First Solo In Actual Conditions

On Saturday I had my first opportunity to fly solo in actual since my
IR checkride. One of my biggest concerns since getting the rating was
how I would make my first entry into actual without the benefit of an
instructor at my side. With about ten hours of actual during my
training I had always felt comfortable in that environment. But I
knew the true test would be doing it alone, or almost alone. Another
pilot who had just gotten checked out at my FBO and who had passed his
instrument checkride about a week earlier wanted to go up, so I
figured it would be a great opportunity to get some simulated
instrument time, knock off a little rust , and get an approach or two
in for currency. Because the other pilot was only checked-out in
planes with normally aspirated engines, we had to use one of the older
172s. This is as bare bones as one can get with none of the small
conveniences of the newer models that makes flying IFR much easier.
The original plan was to fly to Lancaster PA to check out a locally
famous pilot shop, but because we were both time constrained we
decided to fly to Wilkes Barre PA, which was a little closer. The
weather was forecast to be clear for the entire time we were in the
air, with storms forecast for possibly a lot later in the day. Before
we headed out I ran into my instrument instructor who informed me that
one of the pilots who died in the NJ midair last month was a member of
our local pilot's association. This certainly tempered my excitement a
bit.

By the time we departed we saw some cumulus build-up to the west and I
figured that I may have an opportunity to get some actual after all,
as I was flying the first leg. Shortly after takeoff we were in and
out of the clouds. My safety alerted me to imminent entry so that I
could remove the Jepp Shades and receive the full benefit of the white
around us. It soon got to the point where we were in the clouds so
often that I didn't need the shades at all. I will admit that I was a
bit nervous especially when things got bumpy in the clouds; but I
remembered to keep my scan going and realized that this is what it was
all about. While there was the assurance of having another qualified
pilot in the plane, I flew with the urgency that I would if it were
only me and my loved ones. As we got closer to the Allentown VOR the
controller informed us that some cells were popping up and it wasn't
too long before we heard the bigger guys requesting diversions. The
controller informed us that he would give us whatever vectors we
needed to keep clear of the cells. I informed him that we didn't have
radar and asked for a vector around the weather, which we received.
We kept a visual lookout for cells, but fortunately the diversion kept
us west of most of the activity. About 30 miles from the destination
we picked up some rain and were in solid IMC at 5000 feet. I
requested and received 4000 feet to get us below most of the stuff. I
briefed the ILS Rwy 22 approach while still in IMC, but I didn't feel
rushed doing it. I was vectored for the approach, got established on
the localizer, and performed a GUMPS before intercepting the
glideslope. At this point we were VMC and I was back under the hood.

One thing that I forgot to do was to drop my first notch of flaps
before intercepting the glideslope, which wasn't a big deal. What I
was upset about was that once I realized that I had forgotten to put
them in, I disrupted the stability of the approach and dropped them.
Although I hadn't flown an ILS in over a month and the one I was
flying wasn't the prettiest, it was certainly well within PTS and
there was no need to add the flaps at all. My safety called the DH
and despite my other attempt to botch the approach I made a good
landing. We taxied off and switched seats for the return trip. I was
beat and was looking forward to sitting in the right seat, but felt a
great deal of accomplishment. I flew 1.4 hours with just about an
hour in actual.

I found the opportunity to act as a safety a truly eye-opening
experience. Not only was I able to help with the radios and pick up
instructions that the pilot flying may have missed, but watching
someone else fly the plane was extremely beneficial. Because the
other pilot had never flown approaches at Caldwell, I was able to
offer tips and to help him brief the approach, all while keeping an
eye open for traffic of course. This trip certainly reinforced my
belief that we should equip ourselves with every advantage possible
when flying IMC, especially hard IMC. Although I didn't have it with
me, my handheld GPS would have been of tremendous help in maintaining
situational awareness. Of course flying a newer plane with more
advanced avionics, standby vacuums systems, and an autopilot certainly
would have helped. But perhaps the greatest benefit is having someone
sitting next to you that can help out if needed. While this flight
was certainly a good confidence booster, I realize that flying IMC is
a dangerous venture, especially for someone at my experience level.
That's why I still fly with my instructor every two months or so.