There has been a lot of talk about the “point and wait” trick for cloud clearance since my first post on the subject. To clear up any questions on the matter, I went up and shot some video of this rule of thumb in action. Check it out and spread the word.

It’s a good idea to avoid the clouds as much as possible. For IFR pilots, you’ll typically find a smoother ride in the clear. VFR pilots have no choice on the matter: per cloud-clearance rules, it’s the law! But what about that cloud out on the horizon? You don’t need a Sporty’s sight-level to tell if you’re going to hit that puffy cumulus up ahead. All you need is a finger!

Point at the top of the cloud.

Step 1: Point
Take your pointer finger and literally point at the top of the cloud. Reach forward and physically touch the window at the top of the cloud.

Step 2: Wait
Keep your head and finger in the same position while maintaining unaccelerated flight: straight & level or steady & stabilized climb or descent.

Step 3: Observe
Observe the cloud’s motion relative to your finger.
If the cloud appears to move below your finger, you will pass above the cloud. But if the cloud moves above the finger, you can expect to go IMC in a few moments.

If cloud moves below your finger you will pass above.

If cloud moves above finger, you'll fly into the cloud.

This whole trick is based on the old collision-avoidance rule that any airplane with no apparent motion must be on a collision course. It’s easy to “eyeball” another airplane and detect relative motion.. Because of the slower closure rates and enormous size of some clouds, it is a lot more difficult to judge motion.

If you don’t mind writing on the windows, you can also use a dry-erase marker to free up your hand.

Summer is upon us and with it comes the inevitable thunderstorm. This is especially true in the Southeast where the forecast for “vicinity thunderstorms” dominates nearly every TAF. Thunderstorms don’t always have to spell out a cancelled flight, but proper thunderstorm avoidance requires a heightened level of awareness from us as pilots.

That being said, we can’t let a little thing like scattered thunderstorms cancel our plans all the time. Scattered cumulonimbus clouds tend to be few and far apart, making it easy pilots to pick their way around the weather. There are two schools of thought on this.

Rainshafts and virga extend from a dissipating thunderstorm

A lot of VFR pilots prefer to stay down low and avoid the rain shafts by a healthy margin. Although this method does work, it has its drawbacks. First off, it’s mighty bumpy down low with all that convective activity going on. Furthermore, a thick haze layer could obstruct your vision just enough to lure you into the weather. Flying around under the clouds with increasing weather can even tempt the most disciplined pilot into scud-running, which is always a bad idea.

Perhaps the best way to dodge weather is to get on top and visually weave your aircraft around the buildups. After flying a variety of aircraft with anything from onboard radar to XM satellite weather, I can personally vouch for Richard L. Collins’ statement that the best weather avoidance tools are your own eyes, or the “Mark II Eyeball,” as he calls it.

My eyeballs tell me I don't want to fly through that.

Visually dodging works great, but piston driven (and even turboprop) aircraft can’t always stay out of the muck. That’s right, the instrument rated pilot might find himself blindly flying towards embedded thunderstorms! Without onboard weather radar, this is a very dicey proposition and serious thought should be given to landing and reevaluating your options.

If you are continuing (are you sure this is such a good idea?) then it would be prudent to make full use of air traffic control and local flight service stations. You might be blind, but the controllers and FSS personnel may be able to suggest alternate routing that will keep you out of the worst of it. Sure, there are no guarantees, but it’s better than nothing.

The darker areas will usually have more severe turbulence.

Even in the clouds, the window can play a role in thunderstorm avoidance. Near nasty weather, it is not uncommon to see gradients of white and grey in the windshield. As a rule of thumb, avoid the dark patches for the smoothest ride and don’t ask, but tell the controllers what you need in terms of heading and altitude.

Thunderstorms are serious business, and ought to be avoided at all costs. This doesn’t mean that you can’t fly, but it does mean that you have to be careful. Visual avoidance is always your best bet, and the decision to enter a region of thunderstorms in IMC needs to be well thought out. Use all available resources to plan and reevaluate your flight, and know that there is no shame in landing and waiting out the storm.

A lot of VFR pilots talk about punching through holes in the cloud deck and flying on top. This usually raises a few eyebrows, and brings up a few questions. Is this legal? And more importantly, is it safe?

To answer the first question, yes it is perfectly legal to fly VFR above a cloud layer. In fact VFR over the top has a specific FAA definition under 14 CFR 1.1:

VFR over the top, with respect to the operation of aircraft, means the operation of an aircraft over the top under VFR when it is not being operated on an IFR flight plan.

A lot of pilots prefer to fly cross country on top to avoid low-level turbulence which usually stops above the bases of cumulus clouds. Keep in mind that VFR flight visibility and cloud clearance rules still apply, so you can’t get too close to those clouds.

Is it safe?

This is a difficult question to answer, and it depends on the pilot’s individual experience and decision making skills.

