Morne
Line Up and Wait
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2011
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Display name:
Morne
The other weekend we took a trip (myself, wife and another couple) up to Burlington, VT. I'll relate the details because the decision making was not trivial.
Background:
C-182E with /A equipment (VFR GPS onboard iPad on yoke, iPhone back-up)
54 gallons useable fuel (always full on departure)
No de-icing equipment
4 people onboard plus overnight bags
Close to MGW at take-off
Pilot is PPL with complex, Hi-perf and instrument rating (current, proficient and comfortable), night current
Origin = KBJJ, destination KBTV
Outbound Saturday 11/9/13, return planned 11/10/13
Due to the winds aloft we figured to make the trip outbound in one leg and have the return broken into two legs with a fuel stop at KIAG.
Outbound Flightaware track:
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N9231X/history/20131109/1230Z/KBJJ/KBTV
Outbound was easy, the winds aloft kept me around 160 knots groundspeend. Had to fiddle with the cruise altitude a couple of times to be between cloud layers but otherwise no problem. Kept pitot heat on just to be safe. Everyone loved the flight and after landing we all had tons of energy to be out on the town all afternoon/night. A great time had by all.
Planning the return was tougher. The original plan of using KIAG for the fuel stop evaporated when I saw how the front had come in from the Northwest. Our original routing would have been into an icing airment (and moderate turbulence) with ceilings low enough to give mountain obscuration - pass, thanks! Going over Canada was out because I was the only one with my passport on me. After chatting with the briefer and getting the gloom and doom I went back to the drawing board and looked for a way south into Pennsylvania and then west. Decided to try flying down the Hudson from KBTV to 20N and then turning west towards KAVP. That looked doable and kept us under higher ceilings with lower terrain. Still had a moderate turbulence airmet, though.
Took off and started south, sure enough it was bumpy but VFR. Not the worst turbulence I've flown in but certainly not a lot of fun. Got to Kingston (20N) and decided to land early there to re-check the weather and gas up again even though it meant we'd probably need another fuel stop before getting home. While on the ground everyone (but me, naturally) took Dramamine. Figured it was safe to get to KIPT for the next stop. Took off again, this time right around sunset.
The ride towards KIPT was very bumpy. Normally I go higher to get over the bad stuff but the clouds above me, replete with PIREPs for icing from moderate to severe, kept me low. Everyone was tense and I was very busy fighting the turbulence. The headwinds put my groundspeed around 80 knots, which made it all the worse. Coming into KIPT I did a visual approach but I still flew the RNAV GPS 30 approach on ForeFlight because I knew there were mountains around that I couldn't see and with which I was unfamiliar. On final the gusts of winds made it rough but at least they were just 10 degrees off of the runway. Landed safely but at this point I was tired and I was sure nobody else was having fun. Asked the line service guy if we could get a rental car and he said he could have one in 5 minutes, so we took it. Sure, it was a 5 hour drive home versus a 2 hour flight with the headwinds, but the trade-off in ride quality was worth it.
There were times before dark where I could see an occasional hole in the clouds above me. I was tempted to climb through one and get above it, even though the headwinds at higher altitudes would've slowed me down even more if the ride was better. My concern was that then I might have been trapped above an icing layer with no sure way down. Yes, I can shoot an instrument approach but with the airplane's weight and the reported icing I didn't want to take that chance.
I went back the following Saturday to pick up my plane and fly her home solo. All went fine.
The point of all this is that being flexible about your travel plans is very important. I also selected KIPT because it was a Class D airport and figured that getting a rental car after sunset on a Sunday was more likely in case I needed that option. I'm rather proud of how I handled resisting the urge to just fly that last leg.
Background:
C-182E with /A equipment (VFR GPS onboard iPad on yoke, iPhone back-up)
54 gallons useable fuel (always full on departure)
No de-icing equipment
4 people onboard plus overnight bags
Close to MGW at take-off
Pilot is PPL with complex, Hi-perf and instrument rating (current, proficient and comfortable), night current
Origin = KBJJ, destination KBTV
Outbound Saturday 11/9/13, return planned 11/10/13
Due to the winds aloft we figured to make the trip outbound in one leg and have the return broken into two legs with a fuel stop at KIAG.
Outbound Flightaware track:
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N9231X/history/20131109/1230Z/KBJJ/KBTV
Outbound was easy, the winds aloft kept me around 160 knots groundspeend. Had to fiddle with the cruise altitude a couple of times to be between cloud layers but otherwise no problem. Kept pitot heat on just to be safe. Everyone loved the flight and after landing we all had tons of energy to be out on the town all afternoon/night. A great time had by all.
Planning the return was tougher. The original plan of using KIAG for the fuel stop evaporated when I saw how the front had come in from the Northwest. Our original routing would have been into an icing airment (and moderate turbulence) with ceilings low enough to give mountain obscuration - pass, thanks! Going over Canada was out because I was the only one with my passport on me. After chatting with the briefer and getting the gloom and doom I went back to the drawing board and looked for a way south into Pennsylvania and then west. Decided to try flying down the Hudson from KBTV to 20N and then turning west towards KAVP. That looked doable and kept us under higher ceilings with lower terrain. Still had a moderate turbulence airmet, though.
Took off and started south, sure enough it was bumpy but VFR. Not the worst turbulence I've flown in but certainly not a lot of fun. Got to Kingston (20N) and decided to land early there to re-check the weather and gas up again even though it meant we'd probably need another fuel stop before getting home. While on the ground everyone (but me, naturally) took Dramamine. Figured it was safe to get to KIPT for the next stop. Took off again, this time right around sunset.
The ride towards KIPT was very bumpy. Normally I go higher to get over the bad stuff but the clouds above me, replete with PIREPs for icing from moderate to severe, kept me low. Everyone was tense and I was very busy fighting the turbulence. The headwinds put my groundspeed around 80 knots, which made it all the worse. Coming into KIPT I did a visual approach but I still flew the RNAV GPS 30 approach on ForeFlight because I knew there were mountains around that I couldn't see and with which I was unfamiliar. On final the gusts of winds made it rough but at least they were just 10 degrees off of the runway. Landed safely but at this point I was tired and I was sure nobody else was having fun. Asked the line service guy if we could get a rental car and he said he could have one in 5 minutes, so we took it. Sure, it was a 5 hour drive home versus a 2 hour flight with the headwinds, but the trade-off in ride quality was worth it.
There were times before dark where I could see an occasional hole in the clouds above me. I was tempted to climb through one and get above it, even though the headwinds at higher altitudes would've slowed me down even more if the ride was better. My concern was that then I might have been trapped above an icing layer with no sure way down. Yes, I can shoot an instrument approach but with the airplane's weight and the reported icing I didn't want to take that chance.
I went back the following Saturday to pick up my plane and fly her home solo. All went fine.
The point of all this is that being flexible about your travel plans is very important. I also selected KIPT because it was a Class D airport and figured that getting a rental car after sunset on a Sunday was more likely in case I needed that option. I'm rather proud of how I handled resisting the urge to just fly that last leg.
