This morning I experienced the limits of GA flying and would like to reflect a bit on it. I wanted to travel from EDVK (Kassel) to EDDK (Cologne) with an arrival around 0915 local time (0715Z). I ended up driving 3 hours.
The METARs this morning:
EDDK 170520Z 28008KT 2500 -DZ BR SCT002 BKN003 13/12 Q1013 BECMG 4000
EDDK 170650Z 29010KT 4000 -DZ BR FEW002 BKN005 OVC010 13/12 Q1013 BECMG 6000
EDDK 170720Z 29009KT 3200 -DZ BR FEW002 BKN005 OVC010 13/12 Q1013 BECMG 6000
The one from 0520Z definitely made me use the car instead of attempting to fly.
At Cologne there were several landing options with the current wind:
RNAV RWY 32L for LNAV/NVAV has 511’ DA
ILS RWY 24 has 200’ DA but it says LACFT: DA 317’ with FULL lights RVR 700m
ILS RWY 32R has DA of 200’ with LACFT: DA 257’ with FULL lights RVF 600m
I feel that I would likely have had a hard time getting to the ground and probably would have ended flying back to EDVK where the weather was varying between OVC007 and OVC009.
Also I did remember someone saying “don’t plan a flight to an airport close to the limits” referring to the DA.
The lowest I’ve come out of the clouds so far was about 500’ AGL during my IFR training in the US for a circle to land.
I always wonder how one gets to gain experience with flying to approach minimums in actual conditions. Does it just happen one day because the weather is worse than forecast? Do people lower their personal minimums step by step? Or just go for it based on the thought “I’ve trained for that”?
Stephan_Schwab wrote:
I always wonder how one gets to gain experience with flying to approach minimums in actual conditions. Does it just happen one day because the weather is worse than forecast?
Yes, exactly. I too do not depart if the forecast weather is at the minimum but then sometimes it happens to be like that. For me it’s usually Oostend EBOS, whenever I go there I get visual at 200ft AGL. And once I heard another pilot “requesting special VFR”. Haha.
I believe with a bit of experience you could have departed. Both EDDK and your aircraft are extremely well equipped.
Well, he could have made this flight under the following conditions:
-no pressure at all to be able to land at EDDK
-lots of fuel on board
-you are comfortable going cross country SEP IFR in low conditions
In these circumstances, it could have been a very good training flight. Fly there, shoot the ILS, and if you see the lights, land. Otherwise, go missed and go back home.
I think that in both cases, it would have been a precious experience. Had you been able to land, it would have been a huge feeling of accomplishment. There is just nothing like landing from an ILS right down to minimums. Had you been forced to go missed anf go back home, it would have a huge accomplishment quite as much.
I also tried to avoid get-there-itis this morning. :-)
@boscomantico wrote:
I think that in both cases, it would have been a precious experience. Had you been able to land, it would have been a huge feeling of accomplishment. There is just nothing like landing from an ILS right down to minimums. Had you been forced to go missed anf go back home, it would have a huge accomplishment quite as much.
These thoughts were going through my head this morning. However, I had a work related reason for being in Cologne and an alternative means of transportation and no reason to trade work for practice.
EDDK 170520Z 28008KT 2500 -DZ BR SCT002 BKN003 13/12 Q1013 BECMG 4000
EDDK 170650Z 29010KT 4000 -DZ BR FEW002 BKN005 OVC010 13/12 Q1013 BECMG 6000
EDDK 170720Z 29009KT 3200 -DZ BR FEW002 BKN005 OVC010 13/12 Q1013 BECMG 6000
Assuming a 200ft ILS DH, I would have gone on the last two if there were alternates which were OK and getting stuck in them would not be a complete disaster e.g. they were not total dumps and the wx the following day was looking better.
Obviously one would not go to Le Touquet for lunch in the -DZ 
The important thing is to often fly an ILS fully coupled (autopilot) and knowing absolutely exactly how to set it all up. I have a checklist for that, which includes setting up the GPS in OBS mode for situational awareness. You can practice hand flying to minima another time, with a co-pilot, when you don’t need it
Peter wrote:
I have a checklist for that, which includes setting up the GPS in OBS mode for situational awareness.
I believe all of the more modern GPS show an extended centerline (“fan”) for all runways without configuring anything. I have that on my Garmin 695 and the G500/G1000 and Avidyne do that as well. Greatly helps with situational awareness, especially when you get that final heading to intercept and see how things are supposed to work out.
@Peter wrote:
The important thing is to often fly an ILS fully coupled (autopilot) and knowing absolutely exactly how to set it all up.
The good thing about my aircraft is that when I load the approach all configuration happens automatically. Approach briefing is basically to verify what the computers did – plus get the most important details into short-term memory.
Cool feature : given that it is able to fly more or less straight towards the localizer the R9 on my aircraft will switch from GPS to VLOC automatically. Many ILS approaches that I’ve had so far have a GPS waypoint at the FAF, which helps with that.
Stephan_Schwab wrote:
Does it just happen one day because the weather is worse than forecast?
The first time I flew an approach to minimums, that’s exactly what happened. I remembered looking up at DH+100, not seeing anything and thinking “I don’t want to go to Aalborg” (my alternate). When I looked up at DH, there were the approach lights. Relief! That was a hand-flown approach btw – the aircraft didn’t have an autopilot.
The viz was rather much better than minimums, though. 2000 m, IIRC. The weather was DZ.
GPS to VLOC switching:
never rely on this feature! It will always work, until it doesn’t, and it’s been one of the topics that have been discussed over and over on COPA.
I for one switched to setting the final course manually and i also press the VLOC button manually. Then i don’t have to assume it’s right – i know it.
But i tend towards GPS approaches more and more anyway. There’s simply less mistakes you can make and in the Cirrus you can simply stay in the same autopilot and nav mode.