As a VFR pilot, flight on top presents a variety of new hazards. Without reference to ground landmarks, a pilot must maintain a higher level of situational awareness through onboard navigational aids. It’s easy to get lost up there.

Cloudscapes can be a hazard of their own. VFR pilots are trained to fly the airplane primarily by reference to the horizon. Sloping cloud layers can create false horizons which may lure the pilot into a descending turn. The attitude indicator and heading indicator will be your best bet to notice and rectify the situation.

Perhaps the greatest hazard is that of getting stuck on top. There is no guarantee that the hole you climbed through is going to be there when you want to come back down. Pilots need to monitor the weather and get back down before the broken layer becomes an overcast.

Flying VFR on top is as safe as you can to make it. If you’re new to the game, then might I suggest that you stay below the deck for a while. For those of you going up top, keep your guard up and fly safe!

How often do you shoot an instrument approach? Chances are that it is not very often. Most of us have the good sense to stay out of the weather when conditions are marginal. Furthermore, in most parts of the world, the weather is usually conducive to a visual approach. This is good news for VFR pilots, but it can make the instrument rated aviator more than a bit rusty.

Airline pilots do this sort of thing on nearly every flight. When the ATIS indicates a visual approach is in use, flight crews typically brief that “this will be a visual, backed up by the ILS.” This means that we will plan on making a visual approach, while preparing for the instrument approach. This dual visual/instrument approach has several advantages.

First, the pilot’s situational awareness is boosted by the use of radio aids. We’ve all lost sight of the runway at some time or another, but a quick check of the localizer needle can provide an at-a-glance reassurance that you haven’t blown through the final approach course! Furthermore, GPS systems can be configured to display instrument approaches (and even visual approaches in some cases) as an extended centerline miles away from the runway. So long as you can fly the airplane to that line and make the turn, you ought to find the runway right in front of the nose.

Another advantage of backing up the visual with an instrument approach is that it simultaneously sharpens both visual and instrument skills. By monitoring the CDI and glideslope indicator, the pilot is more likely to maintain the perfect site-picture for a stellar landing (so long as speed control is right on!). Furthermore, the pilot’s mind will be forced to interpret and understand localizer and/or glideslope indications, leading to greater skill and confidence when landing in actual instrument conditions.

For IFR traffic operating into busy towered airports, it is strongly recommended that pilots be prepared for the most likely instrument approach as controllers may issue clearances and speed restrictions to specific approach fixes. For example, a pilot may be “cleared for the visual 18L, maintain 140 knots to RONEE, contact tower 119.7 at RONEE.” The prepared pilot will already have configured for the ILS and is already in a position to identify RONEE without scrambling for charts in a high-workload environment.

It is important to note that backing up a visual approach with an instrument approach is not the same thing as flying an actual instrument approach. These approaches cannot be logged as instrument approaches for the sake of maintaining currency unless it is done under a training hood with a qualified safety pilot.

At all times, the pilot should keep in mind that he is flying a visual approach, which does not have a published missed approach procedure. In the event of a go-around, entering the traffic pattern would be the appropriate maneuver unless otherwise directed by air traffic control.

Last week’s post about VFR flight followings raised a few questions. This week, lets take a look at the rules surrounding participation in a flight following.

The rules of flight followings are actually quite simple to obey. So long as you keep your head out the window and keep ATC advised of what you are doing you will be set.

Once you have requested a VFR flight following, it is important to keep in mind that you are still VFR traffic. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are subject to the same rights and privileges of IFR traffic. You are not. VFR cruising altitudes, cloud clearance and visibility requirements still apply. Furthermore, controllers will provide traffic advisories on a workload permitting basis only. This means that you are still expected to see and avoid other traffic. Keep those eyes out the window!

According to the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), “pilots should monitor the assigned frequency at all times“. Once you have requested a flight following, it is important to remain on your assigned frequency. It is perfectly acceptable to leave frequency to monitor ATIS or contact a flight service station (FSS), so long as air traffic control is advised ahead of time.

On initial contact, air traffic control will typically assign a transponder code to participating aircraft. You are expected to maintain the assigned squawk code for the duration the flight following. Air traffic control will normally advise pilots to “squawk VFR” after a flight following has been cancelled.

The AIM goes on to state that “pilots should also inform the controller when changing VFR cruising altitudes“. This does not mean that you will need a clearance to change altitudes, you simply need to advise the controller of your intentions. After all, this is a VFR flight following, not an IFR flight plan.

Although the FAR/AIM makes no mention of this, it is courteous to advise controllers of any unplanned changes in heading. Suppose you need to divert 20 degrees left for weather; it would be wise to let the controller know that “Cherokee 54321 is deviating 20 left for weather”.

The rules of VFR flight followings can be summed up in one simple sentence: keep ATC in the loop. Keep your assigned transponder code set so that the controllers can see you. Monitor the appropriate frequency to maintain communication with ATC. Always advise controllers of any changes in your flight path, and please keep your eyes open for traffic.