From: amm@NeXT.COM (Alan M. Marcum)
Newsgroups: rec.aviation.misc,rec.aviation.ifr
Subject: Re: In the "System"
Date: 25 Jan 93 22:30:28 GMT
Reply-To: amm@NeXT.COM (Alan M. Marcum)
Followup-To: rec.aviation.ifr

Edward.Hutton writes
> In article <742@oscar.UUCP> hurvitz@oscar.UUCP (Dennis Hurvitz)
> writes:
> [stuff deleted]
> >taking 40 hours of ifr training may give one the basics of ifr
> >flying, but everyone i know was scared sh--less the first time
> >they got their ticket wet, solo.
> 	Oh man! Getting the IFR ticket wet the first time gives a
> whole new meaning to the word SOLO.

And it's not just that first time.  Whenever I'm a rusty, an
actual approach can get my adrenalin going.  For me, it doesn't
even matter whether I've an instructor with me or not: *I* want
to get this stuff right, because I know my life depends on it.
That's all the motivation I need to "ignore" my instructor's
presence.  (Though, indeed, somewhere deep down I know she's
there...)

Interesting case in point, from which I hope others can learn.
Last week, a friend and I flew to dinner, Palo Alto to Livermore,
about 20 miles; return was to San Jose, then VFR back to Palo Alto
(the airport codes are PAO, LVK, and SJC).  The flight to LVK was
really quite easy, despite solid soup.  And even though there were
frequent rain showers during pre-flight, the flight from PAO to
LVK was really very, very smooth (!). The ceiling at LVK was
pretty high for an ILS, though things felt plenty good enough even
to have taken it right to DH.

The trip home was something else, though.  After dinner, the
tower had closed.  I couldn't contact ATC on the ground to get
my clearance, but I *thought* the ceiling would be high enough
for me to get my clearance once airborne, so I launched.  Minor
problem: estimating the ceiling on a dark night ain't easy.
We couldn't *begin* to get high enough to contact ATC (LVK is
in a valley -- more like a bowl -- with mountains between it
and both Stockton approach's and Bay approach's radios).  So,
back on the ground, I called departure on the phone and got
my clearance.

OK, off we go.  No rush, no fuss: I had a 15 minute launch
window after a 10 minute delay between getting my clearance and
when the departure window opened.  As we neared SJC, though,
things got interesting.

One thing about SJC: despite standard practices and assurances to
the contrary, Bay approach still has most light planes intercept
the SJC ILS glideslope from above, especially when being vectored
for a downwind, base, and the intercept.  (We call the process
of intercepting the glideslope from above a "slam-dunk.")

Even though I'd flown a bunch of IFR recently -- actual, hood, and
simulator, including approaches and partial-panel work, missed
approaches, in the system, with an instructor, and such -- it'd
been a while since I'd shot the ILS to SJC.  And, for whatever
reason, I wasn't really ready for a slam-dunk.  I didn't start
down IMMEDIATELY upon localizer intercept and, though I was on the
localizer, I never did get the glideslope.

Missed approach.

And one of the worst cases of airborne pilot-induced pitch
oscillation I've ever experienced.  The instructions weren't
complicated, either: climb to 3000, then right turn to 090
for another ILS.  But, I just wasn't ready, despite knowing
I was going to miss the approach for, oh, at least ten
seconds before declaring the missed to ATC.

To complete the story: I arrested the oscillations, shot
another ILS (and *this* time I was ready for the slam-dunk,
and rode the glideslope nicely), and went VFR to PAO.  Now,
between SJC and PAO we have Moffett Naval Air Station, NUQ.
SJC and NUQ were both reporting ~1500' overcast and 5 miles;
SJC got a PIREP from the plane ahead of me (which they
relayed) of a 900' scattered marine layer.

Well, maybe it really was 1000' and 3 miles or better.  But,
I came SO close to declaring an emergency to Bay while we
were going in to PAO because of the visibility...  It's hard
to believe we really had 3 miles, or 1000'.  But, we saw
enough, and came 'round, and landed safely.

(So, why didn't I go back and land at SJC?  I was, quite
literally, within 5 seconds of that decision -- I'd decided if I
didn't get a good view of the airport in the next 5 seconds I was
getting out of there, even if I had to declare an emergency.
Then, I saw enough that I knew I was legal and, more important,
safe in going to PAO.)

While I was taxiing back to the plane's tie-down spot, I called
NUQ on the radio.  They were still calling it 1500' overcast and
5 miles.  I advised them of what I'd encountered getting into
Palo Alto.

A memorable flight.

(I'm moving this part of this thread to rec.aviation.ifr.)
--
Alan M. Marcum
NeXT Tech Support
amm@NeXT.COM
Newsgroups: rec.aviation.misc