Caution - IFR in today's budget environment

[Bob Axsom]

I was in between a rock and a hard place yesterday after the race in Llano, TX. They were expecting severe storms with Hail in that part of Texas after the race according to the local TV weather. The forecast for my destination was 1200 ft broken ceiling and good visibility below. I filed IFR and departed with IFR reserves. As I approached the destination airport the ceiling on the ATIS was 500 ft overcast. The lowest approach with my equipment is 748 ft AGL. I advised Razorback Approach that I could not go into FVY because of the ceiling and asked for a change to Rogers ILS. I was told that Rogers and Springdale ILS were out of service and the only thing available was the ILS to runway 35 at XNA. I asked for that approach. The ATIS stated that the ceiling was 300 feet and the visibility was limited. At 300 ft AGL the approach lights came into view and it worked out but it was the last shot. The message here is not that I am a stupid incompetent airman (though probably true) but in the present government budget situation ground based navigation equipment that you may need to survive may not be available, more so than usual, when you need it most. I'm sure the GPS advocates could not care less but for others - an extra measure of caution is not a bad idea.

Bob Axsom

 

[PaigeHoffart]

Too bad the LDA/GS 34 requires DME. It seems like a perfect solution in a radar environment.

 

[Lemmingman]

Good post Bob. I was at my sons lacrosse game a few miles from Rogers airport and it was just nasty. Mist and light rain all morning and most of the afternoon, at one point I looked at a water tower just a mile or so away and the very top of the tower was obscured in the mist. Glad you made it into XNA. No doubt you got your bird home today with blue skies and visibility forever.

 

[BobTurner]

I am curious as to whether or not you asked, or the briefer offered, NOTAMs for your alternate? Or were you so unlucky that two ILS systems broke down while you were enroute?

This is an example of how you can get into trouble while still following the rules; in this case, carrying enough gas (plus 45 minutes) to reach an alternate that's only 20 miles away. Legal, yes, but if the weather has gone south at your primary then this alternate is probably not so great either. Any sort of trouble, like an equipment failure on board or on the ground, and you have limited options.

One thing you can do is to excuse yourself off frequency at five after the hour, while enroute, and call flight watch for a weather update. This might let you change destinations sooner rather than later.

Finally, if you were in real danger of running out of gas, use the "E" word, fly the LDA-GS approach, have ATC call the FAF for you. No need to worry about the missed approach point, since you will be committed to landing no matter what.

 

[Louise Hose]

Good reminder

It might be worst over the next X months but I've found that the FAA hasn't been repairing/maintaining VORs and even ILS with much diligence for the last 5 years of so. We still have a VOR down in the Houston area from Hurricane Ike in 2008. I've come to conclude that I can't conveniently using IFR without a certified GPS. Seems to be the reality of today, at least in the areas I mostly fly.

 

[Bob Axsom]

Good inputs - yes flew home today

Yes all of the things mentioned is exactly the kind of preflight and inflight work that this post is about. Many many decades ago I was in AACS in the USAF and we maintained all of the navaids, control towers, GCA, RAPCON, centers (Korea) etc. and keeping them on the air was my job. There was a lot of dedication and pride that went into that work. For whatever reason (space based preference, money, technician training focus), I don't feel warm and fuzzy about the situation out there today with respect to the ground based navaid support. The extra margin however you can get it is a good idea.

I drove my rental car up to XNA today and flew the Blue Bird to Drake in BEAUTIFUL weather - so good that it seems incomprehensible that just hours before it could have been so bad.

Bob Axsom

 

[Eddie P]

I've found over the years that I never leave for a destination that is forecast marginal VFR or IFR unless I have not only an alternate but another "what if" option that I've checked out for fuel burn from a missed approach as well as NOTAMS and weather forecasts, etc.

At some point you say "enough" on the contingencies and two alternates is enough (unless the whole area is down, when I can't get two alternates I delay or cancel until I can see the trend). I also keep track of the weather en route and keep my options open as already said above. I first started doing this as a commuter pilot in the Northeastern US (lots of ice, fog and thunderstorms) and that was twenty years ago when we didn't have GPS so an outage that could be operationally significant could happen just with snow and ice. Back in the commuter days... In addition to countless missed approaches at minimums due to visibility I've also had a few unexpected missed approaches when the weather was not that low due to equipment outages. Once I had to go around at 800 feet when the ILS dropped off line in upstate New York due to heavy snow on the antenna array apparently. My alternate was marginal but my back pocket alternate was still good so I shot over there for fuel. Both the main airport and the original alternate were closed for the rest of the day due to heavy weather and outages. (turned out the alternate went down when I would have been enroute to it, so I'm glad I had the back pocket option) Burped up a few canary feathers and grinned wide that day.

I've also flown emergency air ambulance, corporate, general aviation and global airline and I always approach IFR flying in the same way. PPPPPP or P6 (prior planning prevents P1$$ poor performance). Before descent into the destination I always have a "bottom line" bingo fuel for divert and I know where and when it will happen if it gets close. Also don't be afraid to tell ATC "minimum fuel" if you are getting close, it's your only way to communicate your dynamic fuel situation before having to go to an alternate and it may make a difference in greasing the wheels of your alternate plans if they have to be used. This is NOT an emergency, it just means that any undue ATC delay will create a fuel problem in the arrival. If you are really low on fuel, then call "Emergency Fuel" and that gets the paperwork started but it may save your life at least. I've called "min fuel" a few times over the years with my alternate airport for planning purposes (yes I've flown in a LOT of bad weather). Once it led to a normal landing with no issues after the normal arrival process and the other time it led to a prepared ATC guy when I told him I was changing my destination to XYZ airport. He had the clearance ready immediately and I was on my way and landed with IFR reserves at the alternate.

I realize 99 percent of RV guys are not planning to fly hard weather IFR but getting into the clouds will often mean we are entering into a dynamic weather scenario. By definition, that means things happen and change quickly. So as they say: in for a penny, in for a pound in IFR flying. Best to have the P6 boxes checked before jumping in.

 

[Gash]

Good post EddieP