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Hi,

Today I decided to continue my US cross country trip with the Cherokee and finish this leg at Telluride. I took off from Carbon County Regional Airport with the following flight plan:

KPUC OAB 01UT ETL KTEX with alternate KGJT

The weather conditions were VFR till some point after 01UT and before ETL VOR. At the time I started the flight, the weather conditions at Telluride airport were MVFR and outside any potential bad/IFR weather. Things change, I did not check thoroughly the cloud movement and any potential TAFs for the area.

At some point before ETL VOR, I found myself flying under VFR rules in the following conditions:



The AWOS at Telluride gave 1/2SM visibility, which was way below the allowed minimums for runway 9 localizer approach.
I have completely lost ground contact.


I know, I should have executed a 180 and turn back, but I decided to take it straight to the alternate airport (KGJT, after checking that it is currently under VFR)

I headed Northwest (330) and after approximately 10min. of flight in IMC I got a glimpse of hope:


I have successfully landed at KGJT (little windy) with no complications whatsoever. (sorry forgot to take more pictures out of excitement I guess)

Note taken, I should have checked my weather and weather development in greater details. I got really on my toes when the weather changed into completely IFR even it is only a sim. I can't imagine what it is in the real world. I have read and watched many times that flying VFR into IMC is one of the main culprits for aircraft accidents.

Cheerz,
Will

You're right about that. Inadvertent flight into IMC can ruin a pilots day. The worst thing you can do is try and fly VFR in IMC conditions. It opens a pilot up to Spatial Disorientation and/or controlled flight into terrain.

Yup not ideal at all

The sim is a great place to practice ifr and scenarios just like this.

n421nj wrote:The sim is a great place to practice ifr and scenarios just like this.

This is posted for general reading. I'm just using your post to enter it for anyone who might need the information.

A good practice setup for exiting from an IFR incursion is to set up IFR conditions in the sim weather for an area about 50 miles from your takeoff point.
The objective is to fly into these conditions, make a 180 and return to VFR.
It sounds easy but you will be surprised. Doing it correctly and safely takes a cool head for the non- instrument rated pilot.
1. The first thing you have to do when entering the IFR condition is to note the heading. You will need the reciprocal. It's a lot easier today with our modern face gyro compasses than it was in the old days using the old style gyro heading indicators with the horizontal tape that didn't show the reciprocal.
2. Next set up a standard rate turn. I always suggested to the left as that, using a yoke OR a stick is more natural than to the right.
3. This part is important! The danger lies naturally if the nose lowers in the turn and/or you forget the reciprocal heading . THIS is what has killed pilots attempting this reversal. If you have time, set the heading bug on the reciprocal before entering the turn. The danger enters the turn equation if you allow the bank to go beyond standard rate. Steeper bank under these conditions can cause over bank and unless compensated with back pressure will lower the nose. If this happens you will see an increase in airspeed and it is here where pilots can make a fatal mistake. The novice pilot seeing an increase in airspeed will apply back pressure to recover and with any bank on the aircraft this INCREASES BOTH the nose down attitude AND the airspeed!
Unless corrected immediately you are now entering the famous "graveyard spiral". This killed a lot of pilots in the early Bonanzas because the plane is so clean it picked up speed rapidly in this nose low condition.
What I will say next is the GOLDEN RULE for survival in these turns. To correct for the increase in airspeed you ALWAYS shallow the bank BEFORE applying back pressure!. You must level the wings FIRST, THEN correct the airspeed.
4. Naturally, the best way to handle all this is to not get in a situation where you have to do this, but if you do have to do it, this is how it's done.,
Have fun! The sim is great for learning this type of thing.
Dudley Henriques

Hello,

Thank you for those tips Dudley! Very useful! I will try to implement them next time hopefully, if I find myself in similar flight conditions.

Cheerz,
Will