Personal WX limits

[stultus]

Just curious, especially from low time non-instrument rated pilots (or those who once were ) What you guys set as your personal limits.

[Alchemy]

2000 ft ceilings and vis 5 mi or greater, at night 3500 ft ceilings and 7 mi vis. If it was a local flight in an area I was familiar with, I might fudge those down slightly.

[flyguy]

I'm a 40 hour student pilot about 2/3 through my PPL. My instructor has me endoursed for 3000 ft ceilings, 9 miles visibility, and 7 kt crosswind component. However, I feel most comfortable in 4000 ft, 10 miles, and 5 kts.

[Snow]

my limits are what flightsafety sets me, 5sm and 15kts max crosswind but the rest are as per the FAA.

[raysalmon]

I usually set my students at 2000ft ceilings (local, and 3000ft for x-countries since we're in mountainous terrain), 7sm and 7kts crosswind. I've found they normally carry that over into their first few hours of Private flying.

Ray

[MikeD]

I don't get a choice.

[Soonermurph]

Wow. If we had low cross wind limits in Oklahoma I never would have received my private pilot's license.

[sbe]

my PPASEL training limits were 3000' & 5, 20kt with 7kt max crosswind.

As a now instrument-rated pilot, I don't have set personal limits as far as a firm ceiling, visibility, or wind. I take all factors into consideration as they are presented on that particular day before making a go/no-go decision. The aircraft I'm flying (and its avionics), the airport I'm flying from as well as to - these are factors also. Someone once told me getting your IR makes the go/no-go decision much more complicated, and they were right.

Sarah

[RiddlePilot]

For VFR, my limits are actually fairly low. I'm from Socal, so often you only have a choice between "crap" and "semi-crap." I've departed VFR in that area as low as 1200/4, however, I am NOT suggesting that most people do this unless they are extremely familiar with the area and weather patterns.

As with sbe, I don't have a set standard for IFR...too many factors go into each individual flight.

[I_Money]

I used to go by what the flight school set for student pilots, and then as my experience grew I would make up my decision based on the flight - was I familar, how far was it, is the weather going to improve, etc?

[EatSleepFly]

[ QUOTE ]
I've departed VFR in that area as low as 1200/4, however, I am NOT suggesting that most people do this unless they are extremely familiar with the area and weather patterns.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not to mention regs. I don't know what airspace and congestion is like around there, but thats pushing it a little, don't you think?

[flyboy04]

Most of my actual time came from my long cross country in instrument, got 4.5 actual in a C172. Coming back the ceiling was at 800ft. Like some others have posted i never got a whole lot of choice either.

[RiddlePilot]

[ QUOTE ]
Not to mention regs. I don't know what airspace and congestion is like around there, but thats pushing it a little, don't you think?

[/ QUOTE ]

The ONLY time I've ever done this is during a time the marine layer is dissapating in late morning/early afternoon, and only for local flights. The area directly to the east of the airport (right on the coast) has to be clear, which it generally is.

I wouldn't go around doing this if I was blatantly breaking FARs. This is not scud-running, and I do maintain proper VFR mins.

[EatSleepFly]

Yeah, like I said...I'm not familiar with the area. I should probably just keep my mouth shut.

[RiddlePilot]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, like I said...I'm not familiar with the area. I should probably just keep my mouth shut.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nah, it's cool. I posted that fully expecting some flak, friendly or otherwise.

[E_Dawg]

Yeah a lot of the times around here you'll barely get out VFR only to have the field go 6 in haze and clear within a half hour - typically happens in the morning when the coastal stratus and fog are burning off.

[E_Dawg]

stultus,

I'd say it's pretty important to compare forecast weather with what is actually happening and with what has happened.

5sm / 5000' ovc can be great weather or horrible weather depending on the terrain, distance, location, etc of the flight so there is no way to set your own concrete minimums IMHO - especially since it's so important to check what the weather is forecast to do vs what it has been doing.

For socal, I personally check the temp / dewpoint spread pretty closely when the flight is at night or in the evening. Sometimes it'll be forecast to be clear but dense fog will develop anyways. When you see those halos around the airport lights at night and a lot of moisture on the windshield you know it's going to be foggy when you get back regardless of what the weather guy says. Also, it's hit or miss as to when the marine layer is 'supposed to' form / dissipate so it's important to again check the temp / dew spreads and winds.

[A300Capt]

600 RVR.

[MikeD]

[ QUOTE ]
Like some others have posted i never got a whole lot of choice either.

[/ QUOTE ]

By no choice, I mean that over here, when you're needed somewhere and you get the alert klaxon going off, you launch, pretty much regardless of departure WX and regardless of if you have a workable alternate. In the target area, you know the terrain, so if it's undercast, you simply descend through until you can get to some semblance of "below" in order to work the area visually, hopefully with a mile or more horizontal viz.

GA, on the other hand, usually has a choice regarding WX. Prior planning and visual observation minimize the times that someone will get caught in the WX. And few flights are "must go".

[SteveC]

[ QUOTE ]
In the target area, you know the terrain, so if it's undercast, you simply descend through until you can get to some semblance of "below" in order to work the area visually, hopefully with a mile or more horizontal viz.

[/ QUOTE ]
What's the topography in *your* area?

Do you have any computerized terrain avoidance gear in the A-10 or is it all charts, personal knowledge, and situational awareness?

[MikeD]

[ QUOTE ]
[What's the topography in *your* area?

Do you have any computerized terrain avoidance gear in the A-10 or is it all charts, personal knowledge, and situational awareness?

[/ QUOTE ]

Topo depends on where we operate: South/central is mainly flat, but as you get to the north/northeast, mountainous. With no specialized gear, it's 1:50 and 1:100 maps, SA, and knowlege. Can really be a pain in the a$$. One night, was providing illum with parachute flares under a solid overcast with zero illum under. Couldn't hang around under the overcast because an AC-130 had to take that space. So to drop the flares, a descent had to be made through the overcast, pop out below, drop the illums, then climb back through, all while remaining within a 3-4 mile radius of the target. This necessitated a 30-40 degree dive through IMC, ending up underneath in rain. Each time I dropped through, it was painful, since the previous flares were still illuming the clouds, which washed out the HUD and was spatial D inducing, causing me to end up below at @35 degrees nose down and anywhere from 30-70 degrees of bank with about 10 seconds to recover to straight/level, find the target in the combo dark/illum/rain below, make the drop, avoid Spooky orbiting in the same area, and pop up back through. Not fun at all. But that's the way around here...VFR in IMC everywhere, as needed, no real IFR rules around here.

[SteveC]

<shudder>

[EatSleepFly]

[ QUOTE ]
<shudder>

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, no crap. I was feeling a little S.D. coming on just reading that!

Keep up the good work over there, MikeD!

[MikeD]

That was 7 passes of doing the same thing that night. WX is pretty fluid here during this time of year, so you make do with whatever you need to get the job done. Takeoff non-radar into IMC and press to your area, descend into VMC on your own to effect the mission; no ATC, no AWACS. Things you wouldn't consider ever doing in the states, things the FAA would screw themselves into the ceiling over.

Suppose it keeps the skills sharp, I just got to remember there's rules to follow when I get back.

[SteveC]

I presume that primary nav is GPS(?). Any kind of moving map display? Or do you have to use raw data and correspond to your 1:50's and 1:100's? Or does the GPS readout in data that relates directly to your charts (sectors or zones or something)?

(I'm presuming that what you guys are using in the Hawg wouldn't be classified anymore...)

Maybe we should talk to Garmin about some nice color handheld GPS's with Iraq topo maps loaded in 'em.