sheldon957
Pre-Flight
I am enrolled in a part 141 school for my IFR. Our curriculum requires 2 cross countrys with 3 approaches each. So my instructor and I left on a very long trip to do them both in one day. I also flew the 182 since they were such long flights, almost 300 nm each way, and mileage is what counted, not time like in one of the commercial x-cntrys (rent a 150?) Did 2 approaches on the way up, and the final at the destination to complete the first cross country.
On the morning trip, I got into my very first IMC (only about 10 minutes) and light icing for about 2 minutes. It was very cool.......literally. We would have stayed longer if the ice didn't happen. On the climb out, the temperatures acted normal...ie dropping the higher we went. Finally as we went into the clouds, the water started running up the windshield and pouring off the struts. I watched the OAT as it kept dropping. It went from about 37 degrees on the ground (by the way this was in Sunny South Florida....right!) down to 28 in a very short time, and here came the ice. The clouds started around 4000 with tops around 5200, so I quickly climbed out of them. I was cleared for 6000. The cloud line only lasted for about the first 50 miles of the trip, then it was clear flying (I am told)
We climbed through and got on top. The temp went back UP to 44, then the further north we went, it dropped slowly to around 38. It stayed like this all the way from Lantana, FL (KLNA) which is about 50 miles N of Miami near West Palm Beach, to Tallahassee, FL (KTLH). As we started our descent, the temperature started DROPPING. By the time we were on the ground, it was 30 degrees again. Amazing, to me at least.
Here I digress for a moment:
Flight Line FBO topped off the fuel, ($4.73 or so, Jet was $5.25 or so) and gave us a Crew Car (Honda ?Passport? SUV) at no charge, to go get something to eat. Here is the key, sign it out. Here are the directions to 10 restaurants. I can't say enough about what a first class operation they were.
Lineman brought up the chocks, helped tie off the plane, fueled it. Great Pilot room with 4 large screen Computers, and charts (and a pool table) Great people on the ramp and inside. I will post this information on the AOPA airport comments also. A great resource by the way.
Now this part is "where or how long ago did that guy get his ticket". After a great lunch, we got ready to fly to a nearby airport for an approach. As we were taxiing up to the runup area, you could clearly see the ILS sign, and a large area with yellow bars all through it. "Don't stop here" it screamed. I went to an area and turned into the wind. Then a guy in a King Air 90 taxis right by us into this painted area, does a 270 turn there,
and proceeds to do his runup in front of the ILS equipment. "here's your sign" Forgive me for my digression.
After some approaches, we started back, and proceeded to climb to 7000'. Again, there was the same temperature inversion. After about 4000', the temperature started to go up. 34 on the ground, 28 at 4000, then 44 at 7000'. I just don't get it. There was a quartering tailwind, around 16, but I saw that when we made our first turn, it would change to a crosswind.
So I used the G1000 Map page to load the winds aloft. One more reason I LOVE this thing. I saw that at 9000', we would have a tailwind of 22 almost the whole trip. So I asked for 9000, they gave it to me with a slightly different routing, and I was making 162-164 ground speed. (I was dissappointed, the previous day there was a tailwind of 80, I was wanting to see a 230 ground speed!)
After Orlando, I got to fly about 45 minutes of actual IMC. I took it off autopilot and hand flew the last hour of the trip, just to do it.
So cool! Only slightly bumpy from time to time.
But this temperature inversion thing really had me scratchin' my head.
On the morning trip, I got into my very first IMC (only about 10 minutes) and light icing for about 2 minutes. It was very cool.......literally. We would have stayed longer if the ice didn't happen. On the climb out, the temperatures acted normal...ie dropping the higher we went. Finally as we went into the clouds, the water started running up the windshield and pouring off the struts. I watched the OAT as it kept dropping. It went from about 37 degrees on the ground (by the way this was in Sunny South Florida....right!) down to 28 in a very short time, and here came the ice. The clouds started around 4000 with tops around 5200, so I quickly climbed out of them. I was cleared for 6000. The cloud line only lasted for about the first 50 miles of the trip, then it was clear flying (I am told)
We climbed through and got on top. The temp went back UP to 44, then the further north we went, it dropped slowly to around 38. It stayed like this all the way from Lantana, FL (KLNA) which is about 50 miles N of Miami near West Palm Beach, to Tallahassee, FL (KTLH). As we started our descent, the temperature started DROPPING. By the time we were on the ground, it was 30 degrees again. Amazing, to me at least.
Here I digress for a moment:
Flight Line FBO topped off the fuel, ($4.73 or so, Jet was $5.25 or so) and gave us a Crew Car (Honda ?Passport? SUV) at no charge, to go get something to eat. Here is the key, sign it out. Here are the directions to 10 restaurants. I can't say enough about what a first class operation they were.
Lineman brought up the chocks, helped tie off the plane, fueled it. Great Pilot room with 4 large screen Computers, and charts (and a pool table) Great people on the ramp and inside. I will post this information on the AOPA airport comments also. A great resource by the way.
Now this part is "where or how long ago did that guy get his ticket". After a great lunch, we got ready to fly to a nearby airport for an approach. As we were taxiing up to the runup area, you could clearly see the ILS sign, and a large area with yellow bars all through it. "Don't stop here" it screamed. I went to an area and turned into the wind. Then a guy in a King Air 90 taxis right by us into this painted area, does a 270 turn there,
and proceeds to do his runup in front of the ILS equipment. "here's your sign" Forgive me for my digression.After some approaches, we started back, and proceeded to climb to 7000'. Again, there was the same temperature inversion. After about 4000', the temperature started to go up. 34 on the ground, 28 at 4000, then 44 at 7000'. I just don't get it. There was a quartering tailwind, around 16, but I saw that when we made our first turn, it would change to a crosswind.
So I used the G1000 Map page to load the winds aloft. One more reason I LOVE this thing. I saw that at 9000', we would have a tailwind of 22 almost the whole trip. So I asked for 9000, they gave it to me with a slightly different routing, and I was making 162-164 ground speed. (I was dissappointed, the previous day there was a tailwind of 80, I was wanting to see a 230 ground speed!
)After Orlando, I got to fly about 45 minutes of actual IMC. I took it off autopilot and hand flew the last hour of the trip, just to do it.
So cool! Only slightly bumpy from time to time.
But this temperature inversion thing really had me scratchin' my head.
