Sun Jul 23, 2017 11:24 am
#1548221
I have had an IR(R) for six years and don't use it a lot as it is boring for passengers and I rarely fly alone. Last week, I did make full use of it so maybe this story will help. BTW, helpful comments from the more experienced would be welcomed. ("Get a full IR" or "Stay below low level cloud" are not want I want to hear )
So, I was at Doncaster visiting family using a rented PA28-181. It has a full conventional navaid fit but no installed sat' nav'. I had elected to spend the money of going to Doncaster rather than the massively cheaper Sandtoft because I was on my own and wanted to use the ILS on the way in for practice. Being in Class D for departure proved most useful as we will see. Between my arrival on Friday afternoon and my departure on Saturday morning, the weather (not unexpectedly) deteriorated from perfect to marginal (for me) with cloud as low as 1200 feet AGL and rain showers. Watching the rainfall radar and forecast, I delayed my departure a couple of hours and took off under a recent METAR saying that the cloud was above 3000 feet and having observed a King Air take-off and not enter cloud until plenty high enough. However, I am not entirely stupid and was mentally prepared for IMC and had the plates to hand for Cranfield and Cambridge (the nearest instrument airfields to my destination, Henlow). NOTAMs showed Cranfield having no approaches on 03 but nothing notified wrong with 21.
My departure clearance from Doncaster was on track VFR not above 2000 feet. On climb-out, I found cloud at 1200 feet so quickly converted that with ATC to an IFR clearance to 4000 feet. At 4000 I was still in IMC, the forecast had suggested that it might be clear higher. At that point I left Doncaster CAS and that dropped me like a hot brick with "free-call East Midlands". Climbing, I found a gap between layers at 5000, also the correct semi-circular for my track (a radial from GAM to CIT). East Midlands gave me a traffic service and occasionally would call "traffic unknown level" but being solid IMC a lot of the time, it was academic. I continued happily until East Midlands could no longer cover me. Then I had a small difficulty, how to get a radar service for me to descend solid IMC to the CIT for the Cranfield procedure. London Information tried Farnborough who reported that they could see me on radar but unable to provide a service because I was out of area. London Information arranged for Luton (not of course a LARS unit) to cover my descent, Luton frequency was busy as ever but the controller was able to advise me on contact and just before I left the frequency that he could see nothing to affect in Cranfield's visual or instrument patterns. So, I was now over the beacon at 2500 feet and called Cranfiled. His first reaction was to ask for my booking. I soon explained the situation and was cleared for the NDB 21. I started to fly (messily) the outbound leg and asked why no ILS. Glideslope unserviceable came the reply. You can use the localiser he added. So I was able to acquire the localiser and use that with the DME to cloud break at 1200 and proceed safely to Henlow. Thinking about the accuracy of my flying in the procedure and reviewing the SkyDemon track, an instructor would not have been impressed but I never felt overwhelmed (although I did ask the Cranfield controller to standby a couple of times because of workload) nor that I was in danger.
Lessons:
1. I should have called Cranfield by telephone before departure.
2. I should have asked London Information to warn Cranfield that I was inbound.
Anyway, to answer the OP, above is a practical use of the IR(R). Without it I would either have been at Doncaster for a second night or have been marginal VMC at low level for an hour, far more dangerous than 5000 feet in cloud with a radar service. Oh, and it was a great flight, I am still very satisfied with it a week later. Hard work but not dangerous.
So, I was at Doncaster visiting family using a rented PA28-181. It has a full conventional navaid fit but no installed sat' nav'. I had elected to spend the money of going to Doncaster rather than the massively cheaper Sandtoft because I was on my own and wanted to use the ILS on the way in for practice. Being in Class D for departure proved most useful as we will see. Between my arrival on Friday afternoon and my departure on Saturday morning, the weather (not unexpectedly) deteriorated from perfect to marginal (for me) with cloud as low as 1200 feet AGL and rain showers. Watching the rainfall radar and forecast, I delayed my departure a couple of hours and took off under a recent METAR saying that the cloud was above 3000 feet and having observed a King Air take-off and not enter cloud until plenty high enough. However, I am not entirely stupid and was mentally prepared for IMC and had the plates to hand for Cranfield and Cambridge (the nearest instrument airfields to my destination, Henlow). NOTAMs showed Cranfield having no approaches on 03 but nothing notified wrong with 21.
My departure clearance from Doncaster was on track VFR not above 2000 feet. On climb-out, I found cloud at 1200 feet so quickly converted that with ATC to an IFR clearance to 4000 feet. At 4000 I was still in IMC, the forecast had suggested that it might be clear higher. At that point I left Doncaster CAS and that dropped me like a hot brick with "free-call East Midlands". Climbing, I found a gap between layers at 5000, also the correct semi-circular for my track (a radial from GAM to CIT). East Midlands gave me a traffic service and occasionally would call "traffic unknown level" but being solid IMC a lot of the time, it was academic. I continued happily until East Midlands could no longer cover me. Then I had a small difficulty, how to get a radar service for me to descend solid IMC to the CIT for the Cranfield procedure. London Information tried Farnborough who reported that they could see me on radar but unable to provide a service because I was out of area. London Information arranged for Luton (not of course a LARS unit) to cover my descent, Luton frequency was busy as ever but the controller was able to advise me on contact and just before I left the frequency that he could see nothing to affect in Cranfield's visual or instrument patterns. So, I was now over the beacon at 2500 feet and called Cranfiled. His first reaction was to ask for my booking. I soon explained the situation and was cleared for the NDB 21. I started to fly (messily) the outbound leg and asked why no ILS. Glideslope unserviceable came the reply. You can use the localiser he added. So I was able to acquire the localiser and use that with the DME to cloud break at 1200 and proceed safely to Henlow. Thinking about the accuracy of my flying in the procedure and reviewing the SkyDemon track, an instructor would not have been impressed but I never felt overwhelmed (although I did ask the Cranfield controller to standby a couple of times because of workload) nor that I was in danger.
Lessons:
1. I should have called Cranfield by telephone before departure.
2. I should have asked London Information to warn Cranfield that I was inbound.
Anyway, to answer the OP, above is a practical use of the IR(R). Without it I would either have been at Doncaster for a second night or have been marginal VMC at low level for an hour, far more dangerous than 5000 feet in cloud with a radar service. Oh, and it was a great flight, I am still very satisfied with it a week later. Hard work but not dangerous.