VFR?
I had an interesting experience recently. I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this?
At the time, I was on an IFR training flight, in Class D airspace, practicing instrument approaches. I heard another aircraft call up on frequency, requesting a transit through the airspace.
The controller asked the pilot if he wanted VFR or IFR transit. IFR please, replied the pilot. Sorry, says the controller, too busy for an IFR transit. No problem, says the pilot, I'll take a VFR transit. Ok, replies the controller, descend to 2000', report VMC. Once he reported VMC, the pilot was cleared to transit, VFR at 2000', via the airfield overhead. The other pilot was passed traffic information about me. I was passed traffic information about him. All absolutely fine.
Except that there is absolutely no way the aircraft was in VMC at 2000'. I flew 4 approaches on that flight, and the highest point at which I became visual on any of the approaches was 1200'. At the point when I was passed traffic information on the other aircraft, I was on the final approach track, and became visual with the surface at 900', and visual with the runway at 800'.
I have debated whether I should take any action. My safety was not compromised, because I was given traffic information, and remained seperated from the traffic vertically at all times (assuming he really was at 2000'). If the aim of any action was to ensure that the pilot was reprimanded, it's unlikely to be successful because I can't prove what the weather was doing. And if the aim of the action is to educate the other pilot, it would pointless because I'm sure he already knows that what he did was illegal. So my current thinking is that there's little point taking any further action. But there's a nagging feeling in the back of my mind which suggests maybe a CHIRP report would be appropriate?
What would you do?
FFF
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