Trust those Instruments.... Trust those Instruments.....

Suffice it to say, the subject line says it all.

Had to get the oil changed in my plane today, and I got a "bonus" of 300
foot ceilings and a full day off of work, so I'd figure I'd knock out a few
approaches in actual conditions and getting the engine nice and hot before
the oil change. Looking in my logbook, last time I did approaches was back
in 3/18 with ceilings of 1300.

Since then, I have had 2.4 hours of actual, but only in level fight. I had
not done any approaches since 3/18. I *thought* I was ready for today with
the recent IMC I have had in level flight. Suffice it to say, I can fully
understand why not doing approaches on a REGULAR basis is detrimental to
IFR flying skills.

Because I was depending on the weather to improve, I had my tanks topped
off so that I could orbit 5 hours if need be, as I was departing below
landing minimums at KMBO (Madison MS), which was a first for me.

Ceilings reported were 300 feet at KMBO, at KJAN (Jackson MS) 200 feet, and
KHKS (Hawkins field) 300 feet. Visibilities were 2 miles in light fog.

Winds were direct cross winds from the east at 10 knots, so not only it
would be an approach workout, but good Xwind workout as well.

Preflight went fine, requested from Clearance and Delivery a local IFR
clearance to HKS for ILS approaches. Got my clearance a minute later,
called into Unicom, Sundowner 1943L, departing 17. Before I even got to
the other end of the runway, I was entering the clouds! This was a first
for me, as this of course required me to do a climbing turn in IMC. No
biggie, did my Aviate, Navigate, then communicate to approach Approach,
Sundowner 1943L out of Madison, 800 for 2000. Approach said radar contact,
turn 360 for vectors for the ILS 16 Hawkins. This required a 180 degree
course reversal from my initial heading off the runway. Climbing turns are
quite different in the clag, then with the hood!

I broke out on top at 1900 feet, which in retrospect, I wish never would
have happened for my FIRST approach. Here I am above the cloud deck,
flying dumb and happy with vectors for the 16 Hawkins, enjoying the view
outside the window.

What I didn't realize was the clouds were not level as it appeared. I of
course didn't really realize it, as I was not scanning the attitude
indicator as closely as I needed to (BIG lesson learned) since I was VMC.
I was just in awe of the view outside, keeping my wings "level" with my
perceived horizon line. Doing my approach briefing was a "breeze" as I was
VMC, and was able to "take my time" and be ahead of the plane.

After my briefing, I get cleared for the ILS approach into HKS, and descend
into the clouds at 1900 feet.

My plane has a VERY slight left turn banking tendency, not a big deal.

As I am descending down in the clouds, I notice that my attitude indicator
had a right bank to it. I was on the localizer, and glide slope within a
dot, but my head said one thing, and the attitude indicator said another.
I looked at the vacuum indicator, it was normal, everything else was
normal, so I had to say out loud, trust the instruments, trust the
instruments, fly the plane, trust the instruments.

I started driving right of the localizer, and had to ease up on the yoke to
stop my wanting to turn right. Remember, my plane has a LEFT turning
tendency, so I knew the problem was me.

This was the hardest thing to do, because my body kept saying turn right to
maintain level bank, yet the attitude indicator just wasn't level. Once I
got the attitude indicator level, and I fought my physiological desires, I
was able to maintain the localizer and glide slope within one dot. I was a
tad high on the glide slope (top part of the donut) and I broke out just
before the middle marker. This was the lowest I have flown by myself in
actual conditions, so when the runway was in front of me 300 feet above the
ground, I felt great.

The glory of this approach was short lived as I still had to fly the plane,
and I was only cleared for a low approach. So, that I could enjoy the VMC
for as long as I could and try to get my inner ear balanced, I went to the
minimums of 200 feet AGL, and flew straight and level for just about the
entire length of the runway. After the end of the runway, started my climb
out instructions (runway heading, climb to 2000).

