Photographic Logbook

MAY 18, 2025

2025 brought cold temperatures, low ceiling, rain, and gusty wind, the latter fortuitously right down the runway. A View from the Tower (Mostly) Shortly after my ascent of the tower, all four WFC airplanes were staged, ceilings were declared high enough to fly the usual ride circuit, and pilots simply awaited the arrival of passengers.

Ceiling

Flight Training Central

OCTOBER 14, 2024

IFR Alternate Airport Planning Legal requirements for selecting an alternate airport Additional GPS Approach Considerations Which weather forecast should you use? While every IFR flight requires you to file an IFR flight plan and receive an ATC clearance, not every flight is flown in IFR conditions.

Ceiling

Flight Training Central

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

For an instrument pilot, though, there is one key difference between a smaller, non-towered airport and a larger one with an air traffic control tower: obtaining an IFR clearance. To review, flying an IFR trip involves four main steps: File a flight plan (either with Flight Service or in an aviation app).

Clearance

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 6, 2024

Maybe it’s the Georgia flying weather, or maybe it’s the ever-increasing emphasis on “old” pilot instead of “bold” pilot, but it seems that flight planning these days is a lot more about if and when than about route and altitude. It’s only two hours by RV-9A, but there are gotchas lurking in the flight planning.

Airplanes

Flying Magazine

MAY 30, 2025

One of the most essential tools for staying ahead of the airplane is the electronic flight bag (EFB). You likely became introduced to an EFB as a student pilot and probably use one for basic flight planning tasks as a VFR pilot, but using one in instrument flight is different. Ceilings drop. The weather moves in.

Pilot

Flight Training Central

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

To log the approach toward instrument currency the flight must remain on an IFR flight plan throughout the approach and landing. the ILS approach can be credited regardless of actual weather if you are issued an IFR clearance. For any flight above an altitude of 1,200 feet AGL, when the visibility is less than 3 miles.

Instrument Flight Rules

Air Facts

AUGUST 16, 2024

I fly a Rockwell Commander 114B which I flight plan at 14 gph and 140 kts. It turns out that an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Orlando would have cost $1,646.00 (CND with taxes) but going Air Phil is way more fun. Friday was a day to decompress, spending time around the pool and preparing the Commander for the flight home.

Weather

Flight Training Central

FEBRUARY 17, 2024

Additionally, a pilot should report any of the following events:: When vacating any previously assigned altitude or flight level for a newly assigned altitude or flight level ( AIM 5-3-3 ) When an altitude change will be made if operating on a clearance specifying VFR-on-top. ( Each is defined by varying ceilings and visibility.

Instrument Flight Rules

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 22, 2024

First, I planned to fly into midsize airports equipped with both approach radar and an operating tower. While the temptation to find cheaper gas at an uncontrolled field loomed large, the extra services provided by the approach control, clearance delivery, and a busier FBO seemed to make more sense. It was time to divert.

Weather

Flying Magazine

MAY 15, 2024

These flights work best if they are limited to an airport 10 to 15 miles away. VFR to MVFR…then 2 miles visibility and a ceiling of 1,200 feet agl. Have the learner go through a flight from start-up to shutdown using the GPS. It’s just a few minutes, right? What could go wrong? Then the CFI slowly brings the weather down.

Crosswind

Flight Training Central

FEBRUARY 19, 2024

When flying IFR, ATC is working with you for the entire flight, from the clearance before you depart or slightly after you takeoff and pickup up a clearance in the air until you land, get close enough to your destination to cancel your IFR, or choose to cancel at some intermediate point. There are lots of benefits to doing this.

Pilot

Photographic Logbook

APRIL 19, 2024

On Wednesday, April 17, I broke ground exactly at 11:00 am as planned. I expected to manage some cloud layers during the New York portion of the flight, but the forecast called for a high ceiling at Northeast Philadelphia Airport. It added less than 10 minutes to the overall flight time. Famous last words.)

Approach

Photographic Logbook

FEBRUARY 4, 2024

More often than not, winter flying in Upstate New York is contingent on the ceiling. Ceilings are often too low to fly beneath and slowly climbing through a cloud layer of indeterminate thickness in sub-freezing temperatures risks icing. However, a persistent low ceiling scuttled those morning plans.

Ceiling

Flight Training Central

MARCH 18, 2024

For example, a pilot flying IFR in controlled airspace will have to file an IFR flight plan and receive an ATC clearance. For VFR flight, controlled airspace means increased cloud clearance and visibility requirements. Note that no clearance is required to enter Class C, just establishment of communications.

AGL

Photographic Logbook

JULY 9, 2024

Exactly like NYC, downtown Boston is encircled by restrictive Class Bravo airspace down to the surface that requires explicit clearance to enter. Date Aircraft Route of Flight Time (hrs) Total (hrs) 09 July 2024 N21481 BVY (Beverly, MA) - BVY 1.2 November Four Eight One, continue inbound, you'll get your Bravo clearance from Tower."

Clearance

Gary's Flight Journal

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

To start our flying day I must stress the most important part of flight planning, ADM, Aeronautical Decision Making. It's now 7am and our planned departure time was 9am arriving just after noon. I called the clearance delivery number on the OXB NOTAM but they gave me another number to call. Departure Day!

Clearance

Air Facts

MAY 27, 2024

In fact, if I could visually see a cloud deck from the ground, it would mean the troposphere ended at around 3,000 feet for me regardless of what the actual ceilings were. For example, I’ve watched a friend flight plan across two state lines at a cool 2,500 feet.

Ceiling

Photographic Logbook

OCTOBER 11, 2024

Off Sodus, I briefly leveled at 2,500 feet to remain visual until I received my instrument clearance from Rochester Approach. During flight planning, I determined that 8,000 feet would provide the best wind advantage of the available preferred westbound IFR cruise altitudes. It must have been the mutton chops.

Runway

Photographic Logbook

AUGUST 13, 2023

A Dunkin' in Jasper, GA made for makeshift flight planning space as we waited on fog to lift at Pickens County Airport. While I anticipated an IFR departure that morning, I wanted to see ceiling and visibility of at least 300 feet and a mile to avoid smacking into mountainous terrain around Pickens County Airport during take-off.

Approach

Photographic Logbook

OCTOBER 28, 2023

Once the rain relented, we staggered our departures and called for our IFR clearances on the ground. Despite those ground clearances, we found that the ceiling above our home airport was high enough to accommodate VFR departures with airborne clearances. Better safe than sorry.

Clearance

Air Facts

APRIL 29, 2024

A pit stop at North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (KCRE) was planned, and after a weather briefing, I filed an IFR flight plan. KCPC was reporting IFR conditions with a 700’ ceiling and one mile visibility. Unicom also confirmed the weather was still showing a 700’ ceiling with one mile of visibility.

Descent

Photographic Logbook

AUGUST 20, 2023

All it takes is a note in the flight plan "requesting no route across Lake Erie" to catch a human's eye and inspire intervention. Date Aircraft Route of Flight Time (hrs) Total (hrs) 20 Aug 2023 N21481 PTK (Waterford, MI) - SDC (Sodus, NY) 2.5 Though I remained within the clouds for the rest of the flight home, roughly 0.7

Runway