Minimums dropped like a rock tonight

[nddons]

Wow. My CFII and I went out tonight looking for actual IMC, and boy did we get it.

We departed from KUES, and here was the METAR at time of departure:

KUES 090045Z 22006KT 2 1/2SM BR SKC 02/00 A3001

Fog was scheduled to move in at 0300Z. We headed for Burlington (KBUU) and once airborn learned the Wx had fallen below minimums for the VOR RWY 29 approach. While our original intention was to land at BUU, and pick up another IR clearance back to KUES, we could not, but decided to fly the approach anyway to explore the minimums.

After going missed, we received vectors back to KUES, but were told by MKE approach that visibility went down to 1/4 mile:

KUES 090110Z 24004KT 1/4SM FG OVC003 01/00 A3001

Quite a change in 25 minutes! 2 1/2 down to 1/4, and SKC down to OVC003.

We decided to shoot the approach anyway, as the ILS mins were 200 - 1/2, in the event our flight visibility was better than the what was reported at the surface. It was not. I've flown approaches to minimums, but this had some pucker factor in it. We went missed, and while our alternate was Green Bay, nearby Timmerman was reporting 7 miles, though that was going to be dropping as well.

KMWC 090145Z 20004KT 3SM BR CLR 02/M01 A3001
KMWC 090045Z 19005KT 7SM SKC 03/M01 A3000

We flew an uneventful approach with a circle to land into MWC, but had to leave the 172 there while we caught a ride back to our home base.

What a night, and what a learning experience.

 

[SCCutler]

I bet you started to think that extra fuel you were toting around made a lot of sense, weren't you?

Always maintain options, be ready to execute.

Good training.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Don't you love weather!
You can see a definite trend on adds reports just before the time you left, the vis was dropping by ~a half of each previous vis. Some predictive value there.

KUES 090110Z 24004KT 1/4SM FG OVC003
KUES 090045Z 22006KT 2 1/2SM BR SKC
KUES 090030Z 19006KT 2SM BR SKC
KUES 082345Z 19006KT 4SM HZ SKC
KUES 082245Z 16004KT 10SM SKC

 

[ScottM]

Yesterday and the next few days are going to be really fogging around here.

Attached is a picture from my office window this morning. The bright blob is the sun, it is just that foggy.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]KORD
8nm S [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]091251Z 06004KT M1/4SM FG VV001 00/00 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP131 T00000000 RVRNO [/FONT]

 

[Ghery]

My CFII and I have cancelled a few lessons this winter for that very reason. Weather wasn't great, and was predicted to get worse (below minimums for the ILS to get home). Neither of us felt like getting stuck somewhere else and having to share a rental car to get home, so we left the plane in the hangar and tried again another day. OLM has a bit of a reputation for being a fog hole and there's no reason to push it if you don't have to.

 

[dougwells]

Sounds like a great learning experience and one that was executed smartly by you and your instructor. I think it is critical that IR students get to experience IMC and a real life missed approach. You really have to have the mindset that you are going to go missed when the weather is like this. 200 feet about the threshold is awfully darn low and we all need to be ready to "Cram it, Climb it, Clean it, Communicate it" when DH is getting close.

Glad you had such a great learning experience. You will benefit from it in all your coming years flying as an instrument rated pilot...

Doug

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Technically, the minimums stayed the same the whole time - Only the weather changed.

Sounds like a fun and educational flight, though - Those are the best! I haven't had to leave an airplane somewhere yet. MWC/UES is quite close at least, so that's good - But it was probably better when John Lotzer owned both FBO's (Gran-Aire and Waukesha Flying Service). Heck, our charter pilots (MWC) would routinely leave a plane at UES if the weather was below mins for the LOC 15L at MWC, they'd generally shoot the ILS at UES and bring a crew car to MWC and go home.

As for "dropping like a rock" I think the craziest weather-dropping I've seen was when it went from SKT090 10SM to OVC003 3/4SM in the space of about 15 minutes. And Spike is right on - At that point, nothing is more comforting than still having five hours of fuel in the tanks!

I've been seeing lots of fog in snow-covered areas the last week or two - But tonight in IL/IN/OH, where the snow seems to have mostly melted, it was nice and clear at ground level.

 

[nddons]

Technically, the minimums stayed the same the whole time - Only the weather changed.

Yea, I thought about that after I posted it, but it was too late to change. Either way I've gained even more respect for the weather, particularly fog.

I called my CFII the following morning to summarize my takeaways from the flight:

1) We exhibited good crew resource management during the flight - he checked Wx at a number of airports while I flew the plane on vectors, and knowing that the distance from UES to MWC is VERY short (9.8mn) after the missed, he helped with the radios while I worked my WIRE checklist.

2) If I was single pilot IFR, I would have stayed on the ground.

3) Fog is a Wx event that should be respected.

4) I'm very glad the tanks were topped before our flight, so having Green Bay as our alternate was a non-event.

