No-Go call made

Morne

Morne

Line Up and Wait
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Morne
Because I think we too often spend time berating folks who fly when they shouldn't I'm posting about a flight that I didn't take this morning.

As you might have read in my other thread my 182 is done at the paint shop. They finished re-assembly yesterday. So I had hoped to go pick it up this morning. One of my buddies/instructors based out of my home field was going to fly me down in his plane and then we'd each fly back solo. 96nm trip each way. We expected to be home by noon.

As this week progressed Thursday started looking worse and worse. Eventually I figured that if it were to happen it would have to be in the morning or not at all, based upon the prog charts. Once the TAFs started coming out yesterday they showed things going downhill (snow, gusting winds) fast around 10-11am.

So I made the NO-GO call. I think my buddy, who is an instructor as well, was waiting for me to come to that conclusion on my own. Here's the most recent METAR and TAF for Mansfield, which is about halfway through the flight:

KMFD 191152Z 18015G25KT 10SM FEW120 M04/M08 A2987 RMK AO2 SLP132 T10391078 11039 21067 56026

KMFD 191123Z 1912/2012 19014G22KT P6SM SCT050 OVC150
FM191500 20014G22KT 5SM -SN BKN025 OVC035
FM191800 21018G28KT 1 1/2SM -SN BR SCT008 OVC012
FM192300 26014G22KT 5SM -SN SCT025 OVC035
FM200200 29010KT P6SM OVC035

As I post this there is a beautiful sunrise coming together. I think I'll go to the airport and watch the IR training video from the class I missed this week, drink some coffee and smoke a cigar. But as much as I would L-O-V-E to go fly, I'm not gonna.:dunno:
 
It is always a tough call when coditiions are marginal, and you have a valid reason to get there. You made the right call, there will be plenty of good flying days ahead.

Good call, Pilot In Command.
 
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Good job. There is no reason to risk your life to pick up a plane a day earlier. Flying in crappy weather is no fun anyway unless you are trained, rated, and the plane is also so equipped. Sometimes, it still isn't even fun, it's work, but hey that's why we love it. :)
 
Morne said:
Because I think we too often spend time berating folks who fly when they shouldn't I'm posting about a flight that I didn't take this morning.
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No problem, someone should be along shortly to berate for the opposite! :D
Just kidding, no point in messing up that new paint job with airborne particulates!
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
No problem, someone should be along shortly to berate for the opposite! :D
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OK, here goes:

You gutless coward. You probably would not have died.

But seriously, as the saying goes, you're always better off on the ground wishing you were in the air, than in the air wishing you were on the ground.
 
great decision, not because of the forecast, but because you felt it was not safe for you

I always try to find a reason not to fly, if i can't find one i go
 
dennyleeb said:
great decision, not because of the forecast, but because you felt it was not safe for you

I always try to find a reason not to fly, if i can't find one i go
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You're not looking hard enough...

For every reason I supply you, you give me an AMU and I'll use it for you.
 
The current conditions you listed were not all that bad - a bit windy but still fine. I found myself thinking "Why did he cancel that?" and then I read the forecast...

Good call, I would have pulled the plug too. Tomorrow is another day.
 
Always plan to fly a plane fresh out of maintenance on a nice day! You really don't want to be in marginal conditions with a mechanical problem, and paint shops can leave you with mechanical issues. :hairraise:
You made the right call, the plane will still be there when the weather improves, and it would be a shame to crash a freshly painted 182!:yikes: :rolleyes:
 
It's been awhile since I've watched my old King school tapes but I like the way John King said it (he's a funny dude)

something like.... "They almost always bury pilots on a beautiful VFR day":rofl:
 
Particularly on a long flight, you have to account for the fact that conditions may deteriorate if they are forcasted to be marginal.

I don't know why it always works out this way, but if you stay on the ground, conditions improve. If you fly, they deteriorate. Sort of like how it rains the next day you wash your car.
 
Good call. Consider that your plane had significant work done to it. Parts were removed, static and pitot systems were covered up, etc. So your return trip was going to be a test flight of sorts. Don't add marginal weather to the list of hazards you will have to manage.
 
