I'm off work this week with a staycation. Ceilings were running between 800 and 1500 AGL. Time to go have some fun with my new instrument ticket. I was just going to go across town to the big airport and run an approach or two and then I had a plan on file to go back home.
Before I fired up the Lance, checked the NOTAMS. They had our radio freq to Peoria Clearance NOTAMd inop. Fired up the Lance and called on the phone via my bluetoothed PSE PMA8000G to Leidos. They said call Chicago Center and gave me the phone number. Called Chi Center and they gave me a clearance. Off I went. I had filed direct to the IAF for RNAV 22. First the approach controller gave me a left turn to the IAF, which made no sense. I asked if he wanted a right turn instead. Yes. I entered my first cloud around 900 AGL while turning towards the fix. That gave me the leans real bad so I put the AP on to help. Then approach gave me a left turn for delay vectors. I went in and out of clouds for a while waiting for the more important traffic to get into the airport. Eventually he gave me direct back to the IAF. A few miles before the IAF a life flight called up so approach put me into the published hold on the RNAV. The hold ended up just being a procedure turn because the life flight got out of the clouds and canceled IFR. Cleared for the approach. I decided to go ahead and do a full stop instead of a second approach with all the delays. Didn't intend to be in the air all morning. I had the runway before the FAF but then went back in the clouds. Broke out at 1200 AGL which is just 100 under the FAF altitude. Made one of my best landings ever in the Lance.
On the ground I picked up my IFR back home. Got vectored out to the west and didn't enter any clouds in the climbing turn so no leans this time. Got a north turn and then cleared to the IAF with the procedure turn. As I was nearing the IAF some traffic was 900 below me. Approach vectored me away from it and canceled my approach clearance. I ended up catching the traffic at my 4 o'clock and was given direct back to the IAF with no procedure turn. Headed inbound on the RNAV 18 and broke out a little bit before the FAF. Ended up canceling on the ground with the remote freq to Peoria working despite the NOTAM.
Pretty eventful for 2 approaches on my first solo IFR. Non-working clearance freq, delay vectors, hold, canceled clearance, a little rain. Fun times! 1.2 on the tach with 0.4 of that in actual.
Before I fired up the Lance, checked the NOTAMS. They had our radio freq to Peoria Clearance NOTAMd inop. Fired up the Lance and called on the phone via my bluetoothed PSE PMA8000G to Leidos. They said call Chicago Center and gave me the phone number. Called Chi Center and they gave me a clearance. Off I went. I had filed direct to the IAF for RNAV 22. First the approach controller gave me a left turn to the IAF, which made no sense. I asked if he wanted a right turn instead. Yes. I entered my first cloud around 900 AGL while turning towards the fix. That gave me the leans real bad so I put the AP on to help. Then approach gave me a left turn for delay vectors. I went in and out of clouds for a while waiting for the more important traffic to get into the airport. Eventually he gave me direct back to the IAF. A few miles before the IAF a life flight called up so approach put me into the published hold on the RNAV. The hold ended up just being a procedure turn because the life flight got out of the clouds and canceled IFR. Cleared for the approach. I decided to go ahead and do a full stop instead of a second approach with all the delays. Didn't intend to be in the air all morning. I had the runway before the FAF but then went back in the clouds. Broke out at 1200 AGL which is just 100 under the FAF altitude. Made one of my best landings ever in the Lance.
On the ground I picked up my IFR back home. Got vectored out to the west and didn't enter any clouds in the climbing turn so no leans this time. Got a north turn and then cleared to the IAF with the procedure turn. As I was nearing the IAF some traffic was 900 below me. Approach vectored me away from it and canceled my approach clearance. I ended up catching the traffic at my 4 o'clock and was given direct back to the IAF with no procedure turn. Headed inbound on the RNAV 18 and broke out a little bit before the FAF. Ended up canceling on the ground with the remote freq to Peoria working despite the NOTAM.
Pretty eventful for 2 approaches on my first solo IFR. Non-working clearance freq, delay vectors, hold, canceled clearance, a little rain. Fun times! 1.2 on the tach with 0.4 of that in actual.
My wife is down in Houston dealing with extended family stuff. I tried to get my son to go with me this morning but he declined. 
