> Gang, the ol gang on this list know my passion for IFR training so I > won't go into my soap box preaching. However, the following is an > exercise in nessessity dictated controlled descent into IMC as a VFR
Hi Dana, Please DO stand on that soap box, because you may save someone's life. I guess in your email, you implied that the aircraft should be equiped for IFR. This reply is aimed at anybody who does not have a full panel. Anybody can ( and some will ) say I am being an old woman, but it's down to the old pilot or bold pilot argument. A sobering reminder, Ken Rand died after running out of fuel on top. I am concerned that people on this list get the idea that flying in cloud is easy, it's not! it's a killer for the inexperienced or if the aircraft is not equiped for instrument flight. Air may be smooth 1000ft above cloud, it can be very bumpy inside cloud, flying right way up without reference to an artificial horizon is just about impossible. It is generally reckoned that an average pilot will lose the plot within 90 secs of entering cloud. If he is lucky be will spin out of the bottom of the cloud, and have time to recover, in many cases the plane breaks up long before it gets out. Yesterday Larry mentioned always assume you are going flying when doing taxi exersizes, similarly always assume you will have to fly in cloud before climbing on top. Wise pilots probably don't venture on top without a reliable AH. Pete
