Flying IMC

badtransam97

badtransam97

Well-Known Member
Ok, so this may be a dumb question, but coming from someone who didn't get very much actual time during instrument training, I have a few questions. Since it's getting warm enough around here to "get my feet wet" and get I to some actual, I'm wondering if there is any or what kind of clouds should I avoid going into? I know the obvious towering cumulus, but is there any others I should steer around? I'm don't have NEXRAD or anything so I guess I'm looking for visual clues as to what's safe to punch through and what isn't. Any tips or advice is appreciated!
 
badtransam97 said:
Ok, so this may be a dumb question, but coming from someone who didn't get very much actual time during instrument training, I have a few questions. Since it's getting warm enough around here to "get my feet wet" and get I to some actual, I'm wondering if there is any or what kind of clouds should I avoid going into? I know the obvious towering cumulus,
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Cumulonimbus = thunderstorm = stay away. Also, any IMC that might have embedded thunderstorms, since without radar, you'll never see them. If they are isolated, just fly around them. If there is a line, don't go near it.

Smoke = generally safe to fly in (might smell bad). Common around here.
stratus/stratiform = safe to fly in (just watch the freezing level)
cumulus = safe to fly in. These will be bumpy, since they typically mark rising air. Rare to have solid layers, so you aren't really IMC for long.
Towering cumulus = be cautious, but safe to fly in. If the vertical development is less than 10,000', you will be long gone before it is hazardous to you. Still very bumpy though.
 
I've heard the more well-defined the edges of a cumulus or towering-cumulus cloud, the more it can be developing vertically, and the rougher the ride through it.
I'm sure this isn't always the case, but I've found this to be generally true.
 
Any cloud that looks black and has lightning coming from it should be avoided. :)
 
badtransam97 said:
I'm don't have NEXRAD or anything so I guess I'm looking for visual clues
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If you cut your teeth locally you can brief the weather radar before you go and nothing should change too much in the course of an hour.
I think ATC does a great job at calling out the levels of precip on your route and the vectors that follow.
 
Douglas said:
If you cut your teeth locally you can brief the weather radar before you go and nothing should change too much in the course of an hour.
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With the caveat that local changes a lot depending on where you are.

10 minutes is a long time in Florida in the summer...
 
TallFlyer said:
Ash clouds pretty much are teh suck.
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Wouldn't funnel clouds be teh suck? :D


OP, on top of what the other guys said, if you're getting caught in precip in these warmer months and you're neg radar, don't be afraid to tell ATC if you want to get out of it or around it. I've gone from light sprinkle to mod rain in a matter of a mile and thanks to ATC they helped me steer around it.
 
badtransam97 said:
I'm don't have NEXRAD or anything so I guess I'm looking for visual clues as to what's safe to punch through and what isn't.
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First, NEXRAD is not a subsitute for onboard RADAR. It is at least 10 minutes old by the time it gets to your GPS. It is good for planning your stratagy regarding storms, but don't EVER use it to navigate a line of storms.


Second, layers of clouds are generally harmless during the summer, it's the vertically developing stuff that will shake you up.
 
If you are a fairly new instrument pilot with very little actual time you should DEFINITELY bring someone along who has a lot of experience in IMC and who is current and proficient. Despite what the FAA believes, flying under the hood is nothing like flying in real clouds and it can catch new, over-confident instrument pilots off guard (not saying that you are one).

Perfect example: two of my students both just passed their instrument rating check rides a few weeks back and both had almost no actual time since we trained in January and February. Today we went up in solid IMC and I had to talk them through almost everything just as I did when they first started training. Mind you that these are instrument rated pilots. The real thing is a lot more disorienting and intimidating than you think...until you get used to it.
 
A good rule of thumb is the prettier the cloud the rougher the ride. The boring looking ones are usually okay unless it's cold, then you'll pick up ice.

;)
 
To go on what others said if you have to ask the question please get a CFII to go with you at least once to explore this new world. IMC flying can be very intmidating the first time you do it for real. I remember the first time I flew solid IMC with just my uncle in the plane and had he not be there to calm me down things might have turn bad. Its always a good idea for those first few hours to have someone with you who has been there and done that.
 
He's hitting on something that is a major missing component of most instrument rating courses. Not once did anyone ever tell me "here's how you spot a cloud you shouldn't fly in" aside from the thunderstorm ones. Fortunately I asked - after I got my ticket.

That and rain - surprised that neither were discussed in anything I read - and I read a lot.
 
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