A couple of IFR firsts (long)

I had a trip planned to Hayward (in the SF Bay area) to get an eddy
current inspection done on our prop hub (another story...another chance
to dump some AMUs into the plane should we opt for a new hub).

I'd planned to file IFR no matter what the weather conditions turned out
to be since I'd never done so in that end of the SF bay. Being just
under the SFO bravo airspace, things can get pretty busy so I thought
I'd do it IFR this time. As it turned out, the weather conditions
required filing IFR but the forecasts were decent in terms of freezing
levels and generally nasty weather conditions.

The trip down was more IMC than VMC. Some in/out of the clouds but
mostly just brief glimpses of the ground, no horizon though. When I
pickup the weather at Hayward, they're calling it 1700 overcast and 2
mile visibility in mist. Approx. 25 miles from Hayward we pop out of
the clouds and start getting vectored all over the place as they fit our
spam can into the arrival flow (which includes Oakland, spitting
distance to the North of Hayward). We do a bizarre sequence of 180 and
90 degree turns for 20 minutes in and out of the white puffies before
getting vectored to the final approach course and a descent. Back in
the goo, it's getting bumpier and this approach turns out to be one of
the more challenging ones I've done. It's a localizer approach with a
440 ft MDA and 1 mile vis. I get the approach clearance somewhere
around 9-10 miles out and it's bumpy enough that keeping the localizer
centered and a 500 fpm descent rate is pretty tough. The missed
approach point is .9 DME from the localizer and as I watch the DME count
down, we're still in a big white cotton ball (ok, where did they hide
the airport?). I start thinking seriously about executing the missed
approach as we hit 1.5 miles and we're at approx. 1200 ft (a bit higher
than I should have been). The As the DME clicks down to 1.1 with
absolutely no hint of ground/airport/etc. (anything but cloud) in sight,
it's everything on the throttle quadrant full forward, positive rate
of climb, gear up, flaps up, "Hayward tower, zero four tango going
missed"...followed by "Arrow zero four tango, turn left heading two four
zero, climb and maintain 2000". At this point, I'm thinking all I want
to do is get into VMC conditions and sort things out. I get handed back
to Norcal approach and hear the expected "Arrow zero four tango, say
intentions" after I check in with them. I ask for a minute to sort
things out and they comply with a vector out over the SF bay (not that I
could have seen anything that resembled water below us). By this time,
I'm ready to go land somewhere, eat, and reschedule the prop shop
appointment...so...I request vectors to our alternate, Livermore (which
we managed to see through some holes in the clouds as we were being
vectored all over the place prior to the approach).

As we're headed to Livermore, the controller informs another guy trying
to get to Hayward that the conditions are now 200 ft. overcast. Gee, no
wonder we couldn't see anything...the weather had gone in the toilet in
the 30-40 minute time frame from the ATIS observation to when we were on
the approach. Not uncommon this time of year in that part of the bay.
Still, a good reminder of how quickly things can (and do) change.

The trip back home from Livermore was much less eventful. Maybe 0.1 IMC
on the departure but it was great being able to file/fly IFR as the
visibility was less than wonderful. Back home, the AWOS was calling it
7 miles but it was maybe 4 from 3000 ft.

Firsts, since getting my instrument rating:
- The most IMC time I've logged in one day (3.3 hours of flying, 1.6 IMC)
- First missed approach because I couldn't see the airport (and wasn't
under the hood!)
- First time I've flown two instrument approaches in actual conditions
in a day
- First time I've ever been given a speed restriction. I was #2 for the
approach at Livermore...and must have been behind a C-150 or something.

While the first approach was probably the most challenging one I've
flown post instrument ticket, it also reinforced to me that I had
learned from a good CFII. Looking back on it now, it seemed that, in
the moment, things were happening more from reaction based on training
than thinking "Ok, what should I do?". Quite an amazing thing to look
back on and one that I didn't realize until talking to a non-pilot
friend about the experience and answering his questions.

And, as usual, this turned out to be a great learning experience.
Now...if only the weather cooperates next week so we can try take-2 on
visiting the prop shop.

