Decisions, Decisions
As I look out the window it's now CAVOK and a lovely flying day. It was not so a few hours ago.....
The story.....
I fly from an airfield on the South Coast in a PA28 owned and operated by a very busy group. Getting the aeroplane can sometimes be a little awkward due to demand, but people are generally very flexible and you can often get a few hours when it seemed none were available.
Anyway, I've been planning a little trip down to Plymouth for a while now and have been waiting for a combination of aeroplane, weather and me, all to be available at the same time. Yesterday the forecast for today was good, the aeroplane was "mine" for the hours required, and I wasn't working. Hooray!
Woke up this am to thick fog. Can even hear the foghorns on the nearby ships. Never mind, all forecast to clear later, so trip still on. Before going to airfield check weather properly on Met office website. Not so good. Destination (EGHD) ok, everywhere in between still foggy, but clearing slowing. TAFs all look promising. Area forecast good.
Go to airfield. Book out. Check aeroplane paperwork. Get Aeroplane out of hangar. Look up. Still misty, but improving (slowly). Listen to volmet. Weather still not brilliant, but up to 7km in haze at some places on-route. Do "A" check, aeroplane is "S".
Check bowser. Refuel aeroplane. All done by yours truly, just short of full tanks each side. Do paperwork for bowser. Ring desination (again). Weather is okay, but local mist patches. Ring en-route a/f. Weather not good (2000m in Haze) but clearing. Other en-route a/fs giving 7km now. Local weather still hazy. Not brilliant, but okay if I was just going for a local area flight.
Decision time? To go or not to go? What would you do?
Here's what I actually did.....
Decision. To go... BUT...if at anytime vis looks too poor, or landmarks not visible when I think they should be, Terminate flight and return to start airfield.
Get airborne (finally) and set course. Vis is poor. Still I can see my required landmarks, but they are disappearing rapidly soon after I have passed them (little turns to check). Can see well enough (for now) to navigate, but I am VFR and seeing other traffic would be very difficult.
Climb a little. Nope, no better. Decide that I am going to xxxx reporting point and decide. Get to xxxx after 20 min. No improvement. Do one orbit. Remind myself of my decision. Little nagging voice says "you'll look a right prat when you get back, cancelling a trip in good weather" (or so it appears from the ground). LOUDER voice says "STICK TO YOUR DECISION", don't care if you look a PRAT, make a Safe decision.
Roll out of orbit and fly back to home a/f. Vis still poor, but I actually feel much better as the decision looks like a good one. IS a Good one. Locate home a/f. Good job I know where it is and all the local landmarks. It is very hazy here. Land (not too shabby), park aeroplane. Open door and sit quietly contemplating "what might have been".
So..... thats what I did. A few hours later I am now looking at a beautiful day, and most of the haze has gone. The thing is, this has happened to me before. Trips cancelled due weather. Brain starting to think other club members think I am a bit of a "nanny" (i prefer the word cautious), or am I being paranoid?
Ever been in situations like this? Advice, comments welcome.
Besr rgds BEX