Icing!

[Orest Skrypuch]

Flying KSBP - KMAE (CREPE3 PRB CZQ), filed for 9000ft, didn't get over 5000ft.

Developed moderate to severe icing and had to descend, twice. No big surprise, the CIP and SkewTs strongly suggested that, and there were scattered pireps as well. Trouble was, terrain was rising to meet us, NW of Avenal. ZLA and ZOA did a great job of keeping us out of trouble, and clear of terrain.

Heavy rain and low ceilings greeted us at the end of the flight, but that is partly why I chose to fly it. It was a VOR 30 into MAE, did not make it in, ceiling right at minimums. Saw the airport finally, but not until in the turn on the missed, flew the published. Plan was to divert to KFAT for the ILS in the event of. Got in there just fine.

Adding to the intensity was flying /A, as I usually do here. GREAT session.

I do have an edited MP3 of the whole run, about 15min. But it is fairly large, and the forum doesn't like .MP3 uploads it seems. I'll try to share it with anyone interested. Edit: IIRC it Involved Saturday's (17 March) 1800-ZLA, 1800-ZOA, 1900-ZOA & 2000-ZOA recordings.

* Orest

P.S. Calling N1909S - we were compatriots in the weather last night!

[arb65912]

Hi Orest,

I would like to learn more about the weather. What source are you using for it? I can not use DUATS, I am a student pilot only and will be for a long time ( finances ).

Is there any site you would suggest for learning weather related subjects?

I am going to listen to the whole recording from PE, when was your flight?

Cheers, AJ

[Keith Smith]

Orest,

Try to include the date/time of your flight, and/or include a link to the raw recording, with the relevant time offset within the file, ie, "5min 30sec into this recording."

I'll see if I can modify the forum to allow larger uploads and allow the mp3 extension.

[Orest Skrypuch]

Rog. It is a lot of listening to ferret out the whole story, and why I pared it down. I'll host the MP3 elsewhere, and provide a link.

Seems, the flight is not on PEaware yet. IIRC it Involved Saturday's (17 March) 1800-ZLA, 1800-ZOA, 1900-ZOA & 2000-ZOA recordings. (edited in above)

* Orest

[Keith Smith]

Hi Orest,

If it wasn't in PEAware within a few minutes of you landing, then it won't be there at all. Did you make it to your filed destination and were you there for more than a minute or two before disconnecting? If not, that usually results in the flight as being considered incomplete on PEAware.

I've increased the attachment size limit (20MB) but I can't find a setting for file extensions, so I'm hoping it was just a size issue. Give it another whirl.

[Orest Skrypuch]

Hi Orest,

I would like to learn more about the weather ...

Well, there is nothing more important, and as undertaught and under-understood as MET, when it comes to aviation. I have a curious interest in it (perhaps just a survival sense), and try to get pilot's excited about it. It is an enormously large topic, a single source can only begin to cover it.

As a student, you will be preparing for the written. The MET needed on the written will not get you very far, especially if you proceed to your commercial/instrument ratings. Also, sadly, these days you do not have access to highly trained meteorologists with local knowledge when you call for a briefing, you get a technician with a canned script. Pilots really do need to synthesize the weather picture themselves with the rich variety of tools available through the internet to us now. DUATs is a reasonable source, but only provides the basics, so do not lament not having access yet.

All I can suggest, is dig in, and keep reading. One book leads to the next. One specific book I will suggest is:

Weather Flying - Robert Buck
Weather Flying is regarded in the industry as the bible of weather flying. Robert Buck, a general aviation and commercial pilot with tens of thousands of hours of flight time, explains weather in a nontechnical way, giving pilots useful understanding of weather and practical knowledge of how to judge it and fly it. Covers weather flying psychology, en route weather changes, radar and how to use it, taking off in bad weather, and much more. Winner of the Flight Safety Foundation's Publication Award; recommended by the FAA.
Amazon link


Explore the various sites like ...

http://aviationweather.gov
http://weather.aero
http://www.spc.noaa.gov
http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov
http://rucsoundings.noaa.gov
http://weather.rap.ucar.edu


Anything specific, just ask.

* Orest

[Orest Skrypuch]

Hi Orest,

If it wasn't in PEAware within a few minutes of you landing, then it won't be there at all. Did you make it to your filed destination and were you there for more than a minute or two before disconnecting? If not, that usually results in the flight as being considered incomplete on PEAware.

That is it then, I never did make to the filed destination, diverted to KFAT.

* Orest

[Orest Skrypuch]

Below is the link to that MP3 , it is about 15min of edited radio chatter. I was flying a Commander 114, N1326L. I included some clips from another aircraft who happened to be on the exact same flight, a Cessna, N1909S. It was a complete co-incidence, but it was interesting to see both of us end up in much the same trouble. If you want to skip ahead, the trouble starts at about the 3 min mark, while I was still busy and on the CREPE3 departure climbout.

I filed for 9000, never got there. Was quickly IMC, freezing level at 6000, and descended to 4500. That is below the enroute minimum vector altitudes, which resulted in some problem solving.

The weather was not good, low ceilings, multiple layers, rain to heavy rain, and of course a bit of chill in the air.

Icing MP3 clip (14mb in size)

I continue to be amazed by the professionalism of the PE controllers.

* Orest

[Orest Skrypuch]

The flight route.



* Orest

[arb65912]

Orest, thank you very much for the input.
I am thinking about getting that book you mentioned, now I need to make time to study it...
Cheers, AJ