Outside reference in IMC

On May 21, 12:11*am, romeomike wrote:
wrote:

Could it have been a situation where you got authorization for
VFR-on-top to do some air work?

Of course in that case you would not have been just 50 feet above the
cloud layer

because you would have had to comply with VFR cloud clearances.

No, I wished at that time because I was whipped after that lesson! As
you suspected, it was airwork, but it was a local IFR clearance. This
was my second time in IMC, and before doing actual approaches in IMC
for the first time, he had me do some basic airwork in the practice
area. We had ask for a block altitude from 2000 to 4000 feet and he
had me do climbing turns and such. We topped out at about 2500 feet
or so, so he made me dip back down to 2000.

Needless to say, only one minute climbing turns. :-)

I love that trick he showed me about picking up local IFR clearances.
I call CD at my airport, and ask for local IFR clearance to do my IFR
currency. I don't file any flight plans to touch a cloud and no fuss
no muss. It always helps to have really good controllers willing to
work with me that we do have at KJAN as well, so the system really
does work.