Have you flown "on top"?

[B4RT]

I'm just curious how many of you have flown on top? Either way, why or why
not?

I have. but didn't like doing it. It was to avoid flying too low among the
blue ridge mountains when there were low layers hanging in the valleys. (I
had a Garmin 396 with XMWx so from the sat/radar view I knew what to expect
ahead).

I'm not sure why it bugs me so much, I'm dual rated and in a plane I feel
totally fine on top, but it bothered the snot out of me to do it in the
helicopter.

Bart

[Ol Shy & Bashful]

B4RT
I've done it quite a bit over the years and most recently (helicopter)
on the ferry last year with the B206L3 coming down from the canada
border to Baton Rouge. Lots of cloud cover from Minnesota south on the
trip. I was up at 7-8000 over the Ozarks and surrounding area I suspect
to give me more time to consider options if I found myself in an
emergency situation. Most of the time in FW was probably IFR filed even
though VFR on top. Even then I constantly considered my emergency
options as I moved along the course.
Perhaps I've gotten more fatalistic as I age and rely on the quality of
the equipment when I am flying over hostile terrain, or at night over
mountainous areas, or way out over water with no flotation gear, etc.
Even so, I do a lot of "what ifs" in my pre-flight planning before I
elect to light the fire or scrub the flight till later. Funny that
10,000 hours ago it took less for me to scrub a flight than it does
now. Yet, even then I considered myself to be a safe prudent pilot. I
can't help but think my 3 month old son may have some bearing on it
now?!
Cheers
Rocky
B4RT wrote:
> I'm just curious how many of you have flown on top? Either way, why or why
> not?
>
> I have. but didn't like doing it. It was to avoid flying too low among the
> blue ridge mountains when there were low layers hanging in the valleys. (I
> had a Garmin 396 with XMWx so from the sat/radar view I knew what to expect
> ahead).
>
> I'm not sure why it bugs me so much, I'm dual rated and in a plane I feel
> totally fine on top, but it bothered the snot out of me to do it in the
> helicopter.
>
> Bart

[Steve L.[_1_]]

>I'm just curious how many of you have flown on top? Either way, why or why
>not?

I did it once in a plane, but that scared me quite a bit, especially
when you saw - on hilly terrain - some antenna-tops or windmill blades
cutting through (they did spin, cool!).

I don't like it at all. But it is a bit like flying at night. Good
landings are quite impossible. Just hope - one can't avoid it if its a
job.

<wisecracking mode>
You surely meant "over the top" (talking about VFR). "On top" is IFR.
This was surprising for me when I did my IFR.
Everybody talkes about "on top" but always means "over the top". The
latter I had never heard before learning IFR.
</wisecracking mode>