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Old 19th Jan 2014, 21:03
  #69 (permalink)  
Look Mum - no hands
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 51
Received 4 Likes on 2 Posts
w-y-m....

Gotta say that I have found the newbies who ask this sort of question are probably the ones least likely to get into serious trouble in the first place! Just thinking about the changes and asking the questions is a solid start.

Fuel or daylight will be what most often adds pressure on a poor weather day, so keep plenty of both. What are you going to do at the end of the day if you've burned extra fuel going around weather on the way out in the morning?

Do the homework on airstrip condition - treat anything unsealed as suspect unless you have a reliable and very recent report. Even then, remember that wet season rain can make an unsealed strip u/s in hours.

Always have a Plan B (and C....) - one that is close enough that you [U]know[U][U] you can make it. The maximum distance to this guaranteed option decreases as the weather gets worse - it has to be close enough that you are certain you can get to it and land safely. Metars are great for IFR, but only half the story for VFR - the conditions at the aerodrome are irrelevant if you can't get there.

Watch the guys who have been there for a few seasons - they won't all be good examples, but you'll work out pretty quickly who the good ones are. Then don't be afraid to ask those ones for advice.

Lastly, don't let it spook you. There are days in the wet that light aircraft just should not be flying, but a lot more days when it's possible to operate safely with good planning and decision making. Allow extra margins, plan carefully, and be prepared to spend the night away from home if you need to.
Look Mum - no hands is offline