You ever?

Challenged

Challenged

Pattern Altitude
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Challenged
You ever misjudge the climb performance of your airplane and/or the height of some clouds up ahead and inadvertently fly through them a little bit?
 
nope. But while looking at something in the cockpit while flying below what I thought was a smooth overcast layer, I entered a lower shelf of clouds.
 
Unless I’m on an IFR flight plan, I try to avoid all clouds even a little,you never know if someone else is also in the clouds.
 
Whaaaaat? You can fly through clouds?!
 
ofcourse not, that's would be illegal and bad, never, not even just the tip.

Nowadays I think I'm going to be scraping clouds I just pull a clearance.
 
Almost. ATIS lied about 1400 ft ceiling, went up to do pattern couldn't climb above 700 AGL. Luckily I was a student and CFI was there to save the bacon. Great MVFR experience though. While on base, there was a citation on a short final, we couldn't even see it, tower had us do a 360 to avoid it

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
Pretty often, yes.
(On an IFR plan obviously, still try to avoid them if I can, passenger comfort and all that).
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
define inadvertently
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Inadvertently is when I do something that maybe is proscribed by rules. Deliberately is when you do something that is clearly proscribed by rules.

Welcome to POA.
 
Almost. But then I realized planes can turn as well as climb, and sometimes both at the same time.
 
Nothing should be inadvertent in an airplane... If you really "misjudged" maybe you are a bit "Challenged" :rolleyes:... Just say'n...
 
Wellllll there was this one time, or two....

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images
 
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Yeah, just asking because my wife and I were flying back home from a weekend away and I was trying to get above a low broken layer to stop the bouncy bouncy and it took a while to find a good spot to make that happen. I've never done this myself of course.
 
You ever misjudge the sense of humor in your audience and say something that was inadvertently hilarious or sarcastic yet the audience failed to recognize the clever humor because their heads are clouded with a non-sense of humor and complete lack of the ability to comprehend sarcasm? ;)
 
Challenged said:
Yeah, just asking because my wife and I were flying back home from a weekend away and I was trying to get above a low broken layer to stop the bouncy bouncy and it took a while to find a good spot to make that happen. I've never done this myself of course.
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“Bouncy bouncy” in an airplane? Mile High Clubbers?
 
Many times, especially while still learning my airplane, I had the thought of "I think I could get on top of these clouds for a smoother ride." I would go for it and a few minutes later realize that those clouds were quite a bit taller than I thought they were and changed my mind. Ever go through them, though? Nope. That's not legal not smart.

On the other hand, it seems like it would be SO COOL!! Starting my instrument ground school now to validate my assumption.
 
Lachlan said:
You ever misjudge the sense of humor in your audience and say something that was inadvertently hilarious or sarcastic yet the audience failed to recognize the clever humor because their heads are clouded with a non-sense of humor and complete lack of the ability to comprehend sarcasm? ;)
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Years ago I witnessed George Gobel psych out his audience before letting his act loose.

When he and his audience found common ground his act was perfect. I wish I could go back in time to see that performance again in real time.
can't
In my estimation today's commendations can't hold a candle to those of yesteryear.
 
tinerj said:
nope. But while looking at something in the cockpit while flying below what I thought was a smooth overcast layer, I entered a lower shelf of clouds.
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Looooong time ago, under a similar overcast that was so undefined I couldn’t tell where it really started, same thing happened to me. It was my one and only VFR into IMC incident and it raised my heart rate to about 200 back then, as I executed the well-trained and ever-present emergency 180 degree turn.

I was in a very new Skyhawk that had one of the first GPS receivers I had ever seen in any airplane we had rented as a treat to ourselves for the trip down to Houston and back, and I used the “Nearest” airport feature for the first time ever.

Landed at some paved crop duster strip with a closed up Quonset hut and a pay phone and not a soul in sight, called FSS and canceled my VFR Flight plan, and asked what the heck had happened to the forecast.

They caught me up on the fact that everything had changed slower than anticipated and my route would open up in an hour or two. This is way before data on cell phones, let alone smartphones or tablets.

All of that after sitting in the airplane recovering from the 200 heart rate and adrenaline shot for a few minutes and explaining to my wife what had happened. She’s flown with me since we were essentially kids so she knew and I don’t lie to her about stuff like that... if I did something stupid and put us both at risk, she knows about it.

It was a very non-fun event for a low time Private pilot with a bit of formal simulator training toward the IR in an old Frasca and that was it... but it probably helped save my butt that day on top of the usual brief intro to instrument in the Private syllabus.
 
Challenged said:
You ever misjudge the climb performance of your airplane and/or the height of some clouds up ahead and inadvertently fly through them a little bit?
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No, but I've gone around and done a climbing 360 to avoid doing it.
 