Huh. We neighbors? I live in Medina.

The weather was bea-u-tiful last night, but it is damn windy today!
 
Sac Arrow said:
I don't know why it always works out this way, but if you stay on the ground, conditions improve. If you fly, they deteriorate. Sort of like how it rains the next day you wash your car.
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Not today. I left brunch at 10am and called the Mansfield ASOS - ceilings had dropped 8000' in the past hour and visibility was down to 5sm. Good day for coffee and watching IR training videos.

@ChrisK,

Medina is very close to me.
 
I wouldn't have gone but not because of winds or ceilings.

Aren't you supposed to avoid rain on new paint? Are you returning the plane to service? Any time the plane has been opened up and for an extended period of time outside your supervision, you don't want the odds stacked against you whilst on the maiden flight.

While you say the flight is 96 nm and you'd be back by noon, does that allow time to meet and discuss with the paint shop in a casual manner...ie, where you are not preoccupied or hurried because of thoughts of adverse weather?
 
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N747JB said:
Always plan to fly a plane fresh out of maintenance on a nice day! You really don't want to be in marginal conditions with a mechanical problem, and paint shops can leave you with mechanical issues. :hairraise:
You made the right call, the plane will still be there when the weather improves, and it would be a shame to crash a freshly painted 182!:yikes: :rolleyes:
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TMetzinger said:
Good call. Consider that your plane had significant work done to it. Parts were removed, static and pitot systems were covered up, etc. So your return trip was going to be a test flight of sorts. Don't add marginal weather to the list of hazards you will have to manage.
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+1 +1

Are you instrument rated? (sorry if I missed that). If you are, that puts a myriad of shades of gray on weather decisions. If you're VFR, its pretty much black or white.

I join the chorus and say good call. My post maintenance flights always done VFR, and with a few laps over the field in a tight enough pattern to get back in the event of issues.
 
I am VFR only at the moment. Just started work in the instrument rating.
 
I don't think it matters which "R" you're using, you can expect similar decisions for the remainder of your flying career. Learning to be both smart and conservative will always include an element of subjectivity, but once you have made the no-go call, don't second-guess yourself or spend any time worrying about whether you could have made the trip.

Whether or not it could have been done, you would have flown the trip with a puckered whatsit, and those things have a finite number of functions before they wear out. No reason to use them up trying to fly little airplanes in questionable weather.
 
Having just retrieved my plane from the paint shop I can tell you that you made the right decision. Painting an airplane is a major endeavor. Lots of little things to go wrong. Make sure to do your most comprehensive pre-flight ever!!! Mine had paint in the Pitot and tape over the fuel tank vents.
Make a day of it. Good luck
 
The way it happens for me is the forecast looks crappy all week but I hold out to the last minute. I get up early and evaluate the weather. I'm usually sitting under a 600' overcast, 30 k wind, and 1/2 a mile vis. So this is a no brainer. 30 minutes later, it's clear and a million and perfectly calm.
 
First thing you do when you get the plane home is remove the wheels, flush and re-pack the bearings. Too many are returned to the owner full of stripper. Before you leave the paint shop, check carefully for a groove around all windows and windshields at the junction of the surrounding structure. This common problem is often caused by stripper seeping penetrating the masking tape. Result is that windows are trashed and must be replaced. $$$.

Also check paint carefully for runs, drips and sags. They aren't always obvious, so careful inspection is required from several angles, including below, to be sure they fixed them.
andybean said:
Having just retrieved my plane from the paint shop I can tell you that you made the right decision. Painting an airplane is a major endeavor. Lots of little things to go wrong. Make sure to do your most comprehensive pre-flight ever!!! Mine had paint in the Pitot and tape over the fuel tank vents.
Make a day of it. Good luck
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According to my CFI and the forecasts, today was the last nice day in NE Ohio for at least the next eight. I ran by the airport today to drop off some RAM, but was in a hurry and didn't more than gander at the runway, which I couldn't immediately see (as it was covered in snow).

I'm not confident enough to land on a 2400' runway covered in snow ;)

In any case, I hope it clears up for us!
 
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