We left this morning for some sightseeing. We still are holding off on travel so we planned a round robin flight over Gainesville Florida. On departure we had scattered clouds but heading Southwest they were quickly thickening. I found a big hole and was soon on top but our planned cruise at 4500 was not working. The clouds were building.
We stepped up to 6500 and eventually to 8500 and then 9500 when we headed Northeast. We have to stay 500' below, 1000' above and 2000' lateral from clouds when visual. By climbing and maneuvering we kept the required distances as we headed to Gainesville. Turning back Northeast we couldn't see a clean path home so we headed more Northerly where the clouds were lower.
We had picked up visual flight following halfway to Gainesville as the clouds had us divert over some restricted airspace and we needed to confirm that it was not in use and that we were allowed to pass through. We were above the clouds but eventually we needed to get below while following the rules. Seeing the clouds build, we discussed our options to get home safely and legally.
We had 4 options. Home was reporting scattered clouds so option 1 was stay on top, climb as needed to get back home and then spiral down. Option 2 was to spiral down near Gainesville where the clouds were not very dense and fly below on the way home. Option 3 was to maneuver between the clouds and find a path home much like we had found our way to Gainesville, the danger was finding a dead end and having to backtrack or climb again. Option 4 was to pick up an IFR clearance and then just go through the clouds.
Options 1 and 2 were not efficient and option 1 had the chance of becoming option 4 anyway. We started with option 3 and flew North about 5 minutes. Looking towards home it became increasingly clear it was gonna be hard or impossible to make it work. This is where being instrument equipped and proficient is so handy. I requested an instrument clearance and was given it right away. After that we were cleared for our descent and slid through a few clouds as we were vectored home.
So was it bad planning on my part, well the forecast was for scattered clouds only. The bases were right around 3000 so we could have easily just spiraled down and then proceeded home down low in the heat and bumps burning extra gas. For us today it was all comfort and efficiency. We had many safe options. For a visual only pilot, getting stuck among building clouds can be an emergency so it is best not to get yourself into a situation where you may have trouble getting out.
We stepped up to 6500 and eventually to 8500 and then 9500 when we headed Northeast. We have to stay 500' below, 1000' above and 2000' lateral from clouds when visual. By climbing and maneuvering we kept the required distances as we headed to Gainesville. Turning back Northeast we couldn't see a clean path home so we headed more Northerly where the clouds were lower.
We had picked up visual flight following halfway to Gainesville as the clouds had us divert over some restricted airspace and we needed to confirm that it was not in use and that we were allowed to pass through. We were above the clouds but eventually we needed to get below while following the rules. Seeing the clouds build, we discussed our options to get home safely and legally.
We had 4 options. Home was reporting scattered clouds so option 1 was stay on top, climb as needed to get back home and then spiral down. Option 2 was to spiral down near Gainesville where the clouds were not very dense and fly below on the way home. Option 3 was to maneuver between the clouds and find a path home much like we had found our way to Gainesville, the danger was finding a dead end and having to backtrack or climb again. Option 4 was to pick up an IFR clearance and then just go through the clouds.
Options 1 and 2 were not efficient and option 1 had the chance of becoming option 4 anyway. We started with option 3 and flew North about 5 minutes. Looking towards home it became increasingly clear it was gonna be hard or impossible to make it work. This is where being instrument equipped and proficient is so handy. I requested an instrument clearance and was given it right away. After that we were cleared for our descent and slid through a few clouds as we were vectored home.
So was it bad planning on my part, well the forecast was for scattered clouds only. The bases were right around 3000 so we could have easily just spiraled down and then proceeded home down low in the heat and bumps burning extra gas. For us today it was all comfort and efficiency. We had many safe options. For a visual only pilot, getting stuck among building clouds can be an emergency so it is best not to get yourself into a situation where you may have trouble getting out.
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