Actual Time in Sacramento

Of course I realize it will be harder to do in actual conditions, but
it sure would go a long way toward showing why were doing all that in
the first place ;-)

It's easier in actual. The hood artificially limits one's attention,
and while that's good for training, in real life it's much more open
without it. (plus you can check the compass).

Coming up from Florida in a Dakota, reaching Cleveland at night after
flying on top and dodging CBs, getting a popup approach clearance (I was
on FF the whole time), going into the overcast at 4 and popping out at
ILS minimums with the lights leading the rest of the way.... that's why
we do it.

Jose
--
You can choose whom to befriend, but you cannot choose whom to love.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

On 12/15/2005 14:18, Jose wrote:

Of course I realize it will be harder to do in actual conditions, but
it sure would go a long way toward showing why were doing all that in
the first place ;-)

It's easier in actual. The hood artificially limits one's attention,
and while that's good for training, in real life it's much more open
without it. (plus you can check the compass).

Well, I checked the compass anyway (don't tell my CFII :-) )


Coming up from Florida in a Dakota, reaching Cleveland at night after
flying on top and dodging CBs, getting a popup approach clearance (I was
on FF the whole time), going into the overcast at 4 and popping out at
ILS minimums with the lights leading the rest of the way.... that's why
we do it.

Jose

It really sounds great. I can't wait to become a member of the 'actual'
club.

--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
Sacramento, CA

On Thu, 15 Dec 2005 14:38:07 -0800, Mark Hansen wrote:

It really sounds great. I can't wait to become a member of the 'actual'
club.

Come down my way, and you would get your share :-)

Starting to enter that time of the year, where it looks like rain every
morning from the morning stratus that burns off in the afternoon.

Can't wait to work out my Garmin 430. Still in the shop being
installed....

I was daydreaming yesterday.... ceilings 500 stratiform overcast and light
rain at 51 degrees. As benign as it gets this time of the year.

Only thing strange this year, is the low level southern stream jet has been
unusually strong for this area.

Allen

On 2005-12-15, Robert M. Gary wrote:
they are reporting 1/4SM and 000VV I can usually get in about 70% of
the time (with about 15 minutes between attempts). The lesson here is
that if you shoot the approach and see nothing, just try it again.

That's a bad lesson. A *lot* of IMC accidents are on the third approach
to an airport that's below minimums.

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

On Thu, 15 Dec 2005 19:36:39 -0600, Ben Jackson wrote:

On 2005-12-15, Robert M. Gary wrote:
they are reporting 1/4SM and 000VV I can usually get in about 70% of
the time (with about 15 minutes between attempts). The lesson here is
that if you shoot the approach and see nothing, just try it again.

That's a bad lesson. A *lot* of IMC accidents are on the third approach
to an airport that's below minimums.

Just curious, do you have any type of proof of this?

Allen

Sometimes it can be distracting. My first IFR approach was into MRY
with ceilings at 800. I broke out, started looking for the airport and
flew right through the LOC looking for the airport. Lesson, learned.
Keep flying the ILS until you see the runway.

I bet the accident rate is much higher on the *FIRST* approach to an
airport below mins. Having the mind set of being able to try again is
much better than feeling you have to get it the first time.

Robert M. Gary wrote:
Sometimes it can be distracting. My first IFR approach was into MRY
with ceilings at 800. I broke out, started looking for the airport and
flew right through the LOC looking for the airport. Lesson, learned.
Keep flying the ILS until you see the runway.

Heh, that's a lesson we all seem to need to learn for ourselves. Who among us
has never done this?

Jeez... What was I thinking, starting a thread an hour before an
office Christmas party???

I was looking out the window or our office, in Eldorado Hills, when I
submitted my post, and the RVR seemed to be about 3/4 mile, with a
vertical visibility that seemed likely to allow for catching the runway
environment at 800 - 1000 feet (at least). It was probably a little
more soupy, down by Arco Arena, but that's what I was seeing. I
confirmed that on my way out, but checking the RVR on Latrobe road with
my odometer.

I was thinking that MHR, as Robert mentioned would be a good place to
practice. The opportunity of getting back to clear conditions in EDH
or Cameron Park is a nice out! An engine out, is always on your mind,
and we all have to determine if we are willing to take that risk with a
single engine plane... I'm still on the fence, but mostly due to a
lack of experience! Definitely wouldn't do it in a rental, as you guys
mentioned in a later thread!

Best Regards,
Todd

So... having no actual time, under my belt, how would you typically go
out and practice your approaches? Would you file an IFR flight plan to
SAC or MHR and request multiple approaches in the air, or would you
popup out of O61 and contact NORCAL requesting "practice?" approaches
into MHR/SAC?

Stupid question, but I've never been completely clear on this... In
the case where you are flying from clear to "over" a fog layer, with
intentions of shooting "practice" approaches at the airports under IMC,
when would you actually be considered in "actual" conditions, and when
would you actually be considered cleared under IFR? I'm thrown off by
the word "practice", and probably because that's all I've ever done?
I've been on a filed IFR flight plan, but have never requested a pop-up
clearance or flown into actual IMC. If you request "practice"
approaches in the described conditions, you will actually be in IMC at
some point, so does your "practice" clearance now grant you the
privileges to fly into IMC?

I'm curious about this, not only for legal reasons, but I'm also
curious as to how you would log your time... At what point can you
start logging "actual"?

Thanks and best regards,
Todd