"Paul Folbrecht" wrote in message
...
Did a short trip yesterday from MWC to OSH with the gf, just to go, about
3PM. Was planning on cruising at 3 to avoid ice in the clouds, which were
not far about that at all. Briefer tells me there's an inversion aloft,
and the freezing level is at NINER. Cool, great! Filed for 4, planning on
getting actual the whole way there. On the climb, notice the temp
dropping slowly the whole way. Inversion? Where is it? Into solid IMC
around 32-3300, as expected. Temp is around 30 now. At 3800, it's a
little less, about 28. I thought, what am I doing? I'd promised myself,
recently, to stay out of the clouds below freezing (even though I've done
it a number of times and never picked up ice I couldn't deal with by
getting lower, out of the clouds or 0.). I called approach and asked for
and got 3. Back to near VFR - very hazy, very poor vis, but not in cloud.

So, what was up? The forecast was wrong, it seems. There was definitely
*a* freezing level way below 9. May have been an inversion ABOVE that,
and another FL at 9, but what the heck good does that do me? The briefer
outright ENCOURAGED me to fly in the clouds - in fact he encouraged me to
get on top and give him a pirep (tops around 5-6). (Of course I know that
matters for nothing but it makes you think!)

Thoughts about that?

This got me to thinking once again about IFR and icing conditions (this
topic hasn't ever been discused in this NG, has it? cough cough). As I
said, my new rule - which is the smart way to do things - is to just stay
out of the clouds below freezing in my very non-known-icing certified 152.
I formerly took the more common position that I'll fly in cloud as long as
there's an out - if I know going lower will get me out of icing and keep
me above MEA. Then, a few weeks ago, I ended up coming into MWC from JVL
with what was supposed to be 3000'+ ft cigs. Weather (snow) came in
early - just a bit early, 1/2 hour, to be fair - and I ended up in actual
almost all the way with no where to go (no ice, luckily) and doing the VOR
4 with 1600' and 1.

Thinking about the whole thing later on unnerved me as I realized just how
screwed I'd have been if I'd started getting ice enroute. Temps were
right in the zone, around 25-27. There was no way the cigs were above the
MVA (I was direct) or the OROCA for that matter - what to do? Tops were
way up there. Declare and descend to 1000-1500' agl? I probably would
not have been prosecuted, as WX was not forecast, but no fun would that be
in any case!

Thoughts on all this? Other than the obvious?

How I wish we could have a much better idea of where that ice is gonna be.


I look for all the PIREPS I can get (in addition to everything else)
chances are I'm not the first one whose gone flying through the clouds I'm
worried about.