My question is mostly about the situations one might encounter during approach or when climbing out to cruising altitude. Although I did say earlier I don’t mind cruising in IMC I very much prefer to be visual on top. Recent experience had me on top of mostly everything at FL200.
But during the other two phases of flight movement might be limited and the issue of hanging in for a few minutes or to bail out is there.
What for example is “hard IMC” that some people talk about? I can’t put a meaning to it other than to fantasize. Anyone?
I would say that in pilot slang “hard IFR” might be to fly into ice, convective clouds and areas of heady precipitation knowlingly. Climbing through layers of icey clouds on the way on top is “hard IFR” for me (me!), but for others that’s probably an everyday procedure. I avoid it and rather fly in + centigrades in the clouds for an hour. “Hard IFR” is probably also flying approaches to the absolute minimum, another thing I don’t do. When I do an IFR approach I know that I’ll be VMC long before the minimum. I also don’t “try” approaches to check if I can get down. Those are the days I simply dn’t fly, because i don’t have to.
I pay for it myself, so I can decide when to fly.
I think every IFR pilot has to decide for himself what his limits are, and the trick is to stick to your own personal limits and not let other great aviators influence that decision.
Some guys say that when you start to lose more than 10-20kts IAS in an established scenario (cruise climb or level flight), it’s time to start to do something. How much more, I don’t know. I encountered a very fast 10kts reduction in speed and thin rim ice layer, but it wasn’t enough for me to change anything. It stayed like that and didn’t get worse. But I don’t have very much experience with ice.
If you have lost 20kt and you are still in IMC, it’s definitely time to activate Plan B with zero delay…
