Page b6
SVFR and scud running
(Repeated material from PTS)
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Contents:
New SVFR Changes; …When SVFR; ...You never know when you will need SVFR; ...Safe SVFR is much like safe sex...come prepared; ...Special Visual Flight Rules--SVFR; ...Altitudes and Clouds; ...Need to Know Information; ...More SVFR; ...What SVFR is not; ...Class B Airspace; ...Low Visibility SVFR; ...Low Ceiling SVFR; ...Night SVFR; ...CCR SVFR situations; ...Scud Running; ...Minimum Safe altitudes; ...Low level pilotage; ...Knowing the options;; ...Knowing your best options; ...Wire Strikes; ...Low Altitudes; ...See and Be Seen; ...Minimums Instruction; ...VFR at Minimums; ...Low level CCR to Petaluma; ...Petaluma to CCR; ...CCR to Rio Vista at Minimums; ...CCR to APC at Minimums; …SVFR Clearances; …VFR Cloud Clearances and Visibility;
SVFR
Changes (2000)
FARs 91.155(d) and 91.157 have changes to allow pilots at a satellite
airport in controlled airspace where visibility conditions exceed
minimums for departures under SVFR even though no weather reporting
capability exists.
SVFR 1998 change
AIM 4-4-5 makes pilot responsible to get ASOS and AWOS weather
and to advise ATC of intentions.
1) A SVFR (or an IFR) clearance is necessary to operate an
aircraft beneath a ceiling within a surface area when the ceiling
is less than 1,000 feet or the visibility is less than three miles,
2) A SVFR clearance can be issued to anyone requesting one if
the visibility is at least one mile
3) A helicopter can be issued a SVFR clearance when the visibility
is less than one mile.
4) ATC can authorize SVFR operations for aircraft operating in
or transiting a surface area when the primary airport is reporting
VFR but the pilot advises that basic VFR cannot be maintained.
5) In SVFR conditions ATC has special restrictions that allow
only one IFR aircraft in the airspace at a time, unless visual
contact is established between the aircraft.. Approved separation
must be applied between SVFR aircraft and between SVFR and IFR
aircraft. Visual separation is one type of separation, but not
the only type.
The first requisite for SVFR is knowledge. You must know the FARs, you must know the area, and you must know your own capabilities. SVFR flight can only be flown with a Class B Honolulu) C, D, or E clearance. Helicopters can get Class B SVFR even no SVFR is allowed for airplanes. Students are NOT allowed to request or fly in SVFR conditions. You can tell when a daytime airport is below VFR minimums and requiring SVFR or IFR clearances by noting if the airport rotating beacon is rotating. You must interpret the weather from the ATIS. The ATIS will not tell you that SVFR is needed. The controllers will not tell you to ask for SVFR. Only by listening to the ceiling and visibility can you determine that the airport, in at least one of the two factors, is below VFR. Note: SVFR for helicopters has lower minimums.
A SVFR clearance can only be given when ceilings are less than 1000 feet or visibility is less than three miles but the one mile is determined by a qualified weather observer. In SVFR conditions ATC has special restrictions that allow only one aircraft in the airspace at a time, unless visual contact is established between the aircraft. This contact may be by ATC having seen both aircraft or one aircraft seeing the other and accepting avoidance responsibility. An IFR aircraft either arriving or departing has priority use of Class C, D, or E airspace before SVFR aircraft. This means that when an IFR aircraft is inbound to the airspace or inside the airspace no SVFR aircraft will be allowed to enter or leave until ATC has visual with the IFR aircraft. If an IFR aircraft is departing SVFR aircraft will be told to remain above specific altitudes or clear of the airspace. If a number of IFR departures or arrivals occur in sequence this can be quite a while.
Conditions do not have to be below VFR minima to obtain a SVFR clearance, ATC can authorize SVFR operations for aircraft operating in or transiting a surface area when the primary airport is reporting VFR but the pilot advises that basic VFR cannot be maintained.
