Making the safe decision (AKA "I hate AIRMET ZULU")

Paul Tomblin wrote:
In a previous article, Robert Chambers said:

Yeah I was thinking if you could get to Utica or somewhere a bit closer
than BAF. The drive would be shorter if you have to leave the plane
there and the drive back to retrieve the bird would be shorter as well.


As I was driving out of the parking lot at Barnes, there was a fair chunk
of blue sky to the west. I was really tempted to fly west and see how far
I could get VFR with maybe a popup IFR clearance for an approach somewhere
and rent a car there, and that's what I would have done if I were alone.
But my wife doesn't like the uncertainty of not knowing whether we're
going to find a rental car or a motel room.

On the drive home, we drove through some high hills with low clouds down
below the peaks and cold rain, and figured that being in the car was
probably the best decision. I'm just not sure when the conditions are
going to be conducive to bringing the plane home, and the club is NOT
going to be happy about that. I might go down on Wednesday and give it a
try to see how far I get.

I flew from ELM to LEB on Friday for the weekend. Woke up at the hotel
in Montpelier, VT Sunday morning to 3" of snow! Luckily, as we drove
back south to the airport we ran out of snow and into light mist. I was
iffy on attempting the flight home given the low clouds and freezing
level, but a twin had departed shortly ahead of me for PA and reported
on top at 10,000 with no icing problems. So, I decided to take a look
and see how far I could get. Got a little rime at 6,000, but was soon
between layers and had a pretty uneventful fight home. I did have to
climb to 8,000 to stay between layers near Albany and eventually up to
10,000 to get on top prior to Binghamton, but the descent into ELM was
through a thin layer with no problems.

One just never knows in this part of the country this time of the year.
You certainly can't fault any decision to cancel a flight this time of
year in such conditions. I've flown a fair bit in this area and decided
the risk was acceptable, but I did have the ILS 18 back into Lebanon on
my approach clip as I was climbing out. :-)


Matt