Weather Minimums for IMC Flight

Actual IMC Training

Cessna P210 with Garmin 430 and Avidyne EX500

Richard aims as much as possible to provide students with actual IMC weather experience. Actual IMC weather in a known-ice plane tends to be more possible in the winter, whereas in the summer IFR flight tends more to emphasize weather avoidance using weather datalink, spherics, weather radar, and/or Flight Service radar.

Flight Level Aviation’s location in Southwestern Pennsylvania is ideal for actual instrument training. Not only is flyable IMC weather fairly common in the non-summer months, but also given the varied terrain between the Appalachian Mountains and the flatlands of Southern Ohio, it is quite common to be able to execute an IMC approach into the mountains of Johnstown, PA or to fly in Erie, PA lake-effect conditions yet have solid VFR alternates available back at home base. 

Weather conditions which will not be flown during flight training by Flight Level Aviation include the following:

  • In-flight icing when the freezing level is below the MEA and forecast or reported tops are above 15,000 feet 
  • IMC with embedded thunderstorms 
  • Surface winds above 35 knots or crosswind components above 21 knots 
  • Severe turbulence 
  • Ground icing conditions (icing prior to takeoff)
  • Ground operations with braking action below fair (or Mu below 60) 
  • Takeoffs with weather below approach landing minimums 
  • Widespread low-IFR conditions 
  • Freezing Rain or Severe Icing 
  • Night IMC 
  • Night VMC over unfriendly terrain 

When the above weather conditions preclude actual flight, Flight Level Aviation’s full-motion simulator can be used while we wait for weather to improve.


 

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