Special VFR allows pilots to fly in Marginal-VFR or worse conditions. There is no guarantee that you will be able to do this without getting into trouble. You still can't fly in the clouds...but you can fly a lot closer than in VFR conditions and in much lower visibility. This allows VFR traffic in and out of D and C airspace when the weather is bad. SVFR lets you go from uncontrolled airspace to a landing at an airport with Class D airspace by adjusting the allowable minimums.
Had a student held for five minutes before being cleared for takeoff. Went up to the tower later and found that the field had gone down to 'basic'. Basic means that the airport has between 3 to 5 mile visibility with clouds above 1000'. There was a controlled burn about five miles away and conditions were so variable that they held the student for conditions to improve. Even IFR clearances cannot be issued for the visual approach unless visibility is better than three miles and ceiling of 1000'.
Any time ATC says the field is IFR; it is up to the pilot to make the proper request for a clearance. Between IFR and VFR is the contact approach. The pilot must be on an IFR flight, visibility must be one mile and there must be an approach procedure. You can get a contact approach into a Class G airport from a radar facility just by saying, "Airport in sight'. A contact approach is the IFR version of SVFR. The pilot accepts obstacle avoidance responsibility with a contact approach.
You never know when you will need SVFR.
There are only two categories of aviation weather; VFR and below VFR minimums or IFR. Between these two there is an intermediate weather condition that will allow a VFR pilot to fly in special conditions less than VFR but not IFR. This special condition is called SVFR. The VFR pilot flying in SVFR conditions in controlled airspace is required to have a clearance. This clearance limits his flight by requiring one-mile flight visibility and remaining clear of clouds in specific airspace with direction and altitude restrictions.
The airport must have either a ceiling of below 1000 feet and visibility below three miles. Before ATC can give a SVFR clearance there must be on- mile ground visibility. If, for some reason, you do not recognize these conditions from the ATIS ATC will start playing word games with you. You must request SVFR. ATC cannot initiate the flight except by hinting that there may be something 'special' that you would like or something similar.
An additional condition or restriction has to do with IFR traffic. IFR flights have priority. SVFR flights are held outside of controlled airspace occupied by IFR flights. This means that a VFR pilot cannot depart or enter where an IFR flight is in progress. Class B airspace does not authorized SVFR but its flight minimums allow clear of clouds with three-mile-visibility.
A pilot must not request SVFR unless there is a reasonable certainty that SVFR can be maintained. There are some tricky aspects for entering Classes C and D airspace under SVFR. The altitude restriction for SVFR in the airspace clearance may well be higher than the airspace altitudes allowed outside. This situation exists at Concord, CA. Unless you have three-mile visibility outside the 3.1 miles of Class Delta Airspace you must remain below 700'/1200' AGL as the airspace requires. The pilot who has never flown in these situations would be well advised to get some experienced help before doing it for the first time. JFK is an example of what can happen without training.
Interestingly, if you were to look through any number of flight training programs, you would be most unlikely to find SVFR as part of the program. All too many pilots encounter SVFR for the first time alone, inexperienced, and unaware.
When I am called to give a pilot a checkout in a new aircraft I generally try to hit him with, "Have you ever flow SVFR?" Most often they have never been in SVFR conditions and have no plans to get the experience. I do not fly in SVFR conditions, rain, or winds of 30 knots for fun. I do train my students and other pilots in those conditions, however. I do it because, at some point in our careers toward becoming old pilots we may face conditions not of our choosing.
Not too many years ago student pilots could ask for and get SVFR clearances. Bad things happened just often enough so now only pilots can get SVFR. Like IFR, SVFR increases the utility of flying. On occasion, it is possible, safe, and legal to make an airport arrival under SVFR when IFR flights cannot. My personal feeling is that a pilot should be trained in the use of SVFR, not to be used as challenge to weather conditions, but rather, as a parachute through an unplanned condition. SVFR at night is very near an emergency situation. That said here is how to do day SVFR.
