john smith wrote:
Margy Natalie wrote:
Of course even with the rating the day after Memorial Day I woke up in
my bed in Herndon, VA, my car was in Culpeper and my plane was in
Richmond. Oh well, we got home, in the rental car...

Now that, is a true tale about instrument flying!
You can get close enough that a rental car will have you home an hour or
two, pick up your own car the next day and pick up your airplane the
following week.

Actually, up until the time we bailed out at RIC, we were in severe
CAVU. Unfortunately there was a line of thunderstorms sitting on
the route of flight into our home airport. We stopped off at RIC
to let them pass by, but by the time it our home field (CJR) was
beginning to go below minimums. One major reason we bailed at RIC
was that it would be a convenient place to get a rental. Actually,
the drive from RIC to home, is about the same amount of time as
flying from RIC to CJR and then driving home (faster if you don't
count putting the plane away, etc...).

I just drove down the next evening and by the time I was off it
was dark. VFR but dark. Now I fly extensively around the DC
area at night and it's pretty bright, but in the summer haze
staring at rural Virginia and the Applachians in the background
I was glad to have my IFR skills.