I got lucky

[jspilot]

I got lucky yesterday. It was a really nice day on Long Island so I invited my mom to go on a little sight seeing tour of Eastern Long Island and the plan was to fly around Montauk Point and back. I had the plane reserved originally from 11-3 thinking we may go to lunch somewhere but my mom said she was worried about landing twice( she can get motion sick) so we decided on sight seeing instead. I went to move the reservation up to 1000am to avoid to forecasted wind increasing later in the day but, was not allowed to because it was within 2 hours of the reservation time. This was my first lucky break. You'll understand why as you read on.

We drive to the airport together and on the way I notice it's a little hazy. Not a cloud anywhere in the sky. I'm getting excited for the flight. We get to the airport and I fill out the paper work, explain some things to my mom, call the weather briefer for some weather info and head out to the plane. The briefer mentioned some airmet for IFR conditions in the area but atill its a nice day so I'm not worried.

We get out to the plane and I start pre-flighting. I'm not really paying attention to the sky but I notice a serious cloud bank moving in. They look pretty low too. My mom in her infinite naïveté says, "wow look at all those clouds. That plane that just took off just disappeared into them." This got my attention for sure. I said, " well lets finish the pre-flight and see." I finished and looked up and we were totally socked in by clouds now. I went inside and checked the satelite again-- it showed no clouds. I was confused but was not about to take off. I then decided to listen to the automated weather at the airport. Sure enough, broken clouds 1,100ft!!! I said, ok mon we can't go flying today!

When I tell you this day went from a beutiful day for flying to broken 1,100 in a matter of 15 minutes I'm telling you the truth. If we would have launched at 1000 we would have been socked in by this cloud layer and landing someplace else. This is the first time I've cancelled a flight do to weather after getting so close to flying. I'm proud of myself for doing so but feel that I had someone looking out for me and my mom here. Within an hour the airport had dropped to IFR-- while we drove home in sunny skies just 10 miles north!

Man did I get lucky.

 

[Direct C51]

Sounds like your standard summertime isolated event. I see it almost everyday for 4 months, here further South. The good thing is they are isolated events, usually 10 miles wide, dissipate in a few hours, and can be easily seen and avoided. Worst case you would have had to land somewhere nearby and wait maybe an hour or two. When you are flying for recreation and not work, it's always better to wait for a nice sunny day.

 

[pete480]

That happened to me on one of my "prog" checks during my training. We got as far as the edge of the ramp and had to turn around because the clouds rolled in out of nowhere.

You can do all the planning you want for a week in advance and this will still happen.

 

[acrophile]

I got lucky yesterday. [...]

The briefer mentioned some airmet for IFR conditions in the area but till it[']s a nice day so I'm not worried. [...]

When I tell you this day went from a be[a]utiful day for flying to broken 1,100 in a matter of 15 minutes I'm telling you the truth. If we [had] launched at 1000 we would have been socked in by this cloud layer and landing someplace else. This is the first time I've cancelled a flight d[ue] to weather after getting so close to flying. I'm proud of myself for doing so but feel that I had someone looking out for me and my mom here.

[...]

Man did I get lucky.

Yes, you did. If you'd encountered clouds that low, you'd have had to fly no higher than 700' to maintain VFR conditions. That would be illegally and dangerously low for flying over congested areas. But the alternative would be to fly illegally and dangerously close to the clouds, risking either VFR into IMC, or else collision with an IFR aircraft as it emerges from the clouds.

But you shouldn't have needed to be lucky. There was an AIRMET for IMC, which you brushed aside just because the clouds weren't above you at that moment. In the future, please take AIRMETs seriously. You did have someone looking out for you--namely, the FSS briefers.

You may wish to consider getting an online briefing (for example, at LMFS) to replace or augment a phone briefing. An online briefing gives you a chance to digest the information and be sure you understand its ramifications. And if there's anything that you're still unsure about, you can follow up with a phone briefing for clarification.

 

[gitmo234]

I've had an unpredicted weather change as well. My first solo actually. Winds were calm on my first pattern. By landing trip around the pattern they were 15 gusting 20, crosswind.

I miraculously landed safely and called off the rest of the solo. My instructor was happier with my decision to call it, than my landing. On the way back it got bumpy enough he said that normally he wouldnt be flying in that kind of wind.

Took me a few hours of pattern work after that to be comfortable landing again.

 

[jordane93]

But you shouldn't have needed to be lucky. There was an AIRMET for IMC, which you brushed aside just because the clouds weren't above you at that moment. In the future, please take AIRMETs seriously. You did have someone looking out for you--namely, the FSS briefers.

Exactly

 

[jspilot]

Yes, you did. If you'd encountered clouds that low, you'd have had to fly no higher than 700' to maintain VFR conditions. That would be illegally and dangerously low for flying over congested areas. But the alternative would be to fly illegally and dangerously close to the clouds, risking either VFR into IMC, or else collision with an IFR aircraft as it emerges from the clouds.

But you shouldn't have needed to be lucky. There was an AIRMET for IMC, which you brushed aside just because the clouds weren't above you at that moment. In the future, please take AIRMETs seriously. You did have someone looking out for you--namely, the FSS briefers.

You may wish to consider getting an online briefing (for example, at LMFS) to replace or augment a phone briefing. An online briefing gives you a chance to digest the information and be sure you understand its ramifications. And if there's anything that you're still unsure about, you can follow up with a phone briefing for clarification.

I certainly am glad I did call the guy. Honestly, it was totally not the kind of day I even needed to call based on the sky conditions that were present, but when he told me about the airmet, I certainly became more aware of the potential for some issues. The point of me positing this story though is that even on really nice days that look great, we all should still take pre-cautions to make sure nothing surprising comes up. Had I just trusted looking at the sky, I probably would have been blissfully unaware of these clouds moving in and could have placed myself in a tough spot. I did have plenty of outs had I flown because everything to the north was clear skies. I'm glad I did not have to go up that way though.

I think I did a lot right here and am proud of how I handled the situation. I did not make this flight so I think that shows good judgment.

I was not aware you could get online weather briefings. I never encountered that during my training or my time as a private pilot. Just another example of how flying never stops teaching you things. I'm glad I followed the old saying "it's better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air then it is to be in the air wishing you were on the ground!"

 

[acrophile]

The point of me positing this story though is that even on really nice days that look great, we all should still take pre[]cautions to make sure nothing surprising comes up.

Yes. Not only with regard to weather, but with regard to things like TFRs. A thorough pre-flight briefing isn't just wise, it's required. CFR 91.103 says we must obtain "all available information" about a prospective flight before we take off.

I think I did a lot right here

Agreed!

I was not aware you could get online weather briefings. I never encountered that during my training or my time as a private pilot.

That's surprising. Online briefings (as well as online filing, opening, and closing of VFR flight plans) have been a common and important service for many years. To be candid, I would be concerned that if your instructors never mentioned that, they may have omitted other important information as well. It might be a good idea to fly occasionally with different instructors just to see what other gaps their might be in your training.

 

[Scott@KTYR]

With a subject Title “I Got Luck”

I thought it was a Mile High topic! J

 

[colojo]

Last summer I launched from Denver Centennial to central Minnesota on an IFR flight plan. We departed early, in sunny but hazy conditions. Immediately after takeoff I could see a fog bank rolling south towards the airport that we never saw on the ground. Minutes later they closed the airport for quite a while until the fog lifted.

Fog in Denver is almost unheard of in the summer... you just never know what you're going to get!