On 1 Aug 2006 17:55:55 -0700, "Napoleon Dynamite"
wrote:

Hello Folks



I live and fly in North Carolina. I am a 150-hour
private pilot about to take my instrument checkride.I need some help
overcoming my apprehension regarding IMC.
90 percent of my actual IMC has been after work,in the
hot summer months, in the dark dodging thunderstorm cells on x-country
flights.The approach controllers can't see the weather, just yesterday
they told us we were in a thunder cell while were were in VMC, 3 miles,
haze. Another time, while getting bounced near a towering cumulus
illuminated by lightning, an approach controller responded to our
request for cloud top info with a " ah..we're closed, contact Seymour
Johnson approach on their frequency."
I think this is insane, but how can one build actual
IMC experience without getting killed? Am I toying with my life in a
172 with no onboard weather equipment? Am I going to get more
confident? How many hours of actual IMC did YOU require before you
could relax and think clearly in the soup?Any thoughts appreciated.

Have you discussed these fears with your instructor? After all, he's been
the PIC for these flights so has the responsibility to keep you "out of the
weeds". He should also be familiar with your local weather variations.

What has he said about clearance from cells? How close did he think you
were to that "towering cumulus"? Was the lightening from within the cloud
or from a cell miles away? I've seen a line of cells, at night, that I
though were fairly close. ATC radar showed them to be 75+ miles away.


Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)