Run-in with Chicago Center

My main reason for not finishing up my instrument training has been a lack
of time. A close second, however, is the fact that I have been tracking my
"weather vs. flight" ratio for several years, and it is indeed a rare VFR
flight that is cancelled because of conditions that I would feel
comfortable
with flying IFR.

In addition to that, there is the need to keep current. That basically means
that a
few hours of the flying you do for fun every year becomes a bit more like
work.
Probably the only IFR flights I would ever make would be taken within 6
months of
getting the rating.


Seldom would I disagree so vehemently with TWO of my best buds on the 'net at
the same time :-)

Just yesterday, I had to depart the NY area early (8am) for Providence to pick
up an Angel Flight patient and fly her to Teterboro. Flight Service advised
airmets for IMC along the entire route, and from my home airport I could tell
the ceiling was low. I had signed up for the flight a few weeks ago, and knew I
was not current because, well, I'm a photographer and 90% of my flying is on
beautiful VFR days. But I knew the possibility that I'd have to go IFR was
real (and likely) so I scheduled an Instrument Proficiency Check last week, and
got signed off. Did 3 approaches, some partial panel, and some unusual
attitude recovery, and holding. Flight was 1.6, and afterward I looked the
CFII in the eye and asked, "am I safe?". He answered, "absolutely".
So yesterday, after getting my clearance, I departed into a 600 ft ceiling and
was IMC until I got above the overcast at 7000.
Flew the ILS to 23 at PVD, picked up the patient, filed IFR for the return
flight, and headed back to NY. Anyone in NY knows that yesterday was about as
soupy as it gets . . . visibility 3 miles in haze. We were IMC for the last 75
miles of the flight.
We were at 6000 ft. Even on descent, from 3000 feet, you could not see the
ground. Point is the IFR rating makes a flight like this possible, safe, and
increases the utility of your airplane significantly. (BTW, I do have weather
detection on board--a Strikefinder).


www.Rosspilot.com

Rosspilot wrote:

(BTW, I do have
weather detection on board--a Strikefinder).

So, what do you avoid using your Strikefinder? Clusters of hits, obviously.
But what about "static"?

I turned away from "static" a couple of days ago. Later (using the NOAA web
site), I noted a cell in that area. Was the "static" a precursor? Just a
coincidence?

I have seen "static" before, and not noted anything coming of it.

- Andrew

(BTW, I do have
weather detection on board--a Strikefinder).

So, what do you avoid using your Strikefinder? Clusters of hits, obviously.

But what about "static"?



I have never picked up "static" to my knowledge. I set the radius to 100 nm
and if I see activity, I close it to 50nm, and keep watching. That gives me
plenty of time to make the calls to FSS or ATC to figure out what's going on,
and to land or divert as necessary.

Sometimes the electrical activity is up in the flight levels and has no effect
down where I am.




www.Rosspilot.com

Rosspilot wrote:

I have never picked up "static" to my knowledge.

By "static", I mean a collection of "hits" spaced relatively far apart.
That is, a dot here, a dot there, a dot somewhere else, with perhaps 10 or
20 total in a fairly wide area.

- Andrew

I have never picked up "static" to my knowledge.

By "static", I mean a collection of "hits" spaced relatively far apart.
That is, a dot here, a dot there, a dot somewhere else, with perhaps 10 or
20 total in a fairly wide area.


Well, maybe I have and just didn't recognize it as such. What I look for (in
order) a

1. How close to my airplane is the activity?

2. How fast are the stikes occurring?
(sometimes I clear it, and watch it from a clear screen just to see how fast
the orange dots are appearing)

3. Is it in my flight path?

What I do next depends on what these 3 items are telling me.



www.Rosspilot.com

With my WX 10 Stomrscope, I have sometimes seen "lightning strikes"
immediately behind me, in CAVU air I just flew through. Nothing
like the cluster a real storm creates, of course.

I always assumed the SS was picking up some ionization in the
atmosphere.

vince norris

Seldom would I disagree so vehemently with TWO of my best buds on the 'net
at
the same time :-)

I hear you, Lee -- and for an Angel Flight you absolutely HAD to go at that
time. An instrument rating was essential.

But I don't ever fly like that. I don't ever "have" to fly somewhere -- I
can drive (if it's close enough) or I can cancel, even if it's for business.
(Yet another reason to own your own business -- what're they gonna do, fire
me? :-)

Actually, the more we discuss this, the more I believe that if I'm going to
sacrifice the time and money, it's going to be for aerobatic training. Now
THAT is something I can sink my teeth into!

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article %a8Vc.17185$Fg5.15202@attbi_s53, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

I hear you, Lee -- and for an Angel Flight you absolutely HAD to go at
that
time.

You never HAVE to fly an Angel Flight.

--
Bob Noel
Seen on Kerry's campaign airplane: "the real deal"
oh yeah baby.

for an Angel Flight you absolutely HAD to go at
that
time.

You never HAVE to fly an Angel Flight.


Well, of course . . . that's the whole point of having the rating. Because I
have it, I *can* fly the mission. I don't have to cancel it because VFR flight
is "not recommended".

Lots of IFR time is spent on top, where the sun is shining brightly and the sky
is deep blue. And you look down and see the gray muck that is the reason
nobody wants to go to the beach. :-) All you have to do is get up through it,
and then back down with the runway in front of your airplane where it belongs.
Sometimes you can depart IFR and fly 20 minutes away and be in perfect VFR
conditions for the rest of your route and destination. But you can't depart
without the rating.



www.Rosspilot.com

Bob Noel wrote:

You never HAVE to fly an Angel Flight.

Yeah, but my experience has been that you *have* to have an IFR rating to fly one.

George Patterson
If you want to know God's opinion of money, just look at the people
he gives it to.