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4 Answers

The line between acceptable and non-accepted weather.

Asked by: 1919 views
General Aviation, Light Sport Aircraft, Student Pilot, Weather

Hi this is my first post. I am a sporty pilot I was wondering when the weather is good enough or if it's too bad. I recently flew at 2,500 with clouds broken at 3,000 I was able to maintain VFR but visibility on ground was getting gazed. Still VFR right now I decided to land with a crosswind and it went fine then shortly after landing a Storm rolled in and it was IMC. So I landed in VFR fine but how can I prevent being VFR then getting into IMC conditions. I never got into IMC and I don't want to, I got lucky this flight but how can I prevent ever getting into IMC conditions?

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4 Answers

  1. Best Answer


    KDS on Jan 20, 2022

    That is a wonderful question. Unfortunately, it does not have a quantifiable answer. A lot of it depends on you (your comfort level and your ability level), your aircraft, and the weather forecasts.

    Back during the time of the Vietnam conflict, Army helicopter pilots were rushed into combat without complete instrument training. They got just enough to hopefully save their life if something unexpected happened and that was about it. Prior to that, instrument trained pilots were issued green cards or white cards to designate the level of weather in which they were to allowed to fly. In keeping with that pattern, these pilots were issued blue cards. The standard joke was that you were to punch a hole in the card, hold it up against the sky and not fly if what you saw through the hole did not match the color of the card.

    Years ago, Will Rogers said there were three kinds of men. The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves. I was always the third kind. I would get myself in some weather situation and scare myself half to death and somehow manage to survive and then figure out I should not do that again. Take it from me, you do not want to do it that way.
    So, in the interest of trying to give you a more serious answer, I will suggest this. Set a limit for yourself. Write it down on a piece of paper and put it in your wallet. Be conservative with that limit and never violate it. After you have been flying for a year or two, decide if you feel safe bringing those limits down and if so, make a new piece of paper and put it in your wallet. The reason I suggest writing it and carrying it with you is that someday you are going to feel pressed to go when maybe you should not go. Your wife wants to go flying that day. You are worried that your buddy who you were going to take for a ride will think you are chicken. You are out away from home and you just need to get back. Regardless of the pressures on you, if that paper says the weather is outside the limit you set for yourself, believe it.

    In the meantime, do everything you can to learn more about the weather and how to read the forecasts. There are many sources of aviation weather education out there and a whole lot of resources for getting the weather that were not available not all that many years ago. One place I recommend starting to look for that increased knowledge about what is available and how to use it is the FAA’s FAASTeam, which you can access at http://www.faasafety.gov.

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  2. Skycatcher06 on Jan 20, 2022

    @KDS thank you for your reply I will definitely try that. I only have 3 years of sport flying experience, and that was the first time I was that close to getting into IMC. I would have done the same thing about the gazing below me but I would have been way more relaxed without gusting. Decreasing visability and increasing gusting scared me but I will follow your advice and hope I get more relaxed. Thanks!

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  3. KDS on Jan 21, 2022

    Believe me, you will over time. I’ll just share one more story that may come in handy.

    I used to own an airplane with my closest friend. We both had logbooks that stretched back over decades and most of the merit badges the FAA can give. Sometimes when we got together to fly for our enjoyment, the weather would be challenging in one way or another. We would discuss how we were going to deal with the challenge for a while. Then one of us would ask what are we trying to do here. Are we delivering a kidney to someone who will die without it. Are we going out to support troops in combat. No, we are out here to have fun and if we have some nagging weather issue invading our thinking while we are flying, are we really going to have all that much fun. Then we would push the airplane back in the hangar and head out for lunch.

    Just approach sport flying with that kind of thinking and the fun keeps being fun.

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  4. Skycatcher06 on Jan 21, 2022

    @KDS I will try approaching the weather like that. I will remain VFR due to being a sporty but I will try to keep my mindset aware that a little weather shouldn’t get me freaking out. Thank you for all these amazing tips!

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