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IFR just 5.4% of the time
As I sit on the ground, on a day off, not flying due to (yet more)
ice, I thought I'd share these interesting results with the group... Pilots are always surprised when I tell them that Mary and I have traveled the country extensively by light plane for 12 years, all VFR. While it's true that we have to be flexible, my experience has been that it is rare, indeed, that we must cancel a flight due to IFR conditions that we would have flown in our Pathfinder (a Piper Cherokee 235), even with the rating. Many people have questioned the validity of our experience, wondering if we scud-run everywhere, or are simply not telling the truth. Well, in a strange twist of fate, a friend of mine recently completed a study of ASOS observations from 2002 - 2004 here in Iowa City. His primary goal was to determine prevailing wind direction while IFR conditions existed, but he inadvertently turned up some interesting data that supports my informal observations. During that two year period, he looked at ~33,000 recorded hourly observations at KIOW. Just 1765 of those observations were IFR, or 5.4%. Now, of course, there were an unknown number of marginal VFR conditions in the data set, but these results pretty well confirm my (non-scientific) observation that showed us canceling just a handful of flights each year due to weather, and a truly tiny set that were canceled due to "soft IFR" conditions that we would feel safe flying Atlas in. Most of our IFR weather in Iowa City is due to icing, fog, or thunderstorms, meaning that we're not about to challenge Mother Nature in a Piper Spam Can anyway. What does this mean? A few conclusions: 1. VFR conditions prevail roughly 95% of the time, even here in the rough-and-tumble Midwest. 2. VFR cross country flying can be safely done, with the right attitude, even in marginal equipment like most of us fly. 3. Obtaining the instrument rating is an excellent exercise, and makes you a much more precise (and thus proficient) pilot, but unless you're moving up to heavier metal, it won't help you much. 4. This explains why just half of all pilots have pursued the instrument rating, and why a very small percentage of instrument rated pilots are current or proficient. There simply isn't much need for it, unless you're flying on a schedule, in rated equipment. My purpose in sharing this is not to belittle those who have obtained the instrument rating. On the contrary, I am a much better pilot thanks to the instrument training I have obtained, and intend to finish up the rating when we have finished the hotel remodeling. However, I no long harbor the notion that an IR is going to help us fly more, or longer, or more regularly -- at least not until we can afford something like a Pilatus. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#2
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IFR just 5.4% of the time
-- at least not until we can
afford something like a Pilatus. Let me know when you're ready for a PC-12. We'll partner with ya Jim |
#3
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IFR just 5.4% of the time
Let me know when you're ready for a PC-12. We'll partner with ya
Jim The cool thing is, a PC-12 is so fast that a multi-state partnership would actually WORK! :-) -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#4
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IFR just 5.4% of the time
And haul BOTH our families!
Jim "Jay Honeck" wrote in message s.com... Let me know when you're ready for a PC-12. We'll partner with ya Jim The cool thing is, a PC-12 is so fast that a multi-state partnership would actually WORK! :-) -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#5
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IFR just 5.4% of the time
I heard that the corn oil STC is about to be approved on the PC-12. Corn oil is about $1/gallon cheaper than Jet-A in Iowa, right? :-)) On Feb 28, 9:27 am, "Jay Honeck" wrote: The cool thing is, a PC-12 is so fast that a multi-state partnership would actually WORK! |
#6
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IFR just 5.4% of the time
On 2/28/2007 12:08:47 PM, "Jay Honeck" wrote:
Most of our IFR weather in Iowa City is due to icing, fog, or thunderstorms, meaning that we're not about to challenge Mother Nature in a Piper Spam Can anyway. Is this your informal observation or that of a weather researcher? -- Peter |
#7
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IFR just 5.4% of the time
Most of our IFR weather in Iowa City is due to icing, fog,
or thunderstorms, meaning that we're not about to challenge Mother Nature in a Piper Spam Can anyway. Is this your informal observation or that of a weather researcher? Well, I took a few meteorology classes in college... ;-) No, that's my informal observations, after living here for 9+ years and spending waaay too much time at the airport... :-) -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#8
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IFR just 5.4% of the time
On Feb 28, 11:08 am, "Jay Honeck" wrote:
As I sit on the ground, on a day off, not flying due to (yet more) ice, I thought I'd share these interesting results with the group... Pilots are always surprised when I tell them that Mary and I have traveled the country extensively by light plane for 12 years, all VFR. While it's true that we have to be flexible, my experience has been that it is rare, indeed, that we must cancel a flight due to IFR conditions that we would have flown in our Pathfinder (a Piper Cherokee 235), even with the rating. As another VFR pilot I am not surprised. -- Gene Seibel Tales of Flight - http://pad39a.com/gene/tales.html Because I fly, I envy no one. |
#9
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IFR just 5.4% of the time
As another VFR pilot I am not surprised.
I know you're not, Gene -- but you're the exception. You've flown more cross-country VFR flights than any active pilot I know. One thing I think the IR *does* give many pilots is the confidence boost they needed to launch on a truly cross-country flight. The fact that their enhanced weather-handling ability is largely illusory (again, unless they're flying a Pilatus) is irrelevant -- the rating gives them the extra confidence necessary to launch themselves into the unknown. "Oz didn't give nuthin' to the Tin Man, that he didn't already have..." My observation is that most pilots rarely leave their home state. Many local pilots rarely leave a five-county area. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#10
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IFR just 5.4% of the time
In article om,
"Jay Honeck" wrote: As another VFR pilot I am not surprised. I know you're not, Gene -- but you're the exception. You've flown more cross-country VFR flights than any active pilot I know. One thing I think the IR *does* give many pilots is the confidence boost they needed to launch on a truly cross-country flight. A current instrument rated pilot also has more safety margin when flying in less than CAVU. When I'm current (in a practical way, not just FAA recent experience), I have more options than you do (if we ignore the fact that Atlas can fly a bit higher and faster than my cherokee). The fact that their enhanced weather-handling ability is largely illusory (again, unless they're flying a Pilatus) is irrelevant -- say what? You think me and my cherokee can't handle IMC? IMC isn't just ice and thunderstorms. I guess the northeast gets more IMC days than Iowa. -- Bob Noel Looking for a sig the lawyers will hate |
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