Better to arrive alive

[ahmad]

Got my ppl a week ago. I had planned a long x country flight of 300 nm with the fam (their 1st flight with me). Plan was for yesterday. Weather brief was calling for MVFR for couple of hours for our departure airport and really good weather en route and destination. We were excited. Woke up yesterday and the weather had changed completely. Departure forecast was 2500 overcast all day and en route was at 3000. These were below my personal minimums. I canceled it. Bummer but it is just not worth taking those risks.

 

[FancyG]

Got my ppl a week ago. I had planned a long x country flight of 300 nm with the fam (their 1st flight with me). Plan was for yesterday. Weather brief was calling for MVFR for couple of hours for our departure airport and really good weather en route and destination. We were excited. Woke up yesterday and the weather had changed completely. Departure forecast was 2500 overcast all day and en route was at 3000. These were below my personal minimums. I canceled it. Bummer but it is just not worth taking those risks.

I rarely fly above 2500'.

Had a beach airbnb scheduled for last weekend and had to drive due to crosswinds. I knew it was too windy, but called my instructor and another pilot buddy to validate my call to drive instead of fly.

If it doesn't feel right to you, scrub it and live to fly another day.

W hat
W ill
D an
G ryder
S ay

about the AQP failure that led to a tragedy?

 

[ahmad]

Flying low in good weather is no problem. Flying cross country is different. My mins are written in stone. Day time is 5 miles and ceiling at or above 3000. Night time is 10 miles and ceiling of at or above 5000.

 

[GaryM]

Got my ppl a week ago. I had planned a long x country flight of 300 nm with the fam (their 1st flight with me).

Mighty fine decision making for a new pilot. You done good.

 

[Gilbert Buettner]

I suggest to my students - ask yourself, "Is this flight REALLY necessary?" Unless it is a combat mission or a medical evacuation, the answer will almost always be
no.

 

[mryan75]

So I took off and conditions were good at my airport. Fifteen mins into the flight and I notice visibility is decreasing, from 10 to about 6. Not ideal, especially since I didn't notice that in the forecast or current METARs.

First of all, glad you made out okay. And that’s one thing that perks up my pucker-o-meter, when weather isn’t as forecast.

 

[SamSES]

That’s normal VMC operations for northern floats

 

[jkgoblue]

I was told by a wise pilot that having your own plane is great as long as you’re not in any rush to get to where you are going.

 

[Zeldman]

"Is this flight REALLY necessary?" Unless it is a combat mission or a medical evacuation,

Even a medical flight needs to take the same precautions. Not gonna do the patient any good if the plane crashes because of weather.

The patient's condition should not be a factor in decision making. I say that as there were a few trips I did because the patient was that critical. I wanted to get the patient to the destination knowing full well they to be transferred to a facility with higher patient care, but there were a few times weather would not allow the flight to happen when the doctors wanted it to.