Remove Ceiling Remove Clearance Remove Turbulence
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Long Trips & Small Airplanes

Plane and Pilot

The route is simple, GPS direct, but…there’s my personal 1,000-foot en route ceiling requirement, and those silly Smoky Mountains. Also, from when I lived out West, there was the mountaintop clearance guideline—1,000 feet for every 10 knots of wind, with 30 knots meaning no-go. The two considerations are turbulence and headwinds.

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Who is the pilot in command of your aircraft?

Air Facts

“The instrument conditions, likely turbulence, and increased workload imposed by beginning the approach phase of the flight presented a situation that was conducive to the development of spatial disorientation and a loss of situational awareness. Communicate sounds self-explanatory, and it mostly is.

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How Low is Too Low?

Plane and Pilot

The conditions were a mile of visibility and about 500 feet of ragged ceiling, barely enough to maintain orientation by landmarks passing below. A low ceiling absolutely ends a planned flight, though visibility may be the legal determining factor in some situations. If on radar vectors, the controller may have another option for you.

Weather 76
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Flying to Sun ‘n Fun 2024

Air Facts

Allowing the altitude to sort itself out was the most practical approach with dealing with the wave and associated turbulence. Once on the north side of the Appalachians, the mountain wave and turbulence subsided making the flight into London (CYXU) quite enjoyable. The next day was VFR with some lower cloud ceilings along the way.

Weather 98
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How Low Is Too Low?

Plane and Pilot

The conditions were a mile of visibility and about 500 feet of ragged ceiling, barely enough to maintain orientation by landmarks passing below. A low ceiling absolutely ends a planned flight, though visibility may be the legal determining factor in some situations. If on radar vectors, the controller may have another option for you.

Weather 52
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The Flying Bear Goes to Beantown | Part 4, Going Missed

Photographic Logbook

Moments after climbing through the ceiling over Beverly, MA. We made an IFR departure that morning on runway 16 and climbed above the ceiling in short order. But I accepted the clearance knowing that I could change it with a local Approach control like Syracuse. This was even better than I requested.

Ceiling 52
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Always Have an Out

Photographic Logbook

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.

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