AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2014 - 110

P&E

110 |

NEVER AGAIN

at about 500 feet above the surface while
alternating my attention between the towers displayed on the GPS, the clouds outside
the windshield, and the ground, which had
gradually become closer and darker.
The GPS showed a small airport nearby,
Kentland Municipal (50I). I looked down
and found it just below the left wingtip,
and I could see it well enough to land in the
fading light. I realized that I was beaten; I
was only a few minutes from an emergency.
I had to land. When the decision was made,
the feeling of relief was surprising and
immediate. I circled and set it down.
After landing I taxied to the ramp, idled,
set the parking brake, and sat thinking
through a problem that I had not considered three minutes earlier. How was I going
to get out of this? The cabin lights were on
and the cabin was warm, but outside it was
windy and rainy. The FBO appeared to be
closed. I was supposed to be to work early
the next morning, and here I was in the middle of nowhere without transportation.

I initially pulled out my cell phone and
began filing an IFR flight plan, but then
asked myself if I was really ready to tackle
the rest of the flight and possibly a low IFR
approach at night. I saw an SUV parked by
the FBO. I shut down and walked over to the
vehicle to find it was a police officer there
only by chance, as he had driven to the airport to check on something unrelated. I
learned from the officer that the FBO had a
code on the door, so we walked in. He said
there was a courtesy car there, and pointed
out a retired Crown Vic police cruiser.
The next morning I got up early and
learned that the ceilings at Bloomington
were 3,500. The local ceilings were more
like 2,000 but high enough that I could
get to Bloomington VFR. Wait a minute! I
might be dumb but I'm not stupid. I filed
IFR, and enjoyed an uneventful flight to
Bloomington-Normal in time for work.
Over the years I have read articles and
books warning that scud running should
never be attempted unless you are an

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experienced IFR pilot. I had a solid plan,
but multiple gremlins narrowed my options
rapidly. I have heard it said that pilots start
flying with two buckets. One is filled with
luck and the other is empty and waiting
to be filled with experience. The goal is to
fill the experience bucket before the luck
bucket becomes empty. I have considered
my experience bucket to be pretty full and
have used up a fair share of my luck, but this
experience proved there was room for a little more experience. Fortunately for me, my
luck bucket wasn't yet empty.
A A
OP
CLIFF HALE holds a private certificate and

instrument rating. He has been flying in the
Great Lakes area since 1970 and has more
than 1,700 hours, mostly in a Cessna 182-G.

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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2014