The following applies to the S.F. Bay area. Other places may vary in some particulars. Don't let your first SVFR learning experience be without an experienced pilot or instructor.
Safe SVFR is much like safe sex...come prepared
Just as the biker can best protect himself from automobiles through knowledge of their performance capabilities and rules, so can the VFR/SVFR pilot benefit from knowledge of IFR. Stay clear of IFR approaches, check points and altitudes. Under SVFR the VFR pilot is actually flying in IFR conditions. Normally, SVFR flights are required to remain clear or denied takeoff clearance if an IFR flight is present. IFR flights have priority. If the VFR pilot will listen carefully on the radio he will hear IFR flights being given specific reporting points and routes. Become familiar with both the routes and points so as to remain clear or know where to look for traffic.
SVFR is a good thing to keep in mind for landing if the weather
turns bad on you. If you can't do IFR and ATC won't allow VFR,
requesting SVFR can get you down safely. I makes me wonder whom,
in his right mind, would ask for an SVFR at night if he already
has an instrument rating? A pilot who is so doubtful of his remaining
fuel that he wants the quickest way in could well opt for the
SVFR.
SVFR is a very useful way for the qualified pilot to make better
use of his aircraft and the airspace. Qualified in this instance
has nothing to do with total experience or ratings. SVFR qualified
means knowledgeable. One thing about SVFR is that it may be allowed
when conditions are below minimums for an IFR approach, but still
be legal to land under SVFR! There are many circling IFR approaches,
which require visibility better than a mile. The expectation of
a successful landing or VFR conditions requires that the pilot
get the best weather information. Listening to local aircraft
communications and active participation or queries should influence
your flight decisions.
SVFR should never be attempted unless the pilot is VERY familiar with the airport and surrounding area. You must know well all arrival checkpoints from ten miles out right to the airport. You MUST know where you are at all times in relationship to airspace, obstacles, and route. You must know the location and altitudes of all obstructions along the route. You must know what you are doing before SVFR becomes a reasonable option. If you are going to fly under the weather, fly to the right side of valleys and roads. Flying in SVFR conditions requires that you get some experience and training in your area's specific requirements. Again, if your experience has never included SVFR with an instructor do not try it alone the first time.
SVFR should be part of your training experience. SVFR is not something you should learn on your own. A pilot should never, repeat never, attempt to use SVFR until he has made several flights with an instructor or pilot who has made SVFR flights in the area and who knows both the legal and safety requirements involved. Instructors should take students who live in coastal regions subject to avection fog on several SVFR flights. It is important to experience, first hand, the limitations and potentials of SVFR flight. Many FBO's insurance limit non-instrument rated pilots to the basic VFR weather minimums (i.e., no specials).
No pictures or words can ever take the place of an actual VFR flight in marginal conditions. On the last day of September, just before my medical ran out, I took my student out to expose him to an airport of very mixed aircraft use.
Coming home we were surprised to hear that the airport was below VFR minimums on the ATIS. The forest fires of Northern California had spread smoke over the entire area and reduced visibility to about two miles. The magenta and blue transition areas are 'turned on' when 3-mile visibility does not exist or cloud clearance cannot be maintained.
The VFR options are to get above the conditions or get below them. We selected the below option and initially had to approach the airport from the East within 1200 feet of the ground (blue. When within 1200 feet of the ground VFR flight is allowed with only one-mile visibility.
Because of the arrival direction we found it necessary to cross from the 1200-foot area into the 700-foot area. This meant that we had to fly closer to the ground. There is a wide area of the S.F. Bay region all the way up to Sacramento that is magenta. We had two-mile visibility but had to get a SVFR clearance into the airport. We had to circle outside the Class Delta airspace within 700 feet of the ground for about ten minutes before the controller was able to fit us into the IFR mix.
