Pirho wrote:
I am not 100% sure what you are referring too with regards to 1000’ rule, I am probably getting mixed up in different threads. If you are talking about this section:…
Then pay careful attention to the text I bolded. It does not apply to standard non-isolated ops.
And it also does not apply to the alternate – it applies to the destination!!
No need to apologise! Rightly or wrongly, I find these forums and online communities in general one of the best ways to learn about these things. It is a whole separate debate about flight schools teaching CAT stuff on light aircraft. I can totally see why they do it, but it causes problems as well.
I am not 100% sure what you are referring too with regards to 1000’ rule, I am probably getting mixed up in different threads. If you are talking about this section:
(b) the place of intended landing is isolated and:
(1) an instrument approach procedure is prescribed for the aerodrome of intended landing; and
Page 18 of 47
(2)
available current meteorological information indicates that the following meteorological conditions will exist from 2 hours before to 2 hours after the estimated time of arrival:
NCO.OP.141
(b) the
place of intended landing is isolated and:
(i) (ii)
a cloud base of at least 300 m (1 000 ft) above the minimum associated with the instrument approach procedure; and
visibility of at least 5.5 km or of 4 km more than the minimum associated with the procedure.
Then pay careful attention to the text I bolded. It does not apply to standard non-isolated ops.
If you are talking about something else then it is my turn to apologise for confusion!
Pirho wrote:
The regulation that has been mentioned about the alternate needing wx for the next worse approach is only applicable to part-CAT ops.
First of all, apologies for creating this confusion – I have recently obtained a new rating MEP and the associated IR (my test flight is for a story over a cold beer once we are allowed to fly again as I cannot post about it).
I was taught (very professional outfit, but indeed very likely more focused towards CAT rather than GA) the alternate needed to be the next worse approach available, on which I have now been corrected by various people including @bookworm. when in doubt, I would always take bookworms advise over mine (in particular when it comes to regulations).
I was referring to the text, to which I posted the link earlier with regards to the 1000ft rule
—> here
Which is for airplanes (see Both airplanes and helicopters to address AA’s concern that I posted helicopter minima). Heli’s have lower minima, but this turns out to be a draft that did not go into effect. So I stand corrected.
For low level (VFR usually) one can get wx over 3G/4G most of the time.
In fact one can get wx, using a suitably compact source (mostly these are private sites which strip off adverts etc), at FL100-180, over 3G/4G, especially over or near the Alps. You get absolutely nothing over some countries, but this varies; used to be that France and Belgium had zero, but France has improved somewhat.
But if you want reliability, want bigger stuff like radar images, not just tafs/metars, and want the data more than just once every couple of hours and then only if you are in luck, you need the Golze ADL. I have the ADL150. One of GA’s best products and one of GA’s most responsive companies.
En-route weather ADL is best so far, for en-route weather one does get surprised even with few minutes lag of ADL data !
Terminal weather just ask any FIS or ATIS/VOLMET or 3G network updates, although SkyDemon before the flight does a pretty good job for less than 2h legs, you are pretty 100% sure of terminal weather, you will rarely get surprised as you know what you sign for 
Peter_G wrote:
I would be curious as to what ‘simple’(!) IFR pilots like myself (i.e. one’s with perhaps only a Garmin430W/SkyDemon on iPad and a Mobile Phone) do for Inflight weather updates?
ADL.
Peter_G wrote:
I would be curious as to what ‘simple’(!) IFR pilots like myself (i.e. one’s with perhaps only a Garmin430W/SkyDemon on iPad and a Mobile Phone) do for Inflight weather updates?
When I fly up to aprox. 3000 ft AGL I find that I still get reception and can continue to update my wx on SkyDemon and on the “Pilot Weather” app on my phone.
If not, nearby ATIS, if not, VOLMET (do those exist in the UK? I used them in Spain), and as last resort, ATC/FIS.
But usually the latest wx update (observations and forecasts) just before T/O is good enough for the entire flight.
Peter_G wrote:
I would be curious as to what ‘simple’(!) IFR pilots like myself (i.e. one’s with perhaps only a Garmin430W/SkyDemon on iPad and a Mobile Phone) do for Inflight weather updates?
ATIS, VOLMET if applicable and ATC requests is my way of doing it. I hope we can get some good enroute wx info on UAT/978 in the future.
It is interesting how even during the time of this post that the facilities and means of obtaining (accurate?) weather at one’s destination – either before departure or en-route – has changed and developed for the better.
Even flight planning apps like SkyDemon now have reasonably reliable ‘en-route weather forecasting’ which one can load seconds before t/o.
Back in post #20 2greens1red identified an AeroPlus app (which I can’t seem to find – Does it still exist?) which seemed to give useful information.
I would be curious as to what ‘simple’(!) IFR pilots like myself (i.e. one’s with perhaps only a Garmin430W/SkyDemon on iPad and a Mobile Phone) do for Inflight weather updates?
Airborne_Again wrote:
No, it’s not like that at all. Some posts in the other thread mixed up the actual rules with helicopter rules and rules for isolated airports.
Wops. Forgive me.
