How to get IFR Clearance enroute?

wrote in message ...

If you don't have a pretty good idea of where you are likely to encounter
IMC en route, you haven't done a very good job of flight planning.

Hahahaha HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ever hear the phrase "if you don't like the weather...wait a minute?"

Seriously though, Frank, I think you might want to consider where this
attitude might lead you astray.

Are you intending to imply "if you have done a really good job of flight
planning, then you HAVE a pretty good idea of where you are likely to
encounter IMC enroute"?

Might that make you feel like you don't need to stay on top of the
wx with Hiwas, CBAV, Flight Watch etc?

IMHO, that's one of the big "gotchas" for an IFR GA pilot. It's
all too easy to fly along over a nice little layer, with a few fleecy
clouds above and around, beautiful blue sky and brilliant sunshine,
and have no clue at all that the wx is deteriorating below ILS minimums
down below (and gosh, that excellent preflight wx briefing said there'd
be 1500-2000 ft ceilings).

Cheers,
Sydney

(Snowbird) wrote:
IMHO, that's one of the big "gotchas" for an IFR GA pilot. It's
all too easy to fly along over a nice little layer, with a few fleecy
clouds above and around, beautiful blue sky and brilliant sunshine,
and have no clue at all that the wx is deteriorating below ILS minimums
down below (and gosh, that excellent preflight wx briefing said there'd
be 1500-2000 ft ceilings).

That's why I always call Flight Watch once I'm up in the air to see how
things are going at my destination. If everything is as expected, I can
relax and enjoy the flight. If things have unexpectedly gone south,
I've still got plenty of time to make a new plan (brief an approach,
divert, whatever).

Roy Smith wrote in message ...
(Snowbird) wrote:
IMHO, that's one of the big "gotchas" for an IFR GA pilot. It's
all too easy to fly along over a nice little layer, with a few fleecy
clouds above and around, beautiful blue sky and brilliant sunshine,
and have no clue at all that the wx is deteriorating below ILS minimums
down below (and gosh, that excellent preflight wx briefing said there'd
be 1500-2000 ft ceilings).

That's why I always call Flight Watch once I'm up in the air to see how
things are going at my destination. If everything is as expected, I can
relax and enjoy the flight. If things have unexpectedly gone south,
I've still got plenty of time to make a new plan (brief an approach,
divert, whatever).

Yes, exactly. And I imagine if it's a fairly long flight, you may
call Flight Watch more than once and maybe get some NEXRAD or metars
with CBAV (that's what we do, anyway, given the trace of a clue that
things aren't as predicted).

My point was to the chap who seemed to imply, if you have to file
enroute, you didn't brief properly preflight...t'aint true. Mommy
Nature doesn't seem to read the TAFs.

Best,
Sydney

Snowbird wrote:


My point was to the chap who seemed to imply, if you have to file
enroute, you didn't brief properly preflight...t'aint true. Mommy
Nature doesn't seem to read the TAFs.


Nope, the chap was giving a setup for how to best guestimate where to have a composite flight plan
convert from VFR to IFR.

wrote in message ...
Snowbird wrote:

My point was to the chap who seemed to imply, if you have to file
enroute, you didn't brief properly preflight...t'aint true. Mommy
Nature doesn't seem to read the TAFs.

Nope, the chap was giving a setup for how to best guestimate where to have a composite flight plan
convert from VFR to IFR.

Hmmmm....FWIW, if that was your intent, these words:
***begin quote***
If you don't have a pretty good idea of where you are likely to encounter
IMC en route, you haven't done a very good job of flight planning.
***end quote***

don't do a very good job of conveying that intent.

Sounds a lot more to me like you're saying, if you encounter IMC
unexpectedly and need to file a pop-up clearance, you haven't done
a very good job of flight planning.

I disagree, but of course if your intent was just to say something
like "use your preflight briefing to guesstimate where you might
encounter IMC, then file a composite flight plan with the IFR portion
starting where your briefing leads you to believe the clouds will
be", that's one way to handle the problem.

FWIW, I haven't found composite flight plans too useful. Seem
to cause some kind of SNAFU with the ATC computers where the strip
doesn't get sent to the right facility at the right time. I have
better luck just filing separate flight plans with a departure
time delayed by my ETE to the point where I plan to activate the
IFR plan.