SVFR is a relatively safe and benign process if the pilot maintains situational awareness and knows the SVFR procedure. You must know whether you are in a blue or magenta transition area, you must know the boundaries of where they might meet as well as the exact dimensions of the tower-controlled airspace. My home field has only a 3.1 nm circumference with an extension to the VOR. You must set yourself up so that the controller knows that you know where you are, he knows where you are and how long it will take you to get on the ground.
When visibility is less that three miles or VFR cloud clearance cannot be maintained then only one aircraft at a time is allowed in the Class Delta airspace unless they are in visual contact of one with the other.
It is vital that every student pilot be exposed to this experience because having the experience without an instructor aboard can be rather traumatic. Interestingly, it is possible to get into an airport under SVFR when IFR traffic cannot get in at all. This occurs when the SVFR pilot is able to come in below the cloud deck while IFR aircraft descending through the clouds do not break out at minimum altitudes so they can't land.
Every airport will have slight differences of altitude and space restrictions caused by letters of agreement with the local radar facility. Under avection fog conditions getting in under the fog can be easy with unlimited visibility and a 200' ceiling.
Radiation fog may make a low-level arrival impossible so your SVFR clearance will call on you to report over the airport in VFR where you can see the runway straight down below. You will then be allowed SVFR entry spacing permits or even when you can see the other aircraft.
SVFR is not a deviation of the FARs. It is a replacement of another FAR standard. The pilot must request SVFR. ATC cannot suggest that you ask for SVFR. ATC can only ask what your intentions are. SVFR requires an ATC clearance. Whenever a pilot in Classes B, C, D or E airspaces cannot proceed in VFR conditions a SVFR ATC clearance may be requested and given where ATC facilities can provide an adequate level of safety. When conditions outside the controlled airspace have the required VFR visibility or in Class G airspace of one mile and you can remain clear of clouds. You can fly in the clear above a Class E airport that is below VFR minimums. The clearance allows you to depart controlled airspace fly to VFR conditions.
SVFR is available in the vertical footprint of Class C, Class
D and Class E surface areas up to 10,000 feet that is not designated
as NO SVFR. No SVFR clearance can be given if visibility is less
than 1 mile. Morning flying in the fall and winter often requires
that a departure be made under SVFR. If the visibility is officially
reported at less than three miles or the ceiling less than 1000
feet, flight conditions are declared to be below VFR minimums
and any flight other than IFR requires SVFR clearance. During
the day this is indicated by operation of the airport beacon.
No SVFR clearance can be given if visibility is less than 1 mile.
A SVFR clearance is needed to depart or enter a control zone that
is below VFR minimums.
SVFR is not a temporary Class G airspace, either. In class G airspace,
no separation is provided by ATC even with radar. Under SVFR the
only separation provided by ATC is by clearing only one aircraft
into the airspace at a time. Non-radar ATC has separation responsibility
only when both aircraft are on the ground. Many pilots have a
mistaken idea that under VFR, IFR and SVFR you always receive
ATC separation services. Not so.
A SVFR clearance applies only to the lateral boundaries of a specific surface area. The minimums of such Class E, D, and C can be modified by ATC to those of Class G i.e. one mile visibility and clear of clouds. SVFR can only be issued when requested by the pilot when the issuing authority has one-mile visibility and prior to the aircraft making entry.
ATC must insure aircraft separation within the controlled area until such separation is successfully passed over to the pilot. The pilot should not lightly take such a passing of separation responsibility. A pilot who is exiting the lateral edge of a surface area MUST abide by the visual requirements and altitudes of this new airspace. This usually means that you must have three-mile visibility with VFR cloud clearance or be below 1200/700 AGL as appropriate.
The various airspace minima are aimed at making sure pilots can both fly to a destination and avoid other airplanes. SVFR is a way to reduce the separation burden of the pilot in really marginal conditions while leaving the responsibility. You still need to be able to keep the aircraft under control, figure out where you're going, and avoid hitting mountains and trees along the way.
