Learn to Fly

APRIL 11, 2024

Once the decision is made to divert, the next decision is to return to the departure, continue to the alternate (which was determined as part of flight planning), or pick a new destination to get out of the weather. Ceiling—How high are the clouds; can you fly above or around them? This tends to result in extreme conditions.

Weather 52

Weather Wind Shear Turbulence Ceiling 52

Pilot's Life Blog

JULY 25, 2024

Types of Weather Briefings You can obtain three different types of weather briefings, including: Standard briefing : A standard briefing offers the most comprehensive data and compares your flight plan with current weather conditions and updated forecasts. It includes weather trends.

Weather 52

Weather Pilot True Airspeed Ceiling 52

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 77

Weather Knot Ceiling Turbulence 77

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 71

Descent Approach Weather Runway 71

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 87

Airplanes Weather Ceiling Turbulence 87

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 52

Ceiling Approach Pilot Weather 52

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 97

Approach Wind Shear Runway VOR 97