Originally Posted by
sprag47
The helicopter was VFR scudrunning...he wasn't on an IFR flight plan.
Which brings up the question for the guys who fly IFR in LA, how much delay would they have encountered had they filed from John Wayne to Camarillo? I see some IFR ATC clearances that go over LAX and probably hit the RNAV 26 at Camarillo that basically fly the I5/101 route that he ended up flying VFR. Most of the TEC routes I see would only add 10 miles to the direct route ( and the VFR helicopter route would have added at least that ).
Given the delays he had at Burbank and Van Nuys, maybe it would have been faster IFR? ( although it never seems to work out that way ).
I’m not trying to second guess the pilot so much as wonder how well the IFR system works in SOCAL for light aircraft? Especially on a almost VFR day... Here in Boston we almost never get delays filing IFR to the Cape and Islands, but of course it’s not nearly as congested here as LA. I’ve flown a fair bit out there, but only VFR... Seems a shame to not use the IFR capability of the S76 to its fullest. Also, with the limited amount of stick time I have in that aircraft, it doesn’t seem to be the best for scud running from a visibility standpoint ( the panel is pretty darn big ).