I did it coming back from KOSH year before last. We were at about 8500 MSL flying VFR above a broken cloud layer. Up ahead was narrow ridge of taller clouds that we had already expected to encounter. As we approached, I ascended 1000 ft. or so to clear them, but the clouds were climbing too. I misjudged and got into the ridge of clouds a little bit. I did an about face and immediately spiraled down through the broken layer, which unfortunately put us down to about 2000 feet. Problem was, we were encountering a wind farm, and the tips of the turbine blades were disappearing into the clouds on the upswing. It was kind of a dumb move, but I really thought I had the clouds cleared until moments before reaching them. They were really building quickly. Anywho, it wasn't a major problem because I knew I had more than one "out", and I had to take one of them. That's what outs are for right.
 
One of the maneuvers I train student pilots on is the 180* if clouds are encountered. Paid off once with a SP on a solo XC when she got into the clouds over a low mountain range (yes we have mountains in AL) so she didn't panic, did the 180, and return to base to tell me about it.
 
Nope. The clouds are ALWAYS exactly the required distance away from my airplane when I'm VFR. Always.
 
After going into the clouds, I looked at my attitude indicator and thought, "That thing must have failed. It's got my wings showing a 45° angle."
 
A few years ago I was departing from the out-islands of the Bahamas (Marsh Harbor) on a showery summer day with a ceiling around 1500 ft and wet cumulus clouds all around. I flew for about 30 minutes maneuvering and avoiding clouds and trying to contact ATC (in miami) to get an IFR clearance. I could not make this work and I turned around, and headed back to Marsh. A rainshower was rolling in with a solid 20+ knot direct crosswind (in a tailwheel plane). I did not have any other options for a nearby alternate (no AWOS, no radar there). So I attemped the landing. I made it down, but it was a real mofo and I left rubber all over the runway. I would have probably been better served by cheating on my instrument clearance for a few minutes. Big sky theory and everything
 
mscard88 said:
One of the maneuvers I train student pilots on is the 180* if clouds are encountered. Paid off once with a SP on a solo XC when she got into the clouds over a low mountain range (yes we have mountains in AL) so she didn't panic, did the 180, and return to base to tell me about it.
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Have you seen/heard this one? (The audio link is at the bottom.)

Haven’t met Aaron but if I ever do, he gets a round on me. Have heard his voice a million times from the TRACON, though.

https://www.natca.org/index.php/travel/119-the-2017-honorees/1744-aaron-grijalva-denver-tracon

By the way, anyone playing along, the 7700’ MSL the Skyhawk was at wasn’t enough to cross the ridgelines to the south by at least 1000’. Preferably more.
 
dell30rb said:
A few years ago I was departing from the out-islands of the Bahamas (Marsh Harbor) on a showery summer day with a ceiling around 1500 ft and wet cumulus clouds all around. I flew for about 30 minutes maneuvering and avoiding clouds and trying to contact ATC (in miami) to get an IFR clearance. I could not make this work and I turned around, and headed back to Marsh. A rainshower was rolling in with a solid 20+ knot direct crosswind (in a tailwheel plane). I did not have any other options for a nearby alternate (no AWOS, no radar there). So I attemped the landing. I made it down, but it was a real mofo and I left rubber all over the runway. I would have probably been better served by cheating on my instrument clearance for a few minutes. Big sky theory and everything
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I call it Wyoming VFR. Nobody up there sez a word.
 
Clark1961 said:
I call it Wyoming VFR. Nobody up there sez a word.
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Shouldn’t it be Montana VFR?

dell30rb said:
A few years ago I was departing from the out-islands of the Bahamas (Marsh Harbor) on a showery summer day with a ceiling around 1500 ft and wet cumulus clouds all around. I flew for about 30 minutes maneuvering and avoiding clouds and trying to contact ATC (in miami) to get an IFR clearance. I could not make this work and I turned around, and headed back to Marsh. A rainshower was rolling in with a solid 20+ knot direct crosswind (in a tailwheel plane). I did not have any other options for a nearby alternate (no AWOS, no radar there). So I attemped the landing. I made it down, but it was a real mofo and I left rubber all over the runway. I would have probably been better served by cheating on my instrument clearance for a few minutes. Big sky theory and everything
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You landed safe, can’t fault your decision, but technically had you decided it was safer to blow through the clouds without the clearance, you’d be covered by the “except in emergency” clause, right?
 
Challenged said:
You ever misjudge the climb performance of your airplane and/or the height of some clouds up ahead and inadvertently fly through them a little bit?
Click to expand...
I've watched someone else do it while sitting in the back seat and wondering what in hell this guy is thinking. If the object is moving down in your windscreen you will clear it. If it's not, and you're trying to outclimb it, you're going to hit it.
 
Salty said:
Shouldn’t it be Montana VFR?


You landed safe, can’t fault your decision, but technically had you decided it was safer to blow through the clouds without the clearance, you’d be covered by the “except in emergency” clause, right?
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Don't know. I would be interested to see if there is any precedent.
 
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