There is a great difference between being able to recite the
VFR minimum altitudes and cloud clearances according to the FARs
and applying them on a local flight. I am not advocating that
these flights be an every day planned occurrence. Rather, I am
proposing that such flights should be part of a pilot's on-going
training program. These flights, as training exercises to improve
capability, confidence and judgment could prevent an unintentional
virgin entry into such conditions.
You will be exposed to flight in vicinity of clouds. If you can
sense that the cloud is moving you are too close unless you are
within 700' of the ground in the broad flyway between CCR and
SAC. Behind Mt. Diablo the height is within 1200' of the ground.
Above these altitudes you must have three miles visibility and
maintain 500' below, 1000' above and 2000' laterally up to 10,000'.
The distances increase above 10,000' MSL. (Mean Sea Level). Try
drawing some terrain and airspace and place the words where appropriate:
10,000 feet
1000' above
O.K. to fly
2000' to side 2000' to side
cloud
cloud 500' below
700' O.K. to fly
Mt. Diablo
Contra Costa County has an ordinance for Buchannan Field that expects that no turns will be made below 600' AGL on takeoff and that no turn shall be made from downwind to base below 1000'. This requirement is not a FAR but a local ordinance applicable to CCR and enforceable by local agencies. Every airport may have a similar ordinance that becomes part of the FAR requirement for "all available information" prior to flight. CCR has an unusual Class D airspace footprint of three-(3) nautical mile radius where the standard is 4.4 nautical miles at most controlled airports.
If an instructor does not give a student an opportunity to fly into marginal conditions so as to learn their own personal limits, they are contributing to the VFR into IFR accident rate. No student should get his license without exposure to decision making situations related to weather.
--Will you know your exact location at all times?
--Are your prepared to declare an emergency and climb IMC?
--Will the windshield withstand a bird strike?
--How will you handle a low altitude engine failure?
--How much space is required for a 180-degree turn?
--(Make a 180 for visibility not for turbulence.)
--Make a practice to fly at lower altitudes when weather is better.
This makes it possible to determine minimum safe altitudes .....and
obstacle locations.
--You want to learn where the wires are in good conditions.
--What is the minimum safe altitude for your direction of flight.
The purpose of SVFR is to make possible arrivals, departures
and flight in Classes C, D, E and some B controlled airspace under
less than VFR conditions locally. When, within the airspace footprint
of an airport, the visibility is reported at less than three miles
or the ceiling at less than 1000 feet, flight conditions are declared
to be below VFR minimums and any flight other than IFR requires
SVFR clearance. This is providing that given a ground visibility
of at least 1 statute mile (or flight visibility of at least 1
statute mile if ground visibility is not reported). During the
daytime having the rotating beacon operating shows this condition.
Special VFR is available only in airspace in which all aircraft
are under positive control.
The various airspace minima are aimed at making sure pilots can
both fly to a destination and avoid other airplanes. SVFR is a
way to reduce the separation burden of the pilot in really marginal
conditions while leaving the responsibility. You still need to
be able to keep the aircraft under control, figure out where you're
going, and avoid hitting mountains and trees along the way.
SVFR is not a deviation of the FARs. It is a substitution of
another FAR standard. The pilot must request SVFR. ATC cannot
suggest that you ask for SVFR. ATC can only ask what your intentions
are. SVFR requires an ATC clearance. Whenever a pilot in Classes
B, C, D or E airspaces cannot proceed in VFR conditions a SVFR
ATC clearance may be requested and given where ATC facilities
can provide an adequate level of safety. When conditions outside
the controlled airspace have the required VFR visibility or in
Class G airspace of one mile and you can remain clear of clouds.
You can fly in the clear above a Class E or D airport that is
below VFR minimums. The ATC clearance allows you to depart controlled
airspace fly to VFR conditions.