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-Instrument Airplane

"To become a Jedi knight, you must master a single force. To become
a private pilot you must strive to master four of them"
- Rod Machado

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

("Jack Allison" wrote)
I had a trip planned to Hayward (in the SF Bay area) to get an eddy current
inspection done on our prop hub (another story...another chance to dump
some AMUs into the plane should we opt for a new hub).


And what can Santa bring you this year?

"More partners!"


Montblack
(nice write up)

"Jack Allison" wrote in message
. ..
I had a trip planned to Hayward (in the SF Bay area) to get an eddy current
inspection done on our prop hub (another story...another chance to dump
some AMUs into the plane should we opt for a new hub).

Snip Writeup

Nice job Jack...

Sounds like you took advantage of all the resources that were available to
you, including ATC.

Jay B

Jack Allison wrote:
I had a trip planned to Hayward (in the SF Bay area) to get an eddy
current inspection done on our prop hub (another story...another chance
to dump some AMUs into the plane should we opt for a new hub).

Tell me about the hub/prop situation. Is it a Hartzell?

Great decision making under pressure!! You can be proud of that one. Too
many people go back and try the same approach a second time only to find
worse conditions. Some of those people do not survive.
Good job!
Jim

I would add one suggestion...
Think about your alternate 50 miles out.
I make my plan for an alternate at that time so there is no "what do we
do now" decision to make during a missed.
This enables you mentally configure to navigate to the alternate before
you begin the approach and have all the charts and approaches for the
alternate ready and waiting before you need them. If the alternate is in
the local area, you can check their weater at this time, also.
I then do a final check of the ATIS for my primary destination by the
time I am 25-30 miles out.


Jim Burns wrote:

Great decision making under pressure!! You can be proud of that one. Too
many people go back and try the same approach a second time only to find
worse conditions. Some of those people do not survive.
Good job!
Jim

Montblack wrote:
And what can Santa bring you this year?

"More partners!"

Nah...operating costs are reasonable and availability is *great* given
our setup. A new prop hub would be nice though :-)


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-Instrument Airplane

"To become a Jedi knight, you must master a single force. To become
a private pilot you must strive to master four of them"
- Rod Machado

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

kontiki wrote:

Tell me about the hub/prop situation. Is it a Hartzell?

Yep, Hartzell props, AD 2006-18-15. Requires an initial eddy current
inspection within 50 hours time in service then every 100 hours
thereafter. Cost for the inspection where I'm having it done is $300.
Figure another $100 for fuel and engine time and we're up to $400 every
100 hours. At the rate we fly (approx 300 hrs/yr), a replacement hub
(available at a discount, IIRC, just south of 2 AMUs) is the likely
option for permanent compliance.

If you're concerned about it, you need to verify your prop serial number
against the AD. If your hub serial number matches the format of the AD
and is a "non-suffix" hub (as in no -A or -B) at the end of the hub
serial number, guess what, you're affected.

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-Instrument Airplane

"To become a Jedi knight, you must master a single force. To become
a private pilot you must strive to master four of them"
- Rod Machado

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

I've always thought going missed is the hardest IFR manuever.
Everything in you is saying "make it" but you have to call it off, full
power and climb.

Yeah, good point...especially if the weather at your destination is on
the edge of minimums and/or likely to change quickly.

I firmly believe in always filing an alternate. For this trip, mine was
Livermore (which we flew over on the way there). Had the plates already
out and had read through them the night before the trip. My alternate
this time is located where weather tends to be better than in the bay
area and it was fairly close. Still, thinking "What do I need to do to
get to the alternate if I need to "while still headed to your primary
destination is a much better way to do it than "Rats, I went missed,
where is that approach plate for the alternate?...How do I get
there?...Where is the terrain?"

I could have just bailed and gone back home as we had plenty of fuel.
However, the need to eat soon as well as just get on the ground and
decompress was pretty much the deciding factor in heading to the alternate.

Another thing that factored into not trying a second approach was that
we'd likely be a tad late for the appointment which might have pushed me
into some night IMC conditions on the way home. At this point in my
relatively young flying career, I'd rather not do night IMC without a
CFII in the right seat.


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-Instrument Airplane

"To become a Jedi knight, you must master a single force. To become
a private pilot you must strive to master four of them"
- Rod Machado

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)