I really used the rating today - on purpose!!
My mate Adrian and I were very dissapointed today as our long-planned trip to Cherbourg / Alderney / Guernsey was weathered off due to fog/vis etc in the Channel. But after lunch today it cleared up quite a bit local to us at Benson, cloud base almost 2,000', so we decided rather than totally waste the afternoon, we'd head up to Cranfield and back.
I flew the return leg and decided that if I could get a radar service from Brize I would climb through the layer to FL040. As I climbed towards the base of the layer I felt the fear well up inside me... told myself it is irrational (after all, I have done it alright with the instructor beside me!) and so kept climbing.
The cloud layer was just starting to break up: the base was still around 2,000' or so, but there were some gaps starting to open up, and it was just gorgeous climbing up through the fluffy white towers that were now all around me. Finally, just reaching ~3,000', there was a big fluffy blob ahead of me that I was going to have to enter and continue the climb through. So, I just did what I knew I could do(!), kept going, and shortly after burst through the top and leveled just above the fluffy white peaks at FL040 - what a lovely site to behold! Blue skies, brilliant sunshine, and I had gotten there "all by myself" (well, with some help from Mr. Piper, Mr Lycoming, and the nice man on Brize Radar)!
Once on top, I tracked to WCO - by now feeling cool, calm and a every inch a total Sky God
. After turning for home at WCO, ~20 miles to run, the layer started to break up a little more. Now there were sizeable holes all around, and if I had to I could have got back down maintaining VMC by picking a path through the holes. But by now I was hooked! Still with the radar service, I started my descent in a stubborn straight line towards my goal, worried lest this time there was no cloud in my path! As luck had it though, I was back in cloud in a nice steady descent for a good few minutes as I tracked back to Benson. Brize called "traffic, 2 miles, height unknown" during the descent - but I had to say I was still in IMC an unable to look for the traffic. He replied that the traffic had turned away and not to worry. Soon I was below the layer and had Benson in my sights a few miles ahead - home safe!
I am really chuffed with myself - other than this I have only entered little bits of scud for a few minutes a time since getting the IMC rating; but today I feel I did something useful and practical and safe - well within my bounds - which I hope will help to keep me current for when I really need it.
Hoping for a better day tomorrow; heading to the BBQ at Bembridge at noon if the wx is good enough in the morning, then either strike for a lightning fast visit to Alderney after lunch, or back around the coast to Manston, Southend and back to Benson. However it turns out, I am hoping to practice again with another climb through a layer tomorrow if the skies oblige!
Regards to all,
Andy