Only one aircraft IFR or SVFR is allowed in the Class D footprint
airspace at one time. Unless one pilot has acknowledged visual
contact and accepted responsibility for separation, two planes
cannot be in the airspace at the same time. Once a pilot has accepted
separation responsibility from ATC it remains in effect as long
as you are in the airspace. You should also know that the altitude
restriction in the SVFR clearance is due to a 'letter of agreement'
between the airport and the local radar facility. The designated
altitude is where radar coverage becomes possible. Radar/tower
IFR handoffs normally occur as aircraft transit this altitude
up or down. SVFR flights are restricted below this designated
altitude.
SVFR is not a temporary Class G airspace, either. In class G airspace,
no separation is provided by ATC even with radar. Under SVFR the
only separation provided by ATC is by clearing only one aircraft
into the airspace at a time. Non-radar ATC has separation responsibility
only when both aircraft are on the ground. Many pilots have a
mistaken idea that under VFR, IFR and SVFR you always receive
ATC separation services. Not so.
A SVFR clearance effectively provides you with services in a like
manner to IFR aircraft, that is, one aircraft at a time into the
airspace unless one aircraft or the other takes on separation
responsibility. In order to grant you an SVFR, the controllers
must ascertain that your SVFR will not delay any IFR flights.
If you try it, you will probably discover just how long it takes
you to fly 5 NM (about 3 minutes in a Skyhawk). This distance
is the minimum IFR separation.
Just as the biker can best protect himself from automobiles through
knowledge of their performance capabilities and rules, so can
the VFR/SVFR pilot benefit from knowledge of IFR. Stay clear of
IFR approaches, check points and altitudes. Under SVFR the VFR
pilot is actually flying in IFR conditions. Normally, SVFR flights
are required to remain clear or denied takeoff clearance if an
IFR flight is present. IFR flights have priority. If the VFR pilot
will listen carefully on the radio he will hear IFR flights being
given specific reporting points and routes. Become familiar with
both the routes and points so as to remain clear or know where
to look for traffic.
SVFR is a good thing to keep in mind for landing if the weather
turns bad on you. If you can't do IFR and ATC won't allow VFR,
requesting SVFR can get you down safely. I makes me wonder whom,
in his right mind, would ask for an SVFR at night if he already
has an instrument rating? A pilot who is so doubtful of his remaining
fuel that he wants the quickest way in could well opt for the
SVFR.
SVFR should never be attempted unless the pilot is VERY familiar
with the airport and surrounding area. You must know well all
arrival checkpoints from ten miles out right to the airport. You
MUST know where you are at all times in relationship to airspace,
obstacles, and route. You must know the location and altitudes
of all obstructions along the route. You must know what you are
doing before SVFR becomes a reasonable option. If you are going
to fly under the weather, fly to the right side of valleys and
roads. Flying in SVFR conditions requires that you get some experience
and training in your area's specific requirements. Again, if your
experience has never included SVFR with an instructor do not try
it alone the first time.
Class B has a modified version of SVFR always available without SVFR clearance requirement. Contrary to some thinking this SVFR is not analogous to Class B airspace since visibility requirements are lower in SVFR and collision avoidance is provided in SVFR by exclusion of other aircraft. The VFR flight visibility of three miles in Class B airspace is not changed but distance-to-clouds minima of 'clear of' are set primarily to try to avoid midair collisions, especially between VFR aircraft and IFR aircraft which may be popping out of clouds. Where Class B surface area primary airport data on the sectional restricts SVFR flight you should know that the restriction applies only to fixed wing aircraft. The basic restrictions to VFR flight in SFO Class B airspace is clear of clouds and three mile visibility in your flight direction is not identical to SVFR. SVFR can be used in Class B by helicopters.
