This lesson almost didn’t happen because of weather, but we went, and I am glad we did because it turned out to be a great flight. We’ve had another couple of days of not-so-nice weather, and with its multiple layers of clouds and crazy winds, today was no exception. We reviewed the TAFs, radar and satellite imagery before walking outside to make our final decision. It looked like we had plenty of holes in the clouds which we could use to get out, buy my instructor decided to file an IFR flight plan for our return in case the clouds closed in behind us.
After takeoff I headed east towards the practice area, climbing up through the holes in the clouds on our way to our final altitude of 6,500′. This was a little higher than we have been going, but we needed to clear of the clouds with the appropriate clearances. Most of the climb was VFR, but my instructor had me don the hood for the last 2,000′, vectoring me around clouds as needed. Well, since I could see I assume that’s what he was doing.
Continue reading ‘IFR Lesson 3: Partial panel, UNOS and an ILS’
