Measure of Skill

VFR Recommended?

July 5, 1997 By Peter A. Bedell

The go/no-go decision for VFR

Flying under visual flight rules can be easy, fun, and helpful in adding a sense of spontaneity to flying that only pilots and passengers in private aircraft can enjoy. But there are times when flying VFR can become a hairy experience, to say the least. Busting your personal limits and letting the weather catch you between a rock and a cloud are just some examples of how VFR can suddenly become an anxious way to fly. Here are some ways to avoid getting bitten by poor go/no-go decision making.

Judgment day

Poor decision making is the root cause of most aircraft accidents. What is it that causes pilots to make some remarkably stupid judgment calls? You've read the accident reports that go something like this: "The 100-hour non-instrument-rated pilot took off into deteriorating weather conditions without getting a preflight weather briefing. Approximately one hour into the flight the pilot contacted ATC and reported that he was lost and disoriented in clouds. After radar contact was established, the aircraft was observed making radical heading and altitude excursions. Radar contact was lost two minutes later."

What causes someone to make a poor decision like this? Short of studying the intricate details of psychiatry, it is somewhat an unknown. And it's not just the low-timers who are exposed to the problem. The higher-time pilots usually get themselves into deeper trouble than the low-timers; their elevated experience and certificates cause them to excessively challenge their abilities. The terms get-home-itis, it won't happen to me, low-time-pilot inexperience, and high-time-pilot complacency have all been used in accident reports to account for accident causes. In reality, though, these are the symptoms of poor decision making.

One way to avoid making poor decisions is to objectively ask yourself, "is it really a good idea to make this flight?" Do you really need to be at the destination and push your limits to be there? Is there no other mode of transportation that can get me there? Looking at yourself from another perspective may be the reality check you need to make the proper decision.

Be a weather watcher

Flying VFR, you should be most concerned with ceilings and visibility. It makes sense — as long as you can maintain good visual contact with the ground at a safe altitude above it, you can make your way to your destination safely and legally.

Although the ceiling and the visibility are the most important figures, many other atmospheric features tell stories of their own. Narrow temperature/dew point spreads should raise the fog warning flag, altimeter settings (barometer readings) can give you an idea of storm activity in or around the reporting station, and wind direction and speed can indicate whether a front has passed or not.

It's good to always keep an eye on the weather, even if you're not flying. Although many a day starts out with a beautiful sunrise, a fast-moving cold front later in the day can quickly leave you stranded away from home or require you to find an alternate if you're already airborne. Even a generalized look at the weather throughout the week, such as the forecasts from The Weather Channel or from AOPA Online's new weather service, can give you a good overall look at what to expect.

Being a weather watcher also gives you the opportunity to compare the forecast with what actually happens. This will give you added insight into how weather forecasts can be botched and whether or not you really could have made a particular trip.

If the weather cooperates and you head out for a day-long trip, watch out for high-cloud formations on the horizon — they almost always precede frontal weather activity and often provide the first clue that something is on its way. In the summertime, look out for cumulus-cloud buildups. Tops of towering cumulus (convective) clouds can often be seen from great distances, poking high above the haze on summer days. If these come into view while you're at your destination, get on the telephone to a flight service briefer or, better yet, look at a radar picture.

For students, newly minted privates, or non-instrument-rated pilots, day trips are best. The weather forecasts are usually reasonably accurate the day before a planned trip, while longer trips simply leave more of an opportunity for weather patterns to change from what is forecast.

The briefing

Most of us have run across a flight service briefer who simply says, "VFR flight not recommended." Very often this advice holds true, but sometimes the briefer is covering his own behind. Put yourself in the briefer's place — he doesn't know whether he's talking to a new pilot or a seasoned veteran. He might not want to tell you that the thunderstorms should be easy to circumnavigate, for fear that you will blunder into one regardless. In this litigious society, it's easy to see why briefers may be discouraged from disclosing practical information instead of simply saying "VFR not recommended."

If you're a more experienced pilot and reach a briefer who thinks the sky is falling — and you feel differently — it's time to investigate. Ask whether storms are scattered or have formed a line. If the storms are in a line, you may as well heed the advice and stay put.

If the storms are not in a line, ask about cell strength and approximately how much distance lies between them. If you're dealing with level 5 and 6 cells, you'll need about 40 to 50 miles of VFR air between them to avoid the chance of a wild ride. One newly instrument-rated pilot flying VFR in a Cessna 172 thought that a 15-mile buffer between himself and a level-5 cell would suffice. Five minutes later, after he returned all of the charts, flashlights, pens, and other pilot paraphernalia to their proper places, he realized that 20 to 25 miles would have been a better buffer.

Question the briefer about the movement and speed of the storms. Fast-moving cells may clear out of your path in the time that it takes you to get there. Beware of others building in behind, though. Stay upwind of the moving storms, too. Once in flight, periodically check with flight watch for radar updates. Remember that most ATC radar scopes pick up only the heaviest of precipitation and the controllers don't have to tell you anything.

Plan your out. Ask the briefer where the good weather is and remember it. Where can you wait it out if the weather gets bad? Duck under an overcast layer before you get trapped on top. Most important, remember that VFR means stay visual. If you're not visual, you're breaking a rule that causes more fatal GA accidents than does any other factor — flying VFR into IMC.

VFR or IFR?

For those who have the paperwork and equipment allowing the IFR option, which is the best way to go? Most of the time the briefer will answer that question for you, but both sets of rules have distinct advantages.

VFR usually offers more direct routing and, therefore, a shorter flight — but VFR flight requires more attention from the pilot to keep himself away from other aircraft and out of other people's airspace. Severe clear days, a nice controller who points out traffic, and the luxury of a GPS or moving map make some VFR flights virtual no-brainers and an absolute joy to fly. However, on days when clouds and/or haze are present, VFR can quickly become a real task. Snaking through clouds in an effort to maintain the required cloud clearance can make your flight exhausting and your passengers sick. This is the time to climb above, descend below, or get an IFR clearance.

IFR has its advantages too. Airspace is a nonissue — you'll be cleared through or vectored around high-activity areas. Constant radar separation service is available in nearly all of the more densely populated areas, which will almost guarantee that you will not have a close encounter with another aircraft. In non-radar environs, where traffic is generally very sparse, position reporting by you and other aircraft will ensure separation. Another major advantage is punching right through that fair-weather cloud without having to slalom through the air as does your VFR friend.

There is quite a gray area in between IFR and VFR, though. On those marginal VFR days in the summer when thunderstorms are a possibility, VFR may be your best bet. Because most general aviation aircraft have no weather avoidance equipment, your only defense is to stay visual. Underneath an overcast layer, an embedded thunderstorm may pinpoint its location with a rainshaft and occasional lightning. Simply fly around it if you're VFR. Meanwhile, our IFR friend may be in the soup at 6,000 feet agl when, suddenly, his windshield turns dark. If he's lucky, he can turn around before the games begin; if not, he may be in for the ride of his life.

In areas of heavy traffic, such as New York City, IFR operations are generally done one way — the controller's way. Deviations from ATC instructions are often not possible simply because of the amount of traffic. VFR can be the only safe way to go in an icing situation, for example. To maintain IFR separation, controllers will stack the airplanes according to speed, which at times can put the little guy in a bad place — with nowhere to go. If freezing levels are nearing the surface and the ceiling is, say, 2,500 feet, you definitely want to stay out of the clouds, and VFR may be your only defense.