Ice go /no go advice...

(Ben Jackson) wrote in message news:LlgRb.123519$sv6.664419@attbi_s52...
In article ,
Michael wrote:
However, a flight assist report will be filed by ATC. This is where
it's going to matter if icing was in the forecast - if there was an
AIRMET. If it's forecast, it's known. You flew into it.

At an aviation safety seminar (the gist of which was "please declare an
emergency if you need to, and do it soon enough that we can help") an
inspector from the FSDO stood up and said that the flight assist reports
end up on his desk, and as a matter of policy he does not pursue
certificate action based on them. Makes sense to me.

I'm not saying "go fly in ice!" I just wouldn't want your comment to
discourage people from declaring an emergency if they do.

Sounds like the FAA has given their safety seminar guys the official
CYA course. Unless ATC is refusing to give you lower, why do you care?
If I'm picking up ice, I'll ask for lower. That works 99% of the time.
If it doesn't you probably choose the wrong place to get ice (really
buys airspace, high MEAs, etc). If they won't give it to me I'll say
something like, "I'm picking up ice and need to get lower, do you need
me to turn for the decent?". If you don't get a response I guess you
could declare but I can't imagine the controller who would hold your
balls to the fire with that one. Perhaps if you're dumb enough to
flirt with ice next to DFW or somewhere you wouldn't expect much
cooperation.

-Robert