VFR pilots around the Gulf...I have a question

midcap

midcap

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midcap
I was just being curious, what's the longest to had to wait out the weather while flying around the Gulf?

I would assume that 1-2 days at the max would provide you with enough of a window to make a 2 hour run. I am just being curious..dreaming about flying while the Medical is getting situated.
 
If that. Just depends what is going on, just like anywhere else. Even during a hurricane you can get around, of course not near the hurricane itself, but you can get around.
 
The most I've had to wait on a trip we were on was about 4 hours down in Brownsville. That was really annoying because there was a thin layer around 600' right over the airport but we could see blue skies and sunshine around 10 miles away. That was the trip where my wife decided I should get my IFR rating.

Other than that in 8 years of VFR flying in a 56 172 out of KLBX south of Houston I never had to wait more than a day due to low clouds where having my IFR would have made a difference at my home airport. I'd only take one or two trips a year in that plane that were over 400 miles so if the weather was good at home it was usually OK for the trip. Other areas around the gulf may have different conditions.

My Cardinal RG is fast enough that we frequently take trips of 600 miles or more and that's where the IFR capability really pays off for me. When taking a long trip it's common to cross a front line at some point. If I had to make the same trip VFR at best it would mean flying in the bumps and heat below the clouds instead of the cooler and smoother air up higher. More often it would mean stopping along the route to wait out the passing of the front.

Gary
 
three days in montgomery alabama. weather was 1/4 mi fog vv100 for three straight days.

bob
 
GaryV said:
The most I've had to wait on a trip we were on was about 4 hours down in Brownsville. That was really annoying because there was a thin layer around 600' right over the airport but we could see blue skies and sunshine around 10 miles away. That was the trip where my wife decided I should get my IFR rating.

Other than that in 8 years of VFR flying in a 56 172 out of KLBX south of Houston I never had to wait more than a day due to low clouds where having my IFR would have made a difference at my home airport. I'd only take one or two trips a year in that plane that were over 400 miles so if the weather was good at home it was usually OK for the trip. Other areas around the gulf may have different conditions.

My Cardinal RG is fast enough that we frequently take trips of 600 miles or more and that's where the IFR capability really pays off for me. When taking a long trip it's common to cross a front line at some point. If I had to make the same trip VFR at best it would mean flying in the bumps and heat below the clouds instead of the cooler and smoother air up higher. More often it would mean stopping along the route to wait out the passing of the front.

Gary
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Excuse my ignorance, but wouldn't that be a time where you could safely request SVFR? Or if not, would it have been if clear weather 5-6 miles out? By "safely" I don't mean to request, but that you would judge it safe to take off in if you got SVFR clearance?

It's very likely I am misunderstanding SVFR here, so I'm just trying to get a handle on when/where/why and when it can safely be done.
 
I think even with SVFR you can't go through clouds. Gotta remain clear of them, with sight of the ground.
 
midcap said:
I was just being curious, what's the longest to had to wait out the weather while flying around the Gulf?

I would assume that 1-2 days at the max would provide you with enough of a window to make a 2 hour run. I am just being curious..dreaming about flying while the Medical is getting situated.
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I sat in Lake City, FL for three days on a ferry trip from Vero Beach to Seattle....low clouds covered the gulf and "no ifr" was the rule imposed by the insurance company. Finally gave up, took a bus to Tallahassee and flew home commercial. Went back for the plane a couple of weeks later.

Bob
 
bobmrg said:
I sat in Lake City, FL for three days on a ferry trip from Vero Beach to Seattle....low clouds covered the gulf and "no ifr" was the rule imposed by the insurance company. Finally gave up, took a bus to Tallahassee and flew home commercial. Went back for the plane a couple of weeks later.

Bob
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Thanks Bob....That's a reason why I want to definitely get an IR...So If the ceilings are localized I can get out.

Then again...I can just rent a car of fly spirit for cheap.
 
midcap said:
Thanks Bob....That's a reason why I want to definitely get an IR...So If the ceilings are localized I can get out.

Then again...I can just rent a car of fly spirit for cheap.
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Being a confirmed coward, the idea of flying over an undercast that extended for a couple of hundred miles in an airplane with a single VOR did not appeal to me anyway....and,knowing the rules before I left home, I had not instrument charts or plates. I should note that when I was ferrying Cherokees there were a couple of times when I did a 180 back to Vero Beach to get something fixed or adjusted. Minor things, but a new airplane should not have any gripes.

Because I have a still small voice in my head that gives me good advice in making go-no go decisons because of weather, I have refused Part 135 flights for the Boeing company that involved one of their planes grounded for want of the part I was to deliver. The instrument rating is not a free pass to fly in all weathers. Get the rating for sure, but always listen to that still small voice.

Bob
 
bobmrg said:
Being a confirmed coward, the idea of flying over an undercast that extended for a couple of hundred miles in an airplane with a single VOR did not appeal to me anyway....and,knowing the rules before I left home, I had not instrument charts or plates. I should note that when I was ferrying Cherokees there were a couple of times when I did a 180 back to Vero Beach to get something fixed or adjusted. Minor things, but a new airplane should not have any gripes.

Because I have a still small voice in my head that gives me good advice in making go-no go decisons because of weather, I have refused Part 135 flights for the Boeing company that involved one of their planes grounded for want of the part I was to deliver. The instrument rating is not a free pass to fly in all weathers. Get the rating for sure, but always listen to that still small voice.

