IFR Flight To Monterey (112302)
Well, Gabor's report inspired me (and reminded me... :-)) to write about my
second trip as an instrument-rated pilot (the first being back from Castle
after the checkride) and my first time in actual IMC...
On Saturday, 11/23/02, there was a nice layer of stratus covering the bay
area and Monterey... so I decided to take 52535 (the new C172SP at WVFC-PAO)
out for a flight... :-) I was supposed to take off at 11am but I got tied up
at WVFC chatting with Sanjay and a few others so I didn't take off until
12:30pm... I filed TEC from PAO->MRY... and here is where I discovered one
of the first inconveniences about IFR vs. VFR, especially on a low-ceiling
day... It took me nearly 20 minutes to finally get released from the run-up
area! :-) All the while PAO tower had its hands busy dealing with all of the
planes in the pattern (apparently a few more than usual? They had quite afew
people doing 360s, S-turns, and going-around... perhaps due to the low
stratus layer that trapped a few people at the airport?)... Anyways, finally
got released (PAO, rt060 w/in 1nm, rvSNS, D->MRY)... Pretty uneventful...
entered the base at 1500' or so... go out on top around 3000' or so...
Eventually got direct SNS...
So, going to SNS, I was just looking over the ILS 10R MRY leisurely while
checking the instruments and for traffic... they eventually asked me what
approach I wanted and I said ILS 10R MRY... and here was the first
surprise... :-) I got back, "Unable due to some problem with the localizer
on 10R... suggest LOC DME 28L"... okay... so my first lesson in IFR
flying... be prepared to take a different approach than you wanted... I had
all of the MRY approaches tucked in a small binder next to my left leg, but
I had ILS 10R MRY in my kneepad, so I had to grab LOC DME 28L out of the
binder... doh! :-) I was hoping to get autopilot to help me out a second but
I could not get the stupid thing to engage (NAV/HDG/or ALT... hmm....) Oh
well, so eventually got LOC DME 28L out... set up the frequencies, etc...
checked the compass, etc. etc...
I got a descent down from 6000' to 5100' along the way and eventually a
descent to down to 4200' at the same time as he vectors me onto the
localizer... (standard stuff, maintain at/above 4200' until established on
localizer...)... once I got on the localizer (I was 4-5NM outside of RODNE)
I slowed the plane down as I usually did during training... Apparently the
controller had some other ideas... I was told to keep best forward speed...
since I was a good 15NM or so out, I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a
try... it was an interesting feeling descending and shooting the approach at
120-130kts... (for one, I felt like I was just doing a constant descent
since by the time I needed to level off, I had reached the next stepdown
point)... but about 6-7NM out, I decided that I really didn't feel like
finishing the approach at 120-130kts and slowed to down to a more reasonable
90-100kts...
Several things I will note... 1) it is a slightly different feeling going
into IMC for the first time solo especially at 120-130 kts... I REALLY
needed to believe that localizer needle and the altimeter...) 2) I am not
totally convinced that that 4200' letdown up until RODNE gives enough
clearance for my comfort zone... since before I entered the clouds, I was
approaching 4500' (I was allowed to letdown to 4200' and I didn't quite like
the fact I could see a hill under me... it wasn't that that close, but
still... hmmm.... I might alter my plates a little... more on that in a
bit...)...
Anyways, so the MDA is 1660'... I actually "broke out" at about
1700-1750'... that was kind of interesting... But saw the runway and just
continued down visually...
I ended up going to the Golden Tee, had a chicken breast sandwich, and
overheard a couple saying they were waiting to see if they could get out of
here (MRY)... I thought maybe they were pilots so I asked if they flew
here... they did... and I thought that maybe he was VFR trying to get out...
turns out they were flying United... but he was actually a captain for
United as well... :-) (ooopps... :-))... so he started telling me his
tips/tricks... (like how he said his let down before RODNE on LOC DME 28L is
4600' since in the jets he flies, at 4200' and also 3500' for the second
letdown, it gets low enough to set off the terrain proximity alarm, which
the passengers can hear and which also is company policy for a missed
approached)... We chatted a little and they had to try to catch a flight to
LA...
On the way back, I got a TORO5 departure (actually I was expecting to use
28L, but apparently the ILS 10R was okay now so I had to do another plate
shuffle to get the TORO5 departure procedures out...), MOVER, SAPID, ABSIW,
direct PAO... when asked what approach I wanted, I told him GPS 31 and he
said he'd have to go work some stuff out and to standby (maybe they were
hoping to give me visual? I can't imagine they were expecting to give me VOR
DME 31...)... Okay... another I learned... I was talking to clearance
delivery on ground frequency... (as said by ATIS)... so they had me taxiing
to 10R... all the while I heard them having Challengers and Skywest jets
holding for the Cessna on his way to 10R (me... :-))... and then I hear,
"Cessna 52535, clearance delivery..."... and stupid me, I replied while I
was still taxiing (all the while watching out for jets...)... and then on
the spot, he starts rattling off my clearance... it then became an
interesting task of taxiing, copying down clearance, reading back clearance,
and complying with the "hold for the Challenger since we are going to let
him get out before you"... (lesson: if you hear them id themselves as
clearance delivery while you are taxiing, respond with standby until you are
ready to copy and the airplane is STOPPED in an unobtrusive area...)...
The flight back was relatively benign... coming into the bay area, I was
told to go direct ABSIW (never made it to SAPID), and then cleared for the
approach GPS 31 PAO... and once again, I was told to keep up maximum forward
speed before going to PAO tower... (I was at like 120kts then so I replied
that I was already maximum forward speed... these controllers really try to
ram planes down those approaches on IMC days huh?)... entered some clouds
and broke out well above MDA at PAO, told to follow another Cessna on final
for 31... that Cessna took the runway for a little too long (I think I could
have made it) so tower told me to go around... I short-circuited my pattern
on tower's clearance, came back around, and landed... with tower thanking me
for the assistance... :-)
All in all a nice leisurely flight... 2 approaches (went through IMC both
directions), 0.1 actual, 2.5 hobbs... satisfied pilot: 1. :-)
I am going to file IFR more often. :-) I am just hoping for more IMC! :-)
Michael.
BTW. IFR with moving map GPS and MFD is absolutely wonderful... :-) Now to
figure out what is wrong with the autopilot in 52535... :-)
Last updated: 112502