Strange encounter in the clouds tonight
 

Went out for a flight tonight at 8pm, fancied climbing up to 5000 and having a mess around in the clouds just to keep my hand in. It was a beautiful summer evening, but as I entered a rather wispy cloud I see rain but nothing was hitting or staying on the windshield, it was like really dry snow??? , I turn out of the cloud and for the next 1/4 mile it continued to " fall" but appeard to be coming at me vertically when viewed out the side window, strange indeed. Finished the evenings flight by flying over a local beach town where the local RC guys had commandeered a football pitch for a camp-out and flying their machines. So nothing else for it than pull the power, drop the flaps and stop in for an excellent display of an enthusiasts 4 stroke Gypsy Moth doing aerobatics. The club members snapped some pics of the Maule parked next to there models and I was off home with no more "snow" in the clouds !!!

What was the OAT at 5000-ish?

About 1 or 2c

VFR I presume? How does that work? It's certainly verboten where I fly.

Unless the aircraft is equipped / certified for such operation and the pilot is also rated. I suspect both criteria are met in this case.

SRD is correct, all certs and kit in order but that does raise an interesting question, my understanding of the required equipment for IFR flight is your aircraft must have the equipment necessary to utilise (navigate and land) the navaids on your intended route of the flight, destination or alternate, but what if you only had access to an aircraft with a wet compass and a six pack and no nav radios or gps nav and just wanted to practice holding headings and altitudes in the clouds but outside controlled airspace and your take off and destination fields were reporting VFR for miles.

I know it is not advisable but is it illegal ?

" So nothing else for it than pull the power, drop the flaps and stop in for an excellent display of an enthusiasts 4 stroke Gypsy Moth doing aerobatics. The club members snapped some pics of the Maule parked next to there models and I was off home with no more "snow" in the clouds !!!"

I should imagine landing on a football field unannounced was more illegal than flying in cloud!!!

So long as the aircraft is certified for IMC flight, and you have at least a valid IMC/IR(R), no.


MJ:ok:

You most probably encountered Virga clouds, from the Latin for 'rod' or 'branch' are a trail of precipitation that fall from the underside of a cloud but evaporate before it can reach the earth's surface.

Not sure, it was a fly-in of sorts.

Were you in the cloud tops? Could have been ice Chrystals?


MJ:ok:

You need the right state of mind, too - if you think to yourself "I've decided I'm flying VFR just right now" then it would be illegal, but if you think to yourself "I'm flying IFR just right now" then all is OK.

Was it fun?

Everything time I line up, look out over the cowl up the strip, go to full power, lift the tail and up up and away is fun. In fact it's more than fun it's what I live for. Sad but true :ok:

So you're saying the flight was also conducted on an IFR plan using promulgated routes?

I got the impression from the tenor of the original post that the flight was a local flight not conducted on an IFR plan nor on IFR routes and outside controlled airspace. Was I wrong?

If not I cannot see how this is a smart idea or even legal. What if some other idiot is doing the same thing in the same piece of cloud?

Oh good grief! Another flying club lawyer sniping from the armchair. Do you know where piperboy is based? Not saying that makes him bulletproof but I'd say it reduces the likelihood of conflict to near zero. Not zero, but near zero and if he and the other 'idiot', as you term them, are happy to accept the trivial risk for some harmless fun then good luck to them. I rather enjoy that sort of thing too and before you cavil, at the speeds I fly I do believe I AM legal.

Oh, and to piperboy, I'd guess what you were seeing was ice crystals. I've seen them myself. Quite beautiful and mesmerising.

Collision risk in IMC OCA
 

I think I'm right in saying that there hasn't been a SINGLE mid-air between 2 light aircraft in the UK outside controlled airspace in IMC since the 2nd World War. In fact, statistically, from a mid-air point of view, it's FAR safer to be IMC outside controlled airspace than VMC.

Of course, it's common sense to obtain a RADAR service of some kind when IMC, but not necessary to file a flight plan or follow a designated route.

The big problem with IMC, is flight into the terrain, not bumping into each other. This is where training and following simple procedures, such as being 1,000' above any obstruction within 5NM comes in. Fairly easy in the UK, more difficult in places like New Zealand...

TOO

Piperboy. You fly for fun?
How dare you enjoy it?
:=

A perfectly legal flight in the UK so relax, oh and 27/09 doing what he did he didn't even have to talk to anyone the clue is in the wording, outside controlled airspace.

No. I don't think he was saying that at all.

I believe you were quite correct

It is certainly legal in the UK. How smart you think it is, depends on how risk averse you are.

I agree with DeltaV, TOO, and ATC.


MJ:ok: