IAP through class G

(C Kingsbury) wrote
I think there's probably a very substantial geographic aspect to this
also.

Sure. And of course my experience colors my opinion. On the other
hand, my students tend to live in the same area I do, so maybe this
isn't so bad.

My training and flying are all in the Northeast centered around
Boston, where local practices make this situation perhaps more
hypothetical than in other parts of the country. You just don't have
that many people flying 700', 500' patterns at fields with ILSs, and
odds are if you're trying to get somewhere and it's real soupy you'll
pick a field with an ILS, they're common enough out here that there's
usually one not too far away. And a lot of the time that'll be Class D
or C.

One of my most common trips (for business) is to GTU. The nearest
field with an ILS is AUS - which, depending on (ground) traffic
conditions, adds 40 to 90 minutes driving time to the trip. So I go
into GTU and shoot the NDB any time the weather allows. So far, I've
always made it in - but often by the skin of my teeth (as in - no
field in sight, and in another 30 seconds I will have to go missed -
oh, there it is). On two of those days, there was pattern traffic.
Yes, you got it right - it's IFR at mins, and there is VFR pattern
traffic. But they're at 600 AGL and they have a mile of vis, so
they're legal. So am I.

For that matter, GPS Direct sounds like a nice idea too, but out here
you fly airways if you're trying to get somewhere.

Yes, but that's because we HAVE enroute ATC. My point is that if we
eliminate it, I'm not sure we will have any accidents. I AM aure we
will get where we are going faster. Today was a very new experience
for me - I made it from NY to DC (actually HPN to GAI) without a
single reroute - just some shortcuts. First time ever.

The thing I find surprising is how many students take their tests with
10 hours of actual.

A lot of that is opportunity. I sent my last student to the ride with
less than 5 hours, and we took every possible opportunity to get
actual, up to and including changing schedules and plans and actually
going places to take advantage of flyable (no major embedded T-storms,
since he lacked sferics) IMC. Got him all I could. Funny thing,
though - I think he is prepared for the rough stuff.

Maybe I'm just
lucky to have a CFII who enjoys working with students on low actual
days...

There are quite a few of us. I have to believe there are guys like
that in Arizona - but I'm sure their students graduate with no actual
at all.

Michael

On 17 Aug 2004 21:28:48 -0700, (C Kingsbury) wrote:

My training and flying are all in the Northeast centered around
Boston, where local practices make this situation perhaps more
hypothetical than in other parts of the country. You just don't have
that many people flying 700', 500' patterns at fields with ILSs, and
odds are if you're trying to get somewhere and it's real soupy you'll
pick a field with an ILS, they're common enough out here that there's
usually one not too far away. And a lot of the time that'll be Class D
or C.

You only need one to ruin your day.

It's not only folk flying in the pattern. Some years ago I flew (legal)
VFR into LCI (Laconia) -- a field with an ILS but no control zone. The
ceiling was under 1000' -- I can't recall if it was 900 or 700. The ILS
was certainly in use that day.

There are other fields in the NE with ILS's but in Class G surface to 700.
EEN (Keene) would be tougher to have legal VFR activity at low altitude;
but there's PVC (Provincetown), KRKD (Rockland), KSFM (Sanford). I'm sure
there are others, too, where IFR traffic needs to be careful, even with
ceilings below 1000'.




--ron