Bob
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I'm the same way....my wife calls me a grand pa...lol
 
Maintenance on my 177 RG has been pretty close to what I saw on my 56 172. I pay a little more ($300) for my owner assisted annual but my IA really knows Cardinal RG's, is picky as all get out, and enjoys teaching me how to work on my plane. Knowing my plane, being picky as all get out, and enjoying teaching me to work on my plane were key attributes I was looking for in an IA so m happy with him.

The bigest cost differences I've had were replacing a vacuum pump (my 56 had venturies) and this year my Garmin 430 had to go back for repair. I've had no gear related issues but we check it closely at each inspection and lube it per the manual. I did send my dual mag in for the 500 hour inspection last week but I had done the same with the mags on the 172 and the price difference was only $200 for the dual on the 177 than for the two regular mags on the 172. I don't know how much of the price delta is from the difference in the mags and how much is due to the 5 years that have passed since I sent the 172 mags in.

The 177 RG has been a great plane for us. I average 165 MPH TAS on between 9'amd 10 GPH (lower if I go higher) or around 155 at 8 GPH, 145 at 7 GPH. It's much faster with better fuel economy than the 172 but you'd expect that with less drag. It's also much more comfortable for my wife than the 172. She has a very bad back and severe sciatica. We commonly fly 5 hour legs in the RG and have flow 10 hours in one day. In the 172 she couldn't take more than a 3 hour leg and no more than 5 hours in a day.

Between the added speed and longer legs we can go much further in a day so last year we flew to the Bahamas in the Spring and did a west coast bucket list trip for thanksgiving that included Carlsbad, Sedona, Meteor Crater, Monument Valley, Powell, the Grand Canyon, Laughlin, and Catalina Island. We flew the return trips from the Bahamas and California to Houston in one day each. I can't say enough about how well the 177 RG fits our needs.

Gary
 
midcap said:
Then again...I can just rent a car of fly spirit for cheap.
Click to expand...
Spirit?
giphy.gif


If that's the case, than you definitely need your IR.
 
GaryV said:
Maintenance on my 177 RG has been pretty close to what I saw on my 56 172. I pay a little more ($300) for my owner assisted annual but my IA really knows Cardinal RG's, is picky as all get out, and enjoys teaching me how to work on my plane. Knowing my plane, being picky as all get out, and enjoying teaching me to work on my plane were key attributes I was looking for in an IA so m happy with him.

The bigest cost differences I've had were replacing a vacuum pump (my 56 had venturies) and this year my Garmin 430 had to go back for repair. I've had no gear related issues but we check it closely at each inspection and lube it per the manual. I did send my dual mag in for the 500 hour inspection last week but I had done the same with the mags on the 172 and the price difference was only $200 for the dual on the 177 than for the two regular mags on the 172. I don't know how much of the price delta is from the difference in the mags and how much is due to the 5 years that have passed since I sent the 172 mags in.

The 177 RG has been a great plane for us. I average 165 MPH TAS on between 9'amd 10 GPH (lower if I go higher) or around 155 at 8 GPH, 145 at 7 GPH. It's much faster with better fuel economy than the 172 but you'd expect that with less drag. It's also much more comfortable for my wife than the 172. She has a very bad back and severe sciatica. We commonly fly 5 hour legs in the RG and have flow 10 hours in one day. In the 172 she couldn't take more than a 3 hour leg and no more than 5 hours in a day.

Between the added speed and longer legs we can go much further in a day so last year we flew to the Bahamas in the Spring and did a west coast bucket list trip for thanksgiving that included Carlsbad, Sedona, Meteor Crater, Monument Valley, Powell, the Grand Canyon, Laughlin, and Catalina Island. We flew the return trips from the Bahamas and California to Houston in one day each. I can't say enough about how well the 177 RG fits our needs.

Gary
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Damn....that's awesome. My goal is to fly from Louisiana to Orlando 2-3 times a year.
 
Ryanb said:
Spirit?
giphy.gif


If that's the case, than you definitely need your IR.
Click to expand...

lol...I keep hearing how bad they are but I only used them once and they managed to get my from MSY to ATL in once piece and on time.
 
We've made the trip a couple of times using the Q routes across the gulf. We were carrying a raft, using vests, had a PLB, etc. but we enjoyed the trip each time. By going over water we saved enough time to save a fuel stop and we avoided major storm fronts we'd have had to battle on the overland routes.

If you go that way just understand that there isn't anything down there once you get 100 miles or so off either coast, no boats, no oil wells, nothing. It comes down to how much you trust your plane and your level of risk tolerance.

Gary
 
GaryV said:
We've made the trip a couple of times using the Q routes across the gulf. We were carrying a raft, using vests, had a PLB, etc. but we enjoyed the trip each time. By going over water we saved enough time to save a fuel stop and we avoided major storm fronts we'd have had to battle on the overland routes.

If you go that way just understand that there isn't anything down there once you get 100 miles or so off either coast, no boats, no oil wells, nothing. It comes down to how much you trust your plane and your level of risk tolerance.

Gary
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I thought about those routes, personally, I'd do it with a chute or a twin. I've swan in the GOM 80 miles out before and have gone fishing out there many a times...so I am not scared of the sea, albeit I do respect it. I just am not confident in making it out of the plane if I have to ditch.
 
When you do fly Spirit, eat your wheaties and wear gym clothes. The F/As may need help throwing the unruly passengers off before pushback. No sense letting them ruin the flight once airborne.
 
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