This is a excellent article…. for me and my flying. A good reminder not to get ‘sucked in’, especially when there is no urgent need to land at that airport and several VMC alternates within range.
There’s one thing I don’t quite get in the decision making process of this pilot – this was not his home base, but a pleasure fly-out. If he saw fog forming at the airport, how did he expect to get out later on?
Fog can form extremely quickly and can easily catch you out. I’ve had a few close encounters of the white and fluffy kind over the years…..
That reminds me of one flight while learning to fly several decades ago at Inverness.
Haar (sea fog) had enveloped one half of the mile long runway, the tower were in it and blind and were concerned for us as we continued to fly circuits on the open half. It didn’t feel risky, was rather fun, but maybe I just didn’t know enough. I do know that my instructor was keeping a good watch on how the haar was developing in case we had to get back on the ground quickly.
Very real life. Weather problems are often more ambiguous when you’re flying than the stark way they are presented when trying to make the point that you should avoid IMC when VFR, which is something anyone of any sense gets.
Chuck, your instructor had an alternate at Knockbain Farm, 600+ feet up, and about 10 minutes away.
Just sat right seat in a friend’s Turbo Commander that did 2 missed approaches. We were going in to Corvallis, OR to pick to pick up his son. Started with the ILS, which is the one I filmed, then tried the LPV from the other end (no wind), no luck, then finally the ILS again got us in. By then most of the fog had lifted. Like the pilot flying was saying: “it’s so tempting to go lower, you can see the ground right there through the side windows, but that’s what kills people”
You always have to consider the fact that you might have to go-around. To assume you won’t is bad airmanship.
Do you want to end up in extremely low-level IMC ? Aside from the legal aspects…
