wonders of VFR on top

"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...

What are you supposed to do if you don't break out of the clouds, and you
lose comm?


Whatever you think is best.

http://www.faa.gov/atpubs/AIM/Chap6/aim0604.html


That brings up the age old question about following procedure vs. using
judgment. For example, if I've just departed ELM for say BOS and lose
comm on climbout, procedure would have me fly to BOS, assuming I don't
encounter VMC along the way. However, if I know that I have minimums or
better at ELM, I'd be inclined to shoot an approach there and get back on
the ground at my home drome and not be in the system for 1.5 hours and
flying into a fairly busy airport NORDO. I'd also think you ATC folks
would rather I do that as well, but I suspect that if anything at all went
wrong while doing this, the FAA would be likely to bust me for not
following the prescribed procedure.


I would explain that I had a complete communications failure for unknown
reasons and that while my navigational radios were functioning, I wasn't
sure how long they would continue to do so. To avoid a possible loss of
navigational capability in IMC I used the emergency authority granted me by
FAR 91.3 to deviate from FAR 91.185.

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message link.net...
"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
om...

Did you request an IFR clearance to that destination?


No, I said I need to pick up an IFR to climb above an overcast. He
asked me my dest. I told him. He said it would take 15 minutes or so
to get a clearance that far. I told him I would cancel on top. He said
it didn't make a difference he needed to get the clearance all the way
down. This was just south of SeaTac and I was going to California.


There's no reason he'd have to issue a clearance all the way to your
destination.

Could this have anything to do with the fact that Seattle ATC just got
those fancy new enroute computer systems we've been reading about?
-Robert

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
om...

There's no reason he'd have to issue a clearance all the way to your
destination.


Could this have anything to do with the fact that Seattle ATC just got
those fancy new enroute computer systems we've been reading about?


No.