Shelter Cove, CA PIREP

I was a freshly minted IFR pilot when I flew in there under beautiful
VFR. When we were leaving, we could see very clearly that on downwind
and away from the cliffs, but not right over the airport, was a very
thin stratus around 500 feet and only maybe 200 feet thick. Since it
was still Class G, I took off and climbed through it in a matter of
maybe 20 seconds. I wouldn't plan on this scenario though. I'm sure
the fog could extend into Class E.

Gerald

G. Sylvester wrote:
I was a freshly minted IFR pilot when I flew in there under beautiful
VFR. When we were leaving, we could see very clearly that on downwind
and away from the cliffs, but not right over the airport, was a very
thin stratus around 500 feet and only maybe 200 feet thick. Since it
was still Class G, I took off and climbed through it in a matter of
maybe 20 seconds. I wouldn't plan on this scenario though. I'm sure
the fog could extend into Class E.

Gerald


That might sound beyond insane for those not familiar with the area.
The airport has VERY little traffic (we saw one airplane t/o in 4 hours)
and it has no IAP so there is very very unlikely any traffic coming in.
With the very thin stratus and communicating on CTAF, the chance of
anyone out there is absolutely nil. If the conditions were just so, no
chance I was talking off without an IFR clearance.

Gerald

On Mar 22, 11:24 pm, "G. Sylvester"
wrote:
G. Sylvester wrote:
I was a freshly minted IFR pilot when I flew in there under beautiful
VFR. When we were leaving, we could see very clearly that on downwind
and away from the cliffs, but not right over the airport, was a very
thin stratus around 500 feet and only maybe 200 feet thick. Since it
was still Class G, I took off and climbed through it in a matter of
maybe 20 seconds. I wouldn't plan on this scenario though. I'm sure
the fog could extend into Class E.

Gerald

That might sound beyond insane for those not familiar with the area.
The airport has VERY little traffic (we saw one airplane t/o in 4 hours)
and it has no IAP so there is very very unlikely any traffic coming in.
With the very thin stratus and communicating on CTAF, the chance of
anyone out there is absolutely nil. If the conditions were just so, no
chance I was talking off without an IFR clearance.

Gerald

I've been known to make my own IFR arrivals into airports such as
this. You know that over the ocean you aren't going to hit anything so
you start an IFR decent, if you don't see anything at your safe
altitude (1000 feet, 500 feet, whatever) you just go missed over the
ocean. In fact, all my IFR arrivals in Mexico are that way, go out
over the ocean, and start down.

-Robert

On Mar 23, 10:52 am, "Robert M. Gary" wrote:


I've been known to make my own IFR arrivals into airports such as
this. You know that over the ocean you aren't going to hit anything so
you start an IFR decent, if you don't see anything at your safe
altitude (1000 feet, 500 feet, whatever) you just go missed over the
ocean. In fact, all my IFR arrivals in Mexico are that way, go out
over the ocean, and start down.

-Robert

I don't know anything about Mexican regulations, but doing this at
Shelter Cove (or anywhere in the US) would be a violation of FAR
91.175(a).

On Mar 23, 11:49 am, "ZikZak" wrote:
On Mar 23, 10:52 am, "Robert M. Gary" wrote:



I've been known to make my own IFR arrivals into airports such as
this. You know that over the ocean you aren't going to hit anything so
you start an IFR decent, if you don't see anything at your safe
altitude (1000 feet, 500 feet, whatever) you just go missed over the
ocean. In fact, all my IFR arrivals in Mexico are that way, go out
over the ocean, and start down.

-Robert

I don't know anything about Mexican regulations, but doing this at
Shelter Cove (or anywhere in the US) would be a violation of FAR
91.175(a).

No its not because you aren't IFR when you land (unless you are crazy
enough to try to land w/o breaking out in the clear below).

-Robert, CFII

On Mar 23, 12:57 pm, "Robert M. Gary" wrote:
On Mar 23, 11:49 am, "ZikZak" wrote:
I don't know anything about Mexican regulations, but doing this at
Shelter Cove (or anywhere in the US) would be a violation of FAR
91.175(a).

No its not because you aren't IFR when you land (unless you are crazy
enough to try to land w/o breaking out in the clear below).

-Robert, CFII

I believe you'll find that 91.175 refers to "instrument let-down to an
airport," not "landing under IFR."

On Mar 23, 2:00 pm, "ZikZak" wrote:
On Mar 23, 12:57 pm, "Robert M. Gary" wrote:

On Mar 23, 11:49 am, "ZikZak" wrote:
I don't know anything about Mexican regulations, but doing this at
Shelter Cove (or anywhere in the US) would be a violation of FAR
91.175(a).

No its not because you aren't IFR when you land (unless you are crazy
enough to try to land w/o breaking out in the clear below).

-Robert, CFII

I believe you'll find that 91.175 refers to "instrument let-down to an
airport," not "landing under IFR."

That's just talking about decending below minimum cruise altitude
(1000 feet in this case). You can always decend into VFR (1 mile clear
of clouds) at cruise mins and then land VFR.

-Robert