I was based at Minden for several years and still have property there. To
depart MEV IFR you call Reno Approach and get your clearance over the phone.
Be aware of the following limitations for IFR into and out of MEV (and the
rest of the Carson Valley).

The approach minimiums are over 1000'AGL so you certainly can't land with
300' ceilings. The only approaches are GPS.

The approved departure proceedure requires RNP .3nm which means IFR approved
GPS.

There is almost no flyable IMC in airplanes without known ice certification
and radar. There is almost always icing at the MEA and above. The
exception to this is when there are thunderstorms.

The MEAs south of MEV are high. Almost all routes south and west will
require O2.

The east side of the Sierra is a particularly unforgiving place to fly and
there are fatailies in the area virtually every year (or more). The Carson
Valley is better than the Owens Valley to the south but it is not really
suitable for single engine IFR. There is a reason that glider pilots from
all over the world come to Minden! That reason is the powerful weather.

In short, to fly IMC in the area you need GPS, Known Ice, Radar, O2 (and the
ability to climb fast) and should really have a big heavy plane because the
turbulence is so bad.

Mike
MU-2


"mindenpilot" wrote in message
...
I'm VFR and have some questions about IFR.
I've been toying with the idea of pursuing an IFR rating, especially due
to the recent (uncharacteristic) fog.
I've only flown real in IMC once.
I was at a class D airport, and the CFI got clearance before takeoff.
He got all kinds of instructions for going up through the soup.

I'm wondering how that works at a class E airport, like the one I'm based
at in Minden, NV.
For example, if there was real IMC (a fog layer at 300 AGL), would you be
allowed to take off?
If so, what would be the procedure?
How would you ensure separation from other traffic?
The closest tower is Reno, but they wouldn't be able to get any radar fix
until you climbed to about 3500' AGL.

Similarly, for landing (assuming a GPS approach is approved, there is no
ILS, etc).
What would you do once Reno lost radar contact?

Thanks,

Adam
N7966L
Beech Super III