Bankstown LOE this morning (Sat 19 Sep 20)
 

Sin-City residents will recall the foggy conditions this morning. Cloud in the Hills District didn't start lifting until after 0900. So who were the utter idiots flying "VFR" north in the Lane of Entry popping in and out of cloud .... especially the PA-28 Warrior at 0910 at Pennant Hills? 500' AGL my @rse.

As if GA doesn't have enough challenges.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....7d6c593a1.jpeg

Styx75,
Very apt! Haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

LOL I'll pay that .... well done :}

If they were at 500’ you would probably be able to read the rego yourself.

There’s cameras at Bankstown, I’ll see what it was like at the airport this morning.

LT-DT: You seem to be conflating fog and cloud.

I have no insight into the actual conditions to which you refer. Did you see aircraft flying in fog or cloud?

It’s called “stress of weather”... they can fly at 100ft if required.

But deliberately taking off into marginal conditions has been shown to be bad for one’s health.

The weather at YSBK this morning was quite tidy. From there up into the hills may have been a different story.

LB, you're right, sorry my original crankygram wasn't very clear. At ground level up until approx 9am the Pennant Hills area was socked in. Maybe 300m visibility at best. The fog started to break up around 9am and individual clouds were starting to become distinguishable, albeit below what appeared to be a solid overcast.

The aforementioned PA-28 was low enough. I think the regs state registration markings distinguishable at 150m to the unaided eye? I hope I'm wrong, and old mate was flying above the breaking up fog, but it sure didn't look that way.

Squawk
CAR 57 (4) refers to UNAVOIDABLE. Blasting off into non VMC is AVOIDABLE, therefore stress of weather does not apply.
Assuming the pilot had briefed properly, they would have known the wx was marginal/non VMC and would have planned an alternate route - or STAYED HOME.
How many times have we heard, after a CFIT, "he was such an experienced pilot".
The answer is - "If he was so experienced - why is he parked in the side of a mountain?"

It’s a big call to say someone was “popping in and out of cloud” when you’re on the ground.

I agree, Squawk. I’ve spent plenty of hours flying over valleys with morning fog in them.

LT-DT: I’m not saying your observations from the ground are wrong. I’m just trying to work out the probabilities of those observations being ballpark-accurate.

Crappy wx can kill, as does scud running. But there is a difference between the view from up there to that of a ground observer.
The end result tho may be very different up there depending on the experience ,,,or otherwise of the 'decision maker'.flying the aircraft'
Whats the pop song ? Breaking up is not that hard to do. Neither is turning back.