gismo
Touchdown! Greaser!
Might have been concerned about making a turn in IMC when things were relatively OK going straight and level?
comanche
Pre-Flight
Felt very uncomfortable turning in clouds. Never did that before. I had gotten in IMC without realizing it.
comanche
Pre-Flight
No, That's not correct. I even got a WX brief, but maybe did not understand I was heading into a front. It was severe clear at the departure air port when I left, but 20 minutes later ceilings got lower quickly.
Within three months, I got the IR.
jesse
Touchdown! Greaser!
Which is one thing I cover on every flight review.
1.) You just hit the clouds, my airplane, put this hood on.
*they get the hood on*
2.) you have the airplane. what do you do?
3.) If they don't do a 180..I tell them to do one
4.) After the 180 I tell them they're still in the clouds. Now what?
5.) I push them towards "confessing" to ATC (which is me)
6.) I then tell them to turn to a heading. Then after a bit I tell them to descend to a certain altitude. While they're descending I tell them they just broke out of the clouds.
Basically I teach the immediate 180 as they'll likely do the trick for you. If it doesn't one really should confess to ATC and get their assistance. They'll likely have you fly a heading that will get you to VFR or they'll have you descend to VFR it its possible.
It seems to be well received by folks.
dmccormack
Touchdown! Greaser!
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IF the airplane has an A/P, I ask the pilot to demonstrate it to me. If he's non-IFR, he learns how to use it to get wings level, and then to do a 180.
comanche
Pre-Flight
jesse;837930 Basically I teach the immediate 180 as they'll likely do the trick for you. If it doesn't one really should confess to ATC and get their assistance. They'll likely have you fly a heading that will get you to VFR or they'll have you descend to VFR it its possible. It seems to be well received by folks.[/QUOTE said:
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe
Touchdown! Greaser!
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Light and Sporty Guy
Was your destination the nearest airport?
comanche
Pre-Flight
It was the closest controlled airport. There was a muni about 5 miles closer, but I had not even thought of that. Approach apparently did not either as they just vectored me into Austin.
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe
Touchdown! Greaser!
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Light and Sporty Guy
5 miles isn't much difference.
It was the "it was only 25 miles to my destination" comments that triggered the get-there-itis (and why wasn't he already on the ground?) thinking.
But I wasn't there.
However, it is easy to get into the "I'm almost there" mode and try to push on even when we shouldn't. It sucks us in. Gets us into wishful thinking and not rational situation analysis.
comanche
Pre-Flight
I was saying the destination airport was only 25 miles opposed to the departure airport which was a longer trip yet with ceilings going lower.
Not to pat my self on the back as all I get from this is a back ache.
I landed with the help of ATC. However, instead of flying back home with my passenger (daughter), I called my wife to drive the 70 miles to pick us up. that was worse than if I were called in by approach to discuss this.
Absolutely not blameless. I should have understood the WX briefing I received. Yet, because the departue airport was VFR, I let myself think the destination APT was as well. (They are only 70 miles apart) All I could think about when inadvertent IMC occured was getting the plane down somewhere safely. It did not matter to me where this was. I now believe that ATC thought it best to bring me into a controlled invironment when I balked at turning around in the clouds.
Do not disagree with anything you said except you felt I needed to press on. After a foolish mistake, I wanted a safe outcome.
flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
Weather's a funny thing, and I don't think non-pilots really understand it - And as a new pilot, you'll learn a lot about it as well. In fact, you clearly already have!
Ground-pounders tend to look up and see the sky in their location and that's how the weather must be for the whole region - Not so. Weather can have a LOT of changes in a very short distance.
One of the craziest weather things I ever saw was when I was working on my private. I was about 50nm south of the home 'drome, called up my CFI to see if we could go flying, and he said the weather was questionable. Huh? I looked up and saw nothing but beautiful, completely clear blue sky in all directions. When I was about 25nm south of the home 'drome, I called again. Same thing, but it was still amazingly clear and blue where I was, even so close. Hell, I got to the south side of town, only about 7nm from the airport, and it was STILL completely clear!
Then, as soon as I drove over the hill just south of the airport, it started snowing. Craziest weather thing I'd ever seen. Just BAM, from clear to where the hell is this white stuff coming from?
We did fly... But we flew IFR. I got my first actual IMC and shot my first ILS on that flight. An excellent learning experience, even though it wasn't what I had originally planned for that day.
gismo
Touchdown! Greaser!
For a long time today it was IMC on the south side of the airport and nearly CAVU on the north side.