First IMC flight

Hi folks,

It's been over a year since I got the rating, and aside from popping
through the
coastal stratus a few times, I never used it.

Well, yesterday I used it. 1.5 solid hours in the clouds. There
was a front
passing through Northern California. But it was all layered stratus
stuff, the
icing level was forecast 11000, and the winds were not excessive.

Popped into the clouds 2000 feet above San Carlos. Wondered just what
I'd gotten myself into as the ground went away and all the windows
turned white.
Decided then & there to order the terrain update for the GNS430.
Stayed in the clouds til I popped out at the Panoche VOR. The Valley
was severe
clear over a layer of light haze. Flew the GPS approach at FCH &
circled to land.

Flew back home at sunset, which quickly turned to night. It's DARK
in the clouds at night! The wingtip strobes were distracting, so I
turned them off. I could still see the light from the rotating beacon
reflected from the wings, but that wasn't so bad.

San Carlos was reporting light rain & 1600-foot ceilings. Flew the
GPS30 approach and circled to 12, landed on the wet shiny runway.
Lived through another one! I think I spent more time in the clouds
yesterday than in all the instrument training put together.

- Jerry Kaidor ( )

I think I spent more time in the clouds
yesterday than in all the instrument training put together

You and Jack are killing me!!!

I'm tired of settling for a hood and a safety pilot! As soon as the
plane is out of annual, I'm calling up the instructor and am going to
get current in the goo!

BTW - I don't think you "Lived through another one!". I think you
logged a few more hours in conditions you have been trained for.

Thanks for sharing.

Todd

wrote in message
Popped into the clouds 2000 feet above San Carlos. Wondered just what
I'd gotten myself into as the ground went away and all the windows
turned white.

Right after I got my ticket, I figured I would take a short 1-hour flight in
clear weather to get used to the IFR system. The forecast "few" clouds
turned into broken right at my altitude and I wondered the same exact thing
you did. The weird thing about the broken clouds was that I felt like I was
going too fast and I kept glancing at my airspeed indicator more so than
what I was taught.

Marco



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That is a wierd sensation; like heading towards a brick wall at 150
mph, then all of a sudden you punch right through the wall with little
or no effect on the airplane. I still love flying in and out of puffy
clouds, and if I can, I'll request an altitude that puts me in a layer
like that.

WW

On 2 Feb 2006 07:19:22 -0800, wrote:

Flew back home at sunset, which quickly turned to night. It's DARK
in the clouds at night! The wingtip strobes were distracting, so I
turned them off. I could still see the light from the rotating beacon
reflected from the wings, but that wasn't so bad.

Last year I flew 2 1/2 hours in solid IMC on my trip from Bowling Green KY
to Madison MS.

My plane is placarded to turn off strobes while in IMC so I didn't
experience the disco fever.

You can read what I posted to rec.aviation.student at
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.a...t+imc+lieberma

Allen

On Thu, 2 Feb 2006 13:51:20 -0500, Marco Leon wrote:

The weird thing about the broken clouds was that I felt like I was
going too fast and I kept glancing at my airspeed indicator more so than
what I was taught.

I find it much easier in solid IMC then partly cloudy conditions. Like you
Marco, I feel the speed, and the variation of colors outside my windows
adds to distraction, so I just do everything I can to keep my eyes inside
the plane.

Allen

wrote:
That is a wierd sensation; like heading towards a brick wall at 150
mph, then all of a sudden you punch right through the wall with little
or no effect on the airplane.

It's really cool when you're just above to top of a nice flat stratus
layer and you can keep dipping in and out of it by going up or down 50
feet. If the tops aren't right at the right altitude and there's not
much traffic, you can ask ATC for an altitude block :-)

On 02/02/06 14:38, A Lieberman wrote:
On Thu, 2 Feb 2006 13:51:20 -0500, Marco Leon wrote:

The weird thing about the broken clouds was that I felt like I was
going too fast and I kept glancing at my airspeed indicator more so than
what I was taught.

I find it much easier in solid IMC then partly cloudy conditions. Like you
Marco, I feel the speed, and the variation of colors outside my windows
adds to distraction, so I just do everything I can to keep my eyes inside
the plane.

Allen

My very first time flying into IMC conditions was during a PP training
flight, when my instructor agreed to let me see what it was light to
shoot an ILS approach back into our home airport.

We were over a status layer, and approaching a wall of cloud. It looked
like we were going to crash into it. The instructor told me that, to
reduce the potential for disorientation, I should switch my gaze to the
inside of the cockpit before we reach the clouds.

I basically told him to get bent - this was the first time I'd ever
seen this, and I was going to watch! ;-)

I looked great, by the way.


--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
Cal Aggie Flying Farmers
Sacramento, CA

Roy Smith wrote:
That is a wierd sensation; like heading towards a brick wall at 150
mph, then all of a sudden you punch right through the wall with little
or no effect on the airplane.

It's really cool when you're just above to top of a nice flat stratus
layer and you can keep dipping in and out of it by going up or down 50
feet. If the tops aren't right at the right altitude and there's not
much traffic, you can ask ATC for an altitude block :-)

....or when you precisely hold an altitude and a stratus deck comes up,
kisses the plane and then recedes. Really sweet. It's like
accelerating to the speed of heat and then slowly braking.

IMC pilots need better sunglasses!

On 02/02/06 14:48, Mark Hansen wrote:
On 02/02/06 14:38, A Lieberman wrote:
On Thu, 2 Feb 2006 13:51:20 -0500, Marco Leon wrote:

The weird thing about the broken clouds was that I felt like I was
going too fast and I kept glancing at my airspeed indicator more so than
what I was taught.

I find it much easier in solid IMC then partly cloudy conditions. Like you
Marco, I feel the speed, and the variation of colors outside my windows
adds to distraction, so I just do everything I can to keep my eyes inside
the plane.

Allen


Oh jeeze - proofread...

My very first time flying into IMC conditions was during a PP training
flight, when my instructor agreed to let me see what it was light to
^^^^^ like

shoot an ILS approach back into our home airport.

We were over a status layer, and approaching a wall of cloud. It looked
^^^^^^ stratus

like we were going to crash into it. The instructor told me that, to
reduce the potential for disorientation, I should switch my gaze to the
inside of the cockpit before we reach the clouds.

I basically told him to get bent - this was the first time I'd ever
seen this, and I was going to watch! ;-)

I looked great, by the way.




--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
Cal Aggie Flying Farmers
Sacramento, CA