The poor visibility of SVFR provides pilots with four areas of difficulty - attitude control, navigation, avoiding impact with terrain, and avoiding impact with other aircraft. A weather front or radiation fog can create SVFR conditions due to visibility. Radiation fog may often linger all day. Ceilings will be reported as indefinite. Even with one-mile ground visibility the slant range visibility may make the only viable approach be from overhead. The fog may be anywhere from 400 to 1000' feet thick vertically. The airport is completely visible only from overhead. In this case the SVFR clearance will direct the pilot to report above the airport at a specified altitude in VFR conditions to await a SVFR clearance. When traffic conditions allow, the SVFR flight will be directed to descend in the pattern for landing. A corresponding departure may be directed to climb in the pattern and report reaching VFR.
Still SVFR does not need to be always flown in poor visibility.
It just as likely, and even more likely to be flown in good visibility
but under low ceilings. This particular type SVFR is caused by
avection fog conditions. Avection fog forms a layer anywhere from
400 to 2000' thick. It will ride like a blanket in and out from
the ocean over the land for many miles. How far inland it goes
is pretty much determined by the inland temperatures the day before.
The hotter the Central Valley of California the further inland
will intrude the avection fog. This fog can extend clear across
the valley. It moves in and out from the ocean in about four day
cycles depending on the interior temperatures. By learning to
read the changes you can predict SVFR conditions.
It is possible for a SVFR flight to make a safe arrival at an
airport when an IFR flight might not. Once cleared into or out
of the Class D or C airspace the SVFR flight has no minimum altitude
restriction. You can remain as close to the clouds as you want
but must have 1 mile visibility in the flight direction. You could
arrive/depart at 300' under SVFR conditions where the IFR pilot
would have 400' descent minimums and never see the airport. These
flight conditions are not unusual with avection fog in coastal
regions.
Occasionally, ATC may delay giving you your SVFR clearance and
ask you to report a geographic point just outside the airspace
footprint. This enables ATC to slip your SVFR flight, into the
airspace with a clearance not possible from farther out due to
IFR traffic. Once in this situation, I was less than three minutes
from a safe arrival and landing. Knowing what is legal and safe
in minimum conditions should be required knowledge.
Night SVFR must have both pilot and aircraft equipped and qualified
for IFR (91.157b4). With the FAR change in night visibility requirements
for VFR is 3 miles 500/1000//2000. Above 1200' AGL and 10,000
MSL to 5 miles 1000/1000/1 mile. It would appear that even a SVFR
clearance in Class D airspace would present a problem for a pilot
attempting to leave the IFR class surface area at night unless
certain of the visibility and cloud clearance.
A student pilot can only fly at Concord or any other Class D controlled
airport if it is at or above the VFR minimums of 1000' ceiling
and visibility of 3 miles at night. At night (below 10,000') full
VFR visibility of three miles and 500/1000/2000 cloud clearance
is required all the way to the ground.
Is this the kind of flight you would take for fun? Hardly! When
it's night, the basic rules of VFR survival change. In the daytime
you can see worse conditions ahead, at night you can't. The existence
of a cloud comes to your attention when everything disappears
except the reflection of your rotating beacon; the ground and
all the lights suddenly disappear. A form of pilot suicide at
night is flying without positive knowledge of position in relationship
to terrain. If you have not planned and predetermined the route
and terrain for a night flight, be sure to get your affairs in
order. See additional material on night training.
Situation
A pilot (not student) who might wish to do some ground reference
work in the vicinity of Montezuma Slough, might proceed as follows.
Depart SVFR off 32. He can according to his clearance climb to
1500'. However, on leaving the Class D airspace he must be at
700' AGL or below as indicated by the magenta on the sectional
or area chart. He would cross the river in the vicinity of the
Mothball Fleet at 690' as long as he had 1 mile flight visibility
and could stay clear of any cloud. Even if the visibility improved
to 3 miles or more he would be required to maintain the 500/1000/2000
cloud clearance at any altitude above 700'. This means that he
could not go above 700' even in over 3 mile visibility unless
the cloud bases were 1200 or higher because of the 500 below required
cloud clearance. You should do this with an instructor to fully
understand and cope with its complexity.
Situation
Ceiling at CCR 900'. SVFR departure into area where ceiling is
900'