So, upward I go, contact approach, and more climbing turns in the clag.
Great exercise, so I didn't mind this at all. Broke out at 1900, and
skimmed in and out of IMC for the first part of the second approach. The
further north I went, the lower the tops of the clouds were. Since I had
concerns about the attitude indicator, I watched it real close in VMC as I
was flying for my second approach. It was straight and level during my
outbound leg. It was when I got turned inbound to intercept the localizer
that I noticed something was askew. Since I was flying the plane visually,
I apparently was using the clouds as a "horizon line" and when I looked at
the horizon indicator, it was showing a ever so slight bank to the right,
clearly not level, so it was here I realized, the clouds were sloped higher
to the left and lower to the right AFTER I leveled the plane per the
attitude indicator. I verified this by looking at the wing tips and the
left wing was "closer" to the clouds then the right wing.

This now made perfect sense why, on my first approach, I wanted to maintain
a right bank after entering the clag. I had been flying that way (plane
banked to the right) in VMC, and it seem to exasperate itself when I
entered the clouds. Seeing that problem before entering the clouds, I
immediately when into my "instrument scan mode" ignoring all outside
references. This cleared up my inner ear balance issues, and my next 4 ILS
approaches were the way they were to be flown. On my last approach, the
ceiling had raised up to 1000 and I had gotten the weather at KMBO which
was reporting 1100, so I was homeward bound after requesting to do one
"obligatory" hold to maintain currency.

I did the VOR alpa approached back into Madison, broke out at 1100, and
flew in at 900 feet (minimums).

Using the Garmin 430 GPS was awesome. I got to learn more and more about
it, today.

2.1 hours of flight, 1.2 IMC, currency met, got to commit aviation. The
cost PRICELESS (other then oil change, avgas and the pride of owning a
plane)

Lessons learned today......

Be more diligent about scanning the instruments well before the final
approach phase BEFORE entering IMC. What you see outside, just may not be
what you want. While the scenery outside was something to behold, what was
below me could have been deadly.

Talk out loud, talk the problem through, and TRUST THOSE INSTRUMENTS. I
can honestly say, this step here probably saved my bacon especially talking
it out, because that made me focus on working the problem rather then the
problem working me.

I found that while I was in the "en route" phase, I put the Garmin display
in the "map mode". This made the situational awareness literally a no
brainer as I could see the final approach course and easily anticipate
ATC's next turn without having my finger on the approach plate that I did
in the past. I have my map in the track up mode, so if the approach course
was on the right, I could anticipate a right turn to the right and the lil
airplane on the display would turn right.

When I was cleared to join the localizer or saw that I was within one mile
of the final approach course, I'd flip the GPS into the CDI mode, so I had
an "extra localizer" AND be able to quickly factor in my cross wind factor
to maintain the ground track.

Also, using the CDI mode for the VOR alpha, just made it so easy to join
the final approach course without having that feeling of "chase the
needles" when in the VOR zone of confusion.

Great write-up Allen. Thanks for posting. 200 foot ceilings I think would be
considered "hard IFR" in many people's books. Borrowing from the New York
saying, "if you can make it there..." Must be a great confidence-builder. I
went up a couple of nights ago in VMC to brush-up on some approaches in
preparation for a possible Tuesday flight in forecast IMC. Winds were calm
at the surface but at 2000 ft we had 35 kts so I expected--and got--some
stiff turbulence on my approaches that bumped me down through 500 ft. Boy is
it a weird feeling having the bumps stop that abruptly. My lesson that day
was "workload management" in that the freq got busy right when I was to call
the tower on my 4-mile final. It distracted me long enough to lose my
glideslope (on the high side of course!).

I too find the Garmin 430 such a valuable piece of equipment. I use the
Cross Track function and it's become part of my scan on all my approaches
especially ILSs.

Marco

"A Lieberman" wrote in message
. ..
Suffice it to say, the subject line says it all.

[snip]



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