Virginia and I went down Friday and I knocked out some pattern work to knock the rust out since Saturday was with the kids. Had a fun flight. I had the plane reserved from 9 - 3 on Saturday. Seemed plenty of time to head down, shuttle to Sharky's on the Pier, eat, and fly back. We were well under gross even with all four of us. Weight and balance was good.
I got up about 8 on Saturday. Weather was great at KPIE, but I checked KVNC and there was morning fog and low visibility. So we took our time waiting for that to "burn off." I watched the METAR down there and it cleared up. Weather was beautiful. We headed to CAMS and took our time loading up the kids, making sure they could work the doors and seat belts, etc. Engine start about 11am.
Winds were out of the NE at something around 10 kts both at KPIE and KVNC. Takeoff was good off 09, headed SW VFR on our own down the coast. The flight down was great. I think the wind was 11 kts at KVNC but literally right down runway 05. Entered the downwind, no other traffic in the pattern, made a great landing that even Virginia commented on. We parked at Suncoast FBO (I had called the day before) and they marshalled us to a parking spot. Hopped out and took the free shuttle to Sharky's. Got a nice table out on the deck and had lunch. About halfway through lunch I look out from under the thatched roof of the restaurant and see a cloud deck building. By the time we're done with lunch there's a solid cloud deck and I'm trying to use my phone to check METARs but I've got no signal at the restaurant. We get the shuttle back to the airport and I've got a signal. By now I'm seeing not only a cloud deck but some lower, darker clouds.
We're back at the airport a bit before 2:00pm and I check the weather. MVFR! Winds are picking up and now gusting. Clouds jumping back and forth from SCT to BKN about 2,500ft and an overcast layer a bit above that. I wait a bit and it's not really improving, so I make the call that we'll wait for improving weather because I'm really not comfortable with it, especially my first flight with the kids. I call Gwen at CAMS and let her know I'm supposed to have the plane back at 3 but I don't think I'm going to make it due to low ceilings at KVNC. Someone had he plane after me so I think she had to switch them.
A bit later rain and even lower clouds move through, and the wind is gusting up to 16+ kts or so. We wait until about 3:45 and there's still some misty rain and METAR still jumping back and forth between MVFR and VFR. I'm also checking the METARs north up the coast at KSRQ, KSPG, and KPIE, and all have ceilings 6,000ft+ with no precipitation and lighter wind. One of the inland stations east of KVNC shows precipitation and the weather is moving east to west. By now we've been just sitting at the FBO or in the plane for about 2 hours and the kids are constantly asking when we can leave. The little guy keeps saying "how long?" "When the weather clears up a bit." "Yes but how many minutes?" Virginia seems a little impatient too. Obviously none of them really understand how important it is that I be safe with the weather. This is the point where I can really see how get-home-itis hurts folks.
About 10 'til 4:00 I tell them that if the weather hasn't markedly improved by 4pm we'll walk back into the FBO and start looking for a hotel. I'm still not comfortable with the weather, which is still bouncing to MVFR, and I don't want to fly back after dark. They are not impressed about having to spend the night because the kids were supposed to go visit their Dad that evening. But I'm sticking to my guns. (It doesn't help that 5 to 6 planes leave while we're sitting there on the tarmac; obviously IFR or with an MVFR clearance.)
A bit after 4:00, the wind begins to die, the light intermittent rain stops, and I see blue sky peeking through the cloud deck. KVNC automated weather shows lower clouds are now FEW and there's just a BKN layer I believe above 4k ft. I check all the METARs up the coast and all show significantly higher ceilings, with light wind and no rain. About 4:15 I make the call that the weather is acceptable and it's early enough to get us home before dark, so we head back to KPIE. The flight back was uneventful, calm winds, ceilings far above our flight altitude and far above min VFR ceilings, and no low clouds. Tower puts us on a right base for 09, which gives about a 5 or 6 kt left crosswind. Landing is decent and we tie up and are done more than 2 hours after our scheduled return time.
It was not what I'd call an ideal first flight with the family, but I am relatively pleased with my decision making. Being such a low time pilot, I'm in that strange spot where I don't know what I don't know. I was ultra conservative with weather during training, and I know I'll need to become a bit more comfortable with weather that isn't perfect if I expect to ever go anywhere. But even when I finally made the decision to go, I wasn't entirely sure whether it was the right decision. I believe it was, but just because it worked out doesn't mean it was the right decision.
So there you have it! Only the little boy appears to "love" flying. Virginia and her daughter I think will shortly consider the flight just a mode of transportation, and the destination will become the fun part. I have to admit it's a little disheartening that they don't love the act of flying like I do, but I guess not all of us have the sickness.
