----- Original Message -----
From: "Bulent Aliev" <atlasyts@bellsouth.net>
To: "Rotary motors in aircraft"
<flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Sent: Sunday, October 31, 2004 4:58 PM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: 3000 fpm :-) (unofficially)


> On 10/31/04 3:54 PM, "Ed Anderson"
<eanderson@carolina.rr.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi Steve, good to hear from you.
> >
> > Yes, I always looked at the weather in SC just
to see if I did get off
what
> > it would be like a bit further south.  Generally
the fog didn't start to
> > lift until near the Georgia border.
>
> You guys have one year to get your instrument
rating. Last year we had 6
> rotary powered airplanes. This year two? We are
going backwards?
> Fin is the only one with real coconuts to fly in
even if the tower told
him
> it is IFR (or fly period :) It was a great
gathering as usual and we thank
> Tracy and Laura for the hospitality and Laura's
parents for landing them
> their beautiful house.
> Bulent
>

Ah! I see we are now using Finn's coconuts as the
standard- are we?.  Well,
this old ape is content to let the young ones with
the big coconuts fly in
that kind of weather.  Probably why you only see
small coconuts on old apes
{:>)

Two winters ago I stupidly got myself in situation
(clear Wx was being
reported behind a cold front) flying at 8000 ft and
trying to go over the
tops of a "few clouds". I ended up spending 15-20
minutes in solid IFR and
ice.  Ice formed on the canopy and in front of each
fuel cap on the wing.
Fortunately had pitot heat and remembered to turn it
on before it was too
late.  yes, I did the 180 thing but the weather had
build up behind me
quickly.

Staying on the AI, altimeter and GPS, I was finally
able to get down and
below the weather at 1800 MSL.   I finally landed
minus radio antenna (that
the ice took off) just  north of Atlanta.   The
first thing I saw when I
staggered into the FBO's office through the blowing
snow was an article
posted to their reading board about the average time
a non-instrument rated
pilot lasted in IFR conditions was a few seconds
short of 3 minutes. The
experience and the article was  enough to shrink any
oversized coconuts
this old ape may have had. {:>)

My plane is instrumented for IFR (fortunately) and I
actually completed the
instrument ground school and passed the FAA ground
test just before I
retired.  I then decided that there was probably
risk in me completing an
obtaining an IFR rating.  If you don't stay current
- I think you are
fooling yourself and just might end up in a
situation beyond your current
capabilities.

Sorry, I didn't make it and missed seeing all you
folks that did, but hope
to make it next year.  Now if Tracy got a GPS
approach for Shady Bend {:>)

Best Regards

Ed Anderson.



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