Gary Drescher wrote:
Even though you got away with it without penalty, it's worth pointing out
that you were recklessly endangering others' lives. What you did was
analogous to intentionally speeding through a red light at a blind
intersection, betting that there won't happen to be any traffic on the
cross-street.



All true. That's why I started my instrument training as soon as I got back. I
was *very* inexperienced.

Now, if you'd managed to run into me, I'd wonder why you were flying at a VFR
altitude instead of your own IFR altitude? I was at an appropriate VFR altitude
for my direction of flight squawking 1200 with an altitude encoder. I just
mention that in passing. Having flown the same route IFR many times since, I
know I was in radar range the whole way, so if you were on an IFR flight plan,
you should have gotten a traffic warning about me: "Traffic 12 o'clock,
southwest bound, squawking VFR at 4,500, unverified" or words to that effect.

I have said this befo God grants a special dispensation to the young and
stupid. Sometimes he rescinds it. In my case, I got away with it. Wouldn't do
it now.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com