Aero-Tips!
A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard
this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer
statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of
"there are no old, bold pilots.") It's part of what makes aviation
so exciting for all of us... just when you think you've seen it
all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.
Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner,
master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators, and as
representatives of the flying community. Some of them, you may have
heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we
might never have considered before, or something that didn't
"stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for
the practical test.
It is our unabashed goal that "Aero-Tips" will help our readers
become better, safer pilots -- as well as introducing our
ground-bound readers to the concepts and principles that keep those
strange aluminum-and-composite contraptions in the air... and allow
them to soar magnificently through it.
Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you
through the Aero-News Network. Suggestions for future Aero-Tips are
always welcome, as are additions or discussion of each day's tips.
Remember... when it comes to being good pilots, we're all in this
together.
Aero-Tips 01.13.06
Skies are cloudy but the bases are high and visibility
good. You call Flight Service for a preflight weather
briefing and, during the specialist’s presentation, he
interjects that “VFR flight is not recommended.”
Can you still file a VFR flight plan? Does this put a stop to
your trip?
Who’s the boss?
When a pilot proposes VFR flight and clouds or visibility
observed or in the forecast make completion of the flight doubtful
(in the briefer’s opinion) then he/she is required to tell
the pilot that “VFR Flight is not Recommended.” The
briefer will describe the conditions leading to this conclusion,
their location and extent, and whether the hazard is surface-based
or aloft. This statement is purely advisory and does not prohibit
VFR flight or filing a VFR flight plan. It’s up to the
pilot-in-command to decide whether to attempt the flight.
Real-life experience: I lived in the Tennessee
River valley between the Smoky Mountains and the Cumberland
Plateau. Often I’d hear “VFR Flight Not
Recommended” when briefing for a flight within the valley,
because the mountains to either side were obscured near their tops
3000 feet above my planned cruising altitude.
If you hear “VFR Flight Not Recommended” during your
weather brief, then, that should trigger not resignation and
cancellation, but more questions about why and where conditions
call for this recommendation. Don’t forget that forecasts can
trigger the warning also, so find out if conditions are expected to
get worse. Ultimately it’s your decision…so long as
you’d be able to justify it to a review board or a jury!
Aero-Tip of the day: Respect the
briefer’s words that VFR flight is not recommended, but
don’t let that phrase alone decide whether or not
you’ll fly. Ask targeted questions before making your
go/no-go decision.