And it still doesn't address the issue of how to get an IFR clearance
enroute when you need one.

Cheers,
Sydney

Snowbird wrote:

wrote in message ...
Snowbird wrote:

My point was to the chap who seemed to imply, if you have to file
enroute, you didn't brief properly preflight...t'aint true. Mommy
Nature doesn't seem to read the TAFs.

Nope, the chap was giving a setup for how to best guestimate where to have a composite flight plan
convert from VFR to IFR.

Hmmmm....FWIW, if that was your intent, these words:
***begin quote***
If you don't have a pretty good idea of where you are likely to encounter
IMC en route, you haven't done a very good job of flight planning.
***end quote***

don't do a very good job of conveying that intent.

Sounds a lot more to me like you're saying, if you encounter IMC
unexpectedly and need to file a pop-up clearance, you haven't done
a very good job of flight planning.


That is exactly what I am saying.


I disagree, but of course if your intent was just to say something
like "use your preflight briefing to guesstimate where you might
encounter IMC, then file a composite flight plan with the IFR portion
starting where your briefing leads you to believe the clouds will
be", that's one way to handle the problem.

Thanks for improving my intent.



FWIW, I haven't found composite flight plans too useful. Seem
to cause some kind of SNAFU with the ATC computers where the strip
doesn't get sent to the right facility at the right time. I have
better luck just filing separate flight plans with a departure
time delayed by my ETE to the point where I plan to activate the
IFR plan.

And it still doesn't address the issue of how to get an IFR clearance
enroute when you need one.

It doesn't? One of us doesn't understand a composite flight plan.

wrote in message ...
Snowbird wrote:
Sounds a lot more to me like you're saying, if you encounter IMC
unexpectedly and need to file a pop-up clearance, you haven't done
a very good job of flight planning.

That is exactly what I am saying.

Then I'm saying that you're mistaken, and that you might want to
rethink this viewpoint because it might be dangerous to you.

snip

FWIW, I haven't found composite flight plans too useful. ...
And it still doesn't address the issue of how to get an IFR clearance
enroute when you need one.

It doesn't?

No, it doesn't

One of us doesn't understand a composite flight plan.

Why would you say that? I think both of us understand a
composite flight plan. We just disagree about how much
of a panacea it is, or ought to be.

I don't want to put words in your mouth, but it looks to me
like you don't understand that there are times when one doesn't
file an IFR flight plan (composite or individual) because the
preflight briefing leads one to believe the flight can be
completed VFR -- but unforcast IMC is nonetheless encountered
enroute.

A composite flight plan will not help with this cirucmstance.
What one needs at this point is the info the original poster
requested -- how to get IFR clearance enroute.

Overandout,
Sydney

Snowbird wrote:

wrote in message ...

If you don't have a pretty good idea of where you are likely to encounter
IMC en route, you haven't done a very good job of flight planning.

Hahahaha HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ever hear the phrase "if you don't like the weather...wait a minute?"

Seriously though, Frank, I think you might want to consider where this
attitude might lead you astray.

Well, in 40 years of air carrier and G/A flying, and some 20,000 hours, it's
worked so far.



Are you intending to imply "if you have done a really good job of flight
planning, then you HAVE a pretty good idea of where you are likely to
encounter IMC enroute"?

No, I am not intending to imply that, nor did I suggest that. I was setting
forth a parameter for where to split a composite flight plan from VFR to IFR.
With that plan in place, I can move up the change to IFR if necessary.

My personal habit has to file IFR for the entire flight, if there is any doubt
at all. But, the thread was about air file, then air file vs. composite flight
plans. Keep your eye on the ball Snowy. ;-)



Might that make you feel like you don't need to stay on top of the
wx with Hiwas, CBAV, Flight Watch etc?

Talk about leaping to conclusions!



IMHO, that's one of the big "gotchas" for an IFR GA pilot. It's
all too easy to fly along over a nice little layer, with a few fleecy
clouds above and around, beautiful blue sky and brilliant sunshine,
and have no clue at all that the wx is deteriorating below ILS minimums
down below (and gosh, that excellent preflight wx briefing said there'd
be 1500-2000 ft ceilings).

Again, Snowy, the context was air file and composite flight plans; not
incompetence.