Instrument rating and go/no-go decision making

[Old Geek]

I'm a 400 hour vfr pilot and one of my biggest issues is whether or not to go. I look at the weather, read the metars and tafs and try to figure out whether it will be clear at my destination when I arrive. And the next day when I return. Taking a conservative stance, this means lots of trips that don't happen. I look at getting an instrument rating, and it seems that all these issues still exist, with greater stakes and tighter judgement calls.

So what is it? Does an instrument rating increase your ability to make planned trips or is it another layer of risk management that a casual pilot doesn't need?

 

[Z06_Mir]

Does it increase your ability to make trips? Yes. Does it solve all the problems? Absolutely not. Does it make the decision more difficult? Yes.

Imagine you're wanting to go somewhere in January, maybe on the west coast area. It's 008OVR and the temperature on the ground is 40 degrees. VFR it's a nobrainer... but IFR you have to wonder about icing... and in other seasons plowing into a thunderstorm.. it's a different kind of decision.

 

[comanchepilot]

living in NorCal IFR makes it easier - your IFR MEA's up there are 8000-10000 and above - the decision making is simple. In winter there is ice up there - and you are not going.

When you don't have a storm blowing through and there are 1000' stratus ceilings, its easy - go.

If you want to go to the central valley - and have Tule Fog - can you do an approach to 200 and 1/2? Then Go.

 

[flyingmoose]

You will not regret it. There are so many trips that are doable IFR that are a real PITA to do VFR. You are correct that there is different set of decision making skills to learn, but nothing that you couldn't do.

 

[flyingron]

Actually, having my instrument rating, while increasing my overall dispatch rate has made me a lot more conservative than I used to. As pointed out ice and thunderstorms still will ground a sane pilot.

 

[Geico266]

I'm a 400 hour vfr pilot and one of my biggest issues is whether or not to go. I look at the weather, read the metars and tafs and try to figure out whether it will be clear at my destination when I arrive. And the next day when I return. Taking a conservative stance, this means lots of trips that don't happen. I look at getting an instrument rating, and it seems that all these issues still exist, with greater stakes and tighter judgement calls.

So what is it? Does an instrument rating increase your ability to make planned trips or is it another layer of risk management that a casual pilot doesn't need?

Do you have inflight weather? It really takes the anxiety out of the equation when you know what is ahead and what your "outs" are.

 

[flyingron]

Love my inflight weather IFR or VFR. I've had some form of it since back in the days of the Palm VII (any body remember Cheap Bastards, also the earliest fboweb and Geoff Peck's Enflight all started there).

 

[frfly172]

Got my rating because I couldn't get to sun n fun without it.started with light IFR and worked up to my personal minimums.still stay away from fog,ice and thunderstorms so some days you still stay on the ground.The lower the minimums you set the more practice and actual you need .

 

[skidoo]

I got to really use mine recently. Flying through a little rain in the bottoms of the clouds got my plane clean . It really is nice to have the weather on board and see how it is moving. Don't count on it being there on the i-pad however unless you have the ADSB. Mine would look great on the ground, and then it would disappear at some points along the route saying radar unavailable...

 

[poadeleted20]

Does it increase your ability to make trips? Yes. Does it solve all the problems? Absolutely not. Does it make the decision more difficult? Yes.

I think that sums it up quite well. More capability always means more to think about. The IR makes your light plane a much better traveling tool, but still not a 100% reliable travel means.

 

[Sam D]

I'm a 400 hour vfr pilot and one of my biggest issues is whether or not to go. I look at the weather, read the metars and tafs and try to figure out whether it will be clear at my destination when I arrive. And the next day when I return. Taking a conservative stance, this means lots of trips that don't happen. I look at getting an instrument rating, and it seems that all these issues still exist, with greater stakes and tighter judgement calls.

So what is it? Does an instrument rating increase your ability to make planned trips or is it another layer of risk management that a casual pilot doesn't need?

Flying out of Petaluma, it's my "marine layer elimination" tool. And it significantly increases my ability to make trips.