Flight Training - November/December 2023 - 8

UNUSUAL ATTITUDE BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN
Editor at Large DAVE HIRSCHMAN'S
optimistic outlook, (mostly) sunny
disposition, and trusting nature don't
apply to IFR weather.
dave.hirschman@aopa.org
READY OR NOT, IFR IS IFR
Pilots make a distinction between IFR and " hard IFR " that makes
little sense.
The gist of it is that some instrument-rated pilots are willing to file and fly IFR-
except when visibility and ceilings get close to published minimums. I get the concept of
" personal minimums " and endorse the principle of defining individual and changeable
limits based on currency, avionics, and psychological comfort. But the idea of launching
into instrument meteorological conditions without being fully prepared to fly an
approach to minimums at your destination is a sucker's bet. Even with today's impressive
safety tools such as in-cockpit weather, there's no guarantee that the actual conditions
will be what you expect them to be. And the stress of flying IFR knowing that you're
unable or unwilling to perform the full range of tasks seems like a questionable strategy.
So, what's hard IFR anyway? Is it IMC during the cruise phase of flight? Certainly
smooth, clear air is enjoyable to fly through. And the ability to fly near the clouds, but
not in them, is one of the most sublime aspects of IFR flying. Yet the difficulty factor of
keeping the wings level and navigating in IMC during cruise is minor, especially with an
autopilot. IMC during cruise doesn't seem like it should be a showstopper for IFR pilots.
Some IFR pilots treat their tickets as a license to fly " from bad weather to good
weather. " Psychologically, it's a lighter burden knowing that you're flying toward
improving conditions. There's light at the end of the tunnel. You're on the way to VMC,
and you're escaping the low clouds behind you. This kind of information makes pilots
feel relaxed and happy. But taking off in weather that's low enough that you're unwilling
or unable to return to your starting point is dubious. If there's a mechanical or other
problem soon after takeoff, how far will you have to go to find weather conditions that
meet your personal minimums? Is an immediate return even an option?
Looking back on my last year of IFR flying, I only had to make one honest-togoodness
missed approach-and it came as a near total surprise because the weather
at my destination at the time I began the approach was marginal VFR: 5 miles visibility
and a ceiling of 1,400 feet. The complication at this mountain airport turned out to be a
fog bank that went all the way to the ground at the approach end of the runway, and it
was invisible to the automated weather station located nearly a mile away at the center
of the airport. I flew the GPS approach in mostly clear air, saw some snow-covered
airport hangars 5 miles away, then descended into the fog a mile from the runway
8
FLIGHT TRAINING NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
threshold and visibility dropped to zero.
A missed approach was a reflex, the only
option, and yet it was unexpected because
all indications had pointed toward an
uneventful approach and landing. During
the two-hour flight there, ADS-B weather
had provided a steady stream of good
news with conditions steadily improving
from low IMC, to IMC, to marginal VMC.
That was an unmistakably positive trend-
yet it still resulted in a missed approach
at the published decision altitude. Other
low-IMC encounters happened where I
least expected them.
During an aerial video recording
session in the AOPA Sweepstakes Van's
RV-10 a few years ago, I took off from my
home airport in misty rain with an 800-foot
ceiling. My intention was to make a video
showing the details of the Advanced Flight
Systems/Avidyne panel during two quick
GPS approaches and an ILS approach. My
main concern at the start of the flight was
that the weather would improve, and I'd
miss my chance to record in actual IMC.
But moderate to heavy rain moved into the
area, visibility dropped, and I ended up
making two no-kidding missed approaches
on the ILS. I was able to get in on the third
approach, but just barely. The flight itself
wasn't particularly stressful. The avionics
provided excellent situational awareness,
the airplane had full fuel tanks, and other
airports in the region had better weather
if I needed to divert. The point is that the
weather turned out to be far worse than
forecast, even though the forecast was just
a few minutes old, and it remained that way
all day. If I had been counting on the predicted
improvement, I'd have been in a jam.
The low-IMC approaches I've flown
recently have actually been straightforward.
Air traffic controllers know the
weather's bad and set you up for long,
straight-in final approaches. Low atmospheric
pressure makes for unrippled air,
and the airplane seems to ride the glideslope
as if on rails. But aviation is full of
plot twists, and things seldom seem to go
exactly as planned. Stack the deck in your
favor by arriving at your destination when
the temperature and dew point are getting
farther apart, not closer together. Take
advantage of IFR approaches that include
vertical guidance-and these days, that's
just about all of them. And don't expect
when you file IFR that you'll only put a
toe in. Be ready to swim in the deep end of
pool, because you just might have to. FT

Flight Training - November/December 2023

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