Brian Kraut wrote: >I go over the top often, but I always keep checking a bunch of AWOS and >ASOS > stations along the path in front of me and along the sides of my path. If > I > can't receive enough information from that I will call Flight Watch and > check on the conditions that are in front of me and out of my radio range. > That gives you a pretty good idea on what you can expect over the next > half > hour to hour. When I am hearing that everything ahead of me is clear or > scatered I know that I am O.K. If they are all broken or overcast I need > to > rethink weather or not it is a good idea to continue on over the top.
That's exactly what Larry and I were doing on the flight that got this thread started. We were flying to the "last" SAA Flyin at Frasca Field in Illinios, and knew that the skies were clear at the destination, with broken and scattered in between. As long as there are holes in the clouds below through which I can still see the ground, I know I can get down and find an airport. Of course if the engine craps out, that makes gliding any distance a real problem, because you can't usually glide straight line to an airport through a hole in the clouds (with proper clearance for the given airspace, of course). You will lose some serious altitude dropping through a hole if the clouds are tall. I'll be the first to admit that flying "over the top" is not as safe as flying in severe clear, but then flying isn't as safe as driving either. I've come to hate driving long distances however, when compared with the enjoyment, satisfaction, and time savings of flying. By the way, that was the LAST SAA flyin, as the SAA has disbanded and will no longer have the flyins, last I heard from Paul. It's funny how much we complain about the EAA straying from its roots, but then when Paul Poberezny brought it back with the SAA, few of us participated. Those flyins were a real breath of fresh air, and I will miss them... Mark Langford, Harvest, AL see homebuilt airplane at http://www.N56ML.com email to N56ML "at" hiwaay.net