5) Don't confuse vertical visibility with forward visibility when on an approach. I could see some street lights looking straight down (out of my peripheral vision) but saw only two flashes from the rabbit before hitting DA, so power up, pitch up, clean up, and speak up.

6) We needed to shut the landing light off on the approaches because the light refraction obliterated any ability to see the runway lighting system - something you don't think about when you are flying under the hood.

I'm extremely grateful of my CFII to pursue actual IMC whenever possible, and I've now accumulated about 10 hours of actual.

 

[gismo]

1) We exhibited good crew resource management during the flight - he checked Wx at a number of airports while I flew the plane on vectors, and knowing that the distance from UES to MWC is VERY short (9.8mn) after the missed, he helped with the radios while I worked my WIRE checklist.

Good job. Use every resource available. If you're alone and don't have onboard wx, ask ATC or FSS to sort through the options for you.

2) If I was single pilot IFR, I would have stayed on the ground.

Someday you'll end up in a similar situation without a human copilot unless you always fly with a right seater. An autopilot can do a fairly decent job of reducing the workload in that case. You can also pull back on the black knob and/or ask ATC for a delay vector to buy time.

3) Fog is a Wx event that should be respected.

Yes indeedy, and the potential for widespread LIFR can easly go unnoticed. This is one time of the year where it's quite likely around here due to the melting snow, but it can also happen quickly in the summer when the humidity is high and the skies are clear.

4) I'm very glad the tanks were topped before our flight, so having Green Bay as our alternate was a non-event.

Having excess fuel can be a very comfortable thing, especially at night.

5) Don't confuse vertical visibility with forward visibility when on an approach. I could see some street lights looking straight down (out of my peripheral vision) but saw only two flashes from the rabbit before hitting DA, so power up, pitch up, clean up, and speak up.

Fog, mist, and snow can give that effect (ground contact with little or no forward vis). That's one reason why your "real IMC" experience is so valuable, there's just no way to demonstrate these effects other than by direct exposure. And keep in mind the next time you go there that you might be able to see the approach lights and in some cases even some of the runway lights only to have everything disappear when you get close to the ground. Baring a lack of alternatives you that forces you to land blind, you need to be ready for that go-around until you're firmly planted on the runway.

6) We needed to shut the landing light off on the approaches because the light refraction obliterated any ability to see the runway lighting system - something you don't think about when you are flying under the hood.

More stuff you can only learn in the real thing. What was your reaction to the strobes and beacon in the fog? I've gotten accustomed to them enough that they don't bother me so I leave them on. If nothing else, at night they make it easier to tell when you get in and out of the mist.

I'm extremely grateful of my CFII to pursue actual IMC whenever possible, and I've now accumulated about 10 hours of actual.

Sounds like a "keeper".

 

[Ted]

Most people aren't fortunate enough to get experiences like that as a student. Very valuable!

Generally when I think I might not be able to get in somewhere, I just don't take off. But you've also illustrated why, even with 6 hours of fuel on board, I almost never plan for more than 4 hours if there's IFR conditions. IFR may be widespread, and in that case you better be able to travel a ways in order to land. Not good.

As you fly in actual more you'll get more comfortable with hard single pilot IFR flight. There is nothing more valuable than practice in this regard. I found it helpful to gradually push my personal mins.

 

[Ghery]

Sounds like a great learning experience and one that was executed smartly by you and your instructor. I think it is critical that IR students get to experience IMC and a real life missed approach. You really have to have the mindset that you are going to go missed when the weather is like this. 200 feet about the threshold is awfully darn low and we all need to be ready to "Cram it, Climb it, Clean it, Communicate it" when DH is getting close.

Glad you had such a great learning experience. You will benefit from it in all your coming years flying as an instrument rated pilot...

Doug

Most people aren't fortunate enough to get experiences like that as a student. Very valuable!

Generally when I think I might not be able to get in somewhere, I just don't take off. But you've also illustrated why, even with 6 hours of fuel on board, I almost never plan for more than 4 hours if there's IFR conditions. IFR may be widespread, and in that case you better be able to travel a ways in order to land. Not good.

As you fly in actual more you'll get more comfortable with hard single pilot IFR flight. There is nothing more valuable than practice in this regard. I found it helpful to gradually push my personal mins.

Chances to train in actual IMC are quite common around here. There's no sense in pushing it just to get the experience, and I'm not getting my IR so I can go any time, I'm getting it for the occations when VFR isn't possible because of a cloud deck at the home drome that I could punch through with an IR then fly in the clear most of the rest of the way. And there are lots of reasons not to fly in IMC around here, most of them starting with the word "ice". Bad ju ju in a 182. My CFII is a soon to be retired Army Chinook pilot and we know that we have plenty of opportunities to fly, so why go when you don't have to.

Oh, and I prefer actual to flying with the hood. Much easier to look around the panel when the hood isn't on.