david0tey
Line Up and Wait
Hopefully a few days away from my instrument ticket and I'm sitting here thinking about how many more flying opportunities will open up for me when I have it. But, with more freedom comes more responsibility and that brings up a couple of questions.
First scenario: Typical mid-Atlantic summer day. Mostly sunny skies. A scattered layer of cumulus clouds with the occasional towering cumulonimbus cloud.
Assuming you want to fly IFR in your standard 172, would you file for 3 or 4 thousand to stay below the cumulus layer, or say, 7 or 8 thousand to get above it? Also, other than looking at radar echoes, how do you visually determine which clouds are ok to fly through and which you should go around? Is it just a gut feeling that comes with experience? Obviously you want to stay out of the bad stuff if you can, but it becomes a burden to ATC if you are constantly asking to go off course.
Second scenario: Winter time on the east coast. 1 or 2 thousand foot ceilings (we'll say a bkn/ovc layer...) Freezing levels right around there. No pireps for your area.
Again, IFR in a non FIKI Cessna, how do you go about making this decision? Obviously I would make sure ceilings were high enough to where I can quickly descend below the clouds. Would you just go for it and stay on your toes? Seems like a lot of guesswork for something so important.
Also, is there any way to tell the thickness of an overcast layer? If I am sure I can break through the top, it wouldn't be such a tough decision!
First scenario: Typical mid-Atlantic summer day. Mostly sunny skies. A scattered layer of cumulus clouds with the occasional towering cumulonimbus cloud.
Assuming you want to fly IFR in your standard 172, would you file for 3 or 4 thousand to stay below the cumulus layer, or say, 7 or 8 thousand to get above it? Also, other than looking at radar echoes, how do you visually determine which clouds are ok to fly through and which you should go around? Is it just a gut feeling that comes with experience? Obviously you want to stay out of the bad stuff if you can, but it becomes a burden to ATC if you are constantly asking to go off course.
Second scenario: Winter time on the east coast. 1 or 2 thousand foot ceilings (we'll say a bkn/ovc layer...) Freezing levels right around there. No pireps for your area.
Again, IFR in a non FIKI Cessna, how do you go about making this decision? Obviously I would make sure ceilings were high enough to where I can quickly descend below the clouds. Would you just go for it and stay on your toes? Seems like a lot of guesswork for something so important.
Also, is there any way to tell the thickness of an overcast layer? If I am sure I can break through the top, it wouldn't be such a tough decision!
