minimums without any issues while other days I just didn't feel 100% capable and sat at home despite weather being see forever 1000' overcast. Its a revolving cycle.

That was exactly my point in my previous post. IFR is too complicated to set hard personal minimums. It changes day/day based on weather, IMSAFE checklists, recency and currency among many others. Weather being the big one- no two days have exactly the same weather so each day is different. A careful evaluation of what the weather is, what the risk are, and what the outs are all play a part in that day's "minimums."

The more you understand the weather the better you feel about making these decisions either way. The best book I ever read on the subject is "Weather Flying" by Robert Buck. Really good description of wx systems and some ways to come up with good go/no go decisions. Highly reccomend it to ALL but especially new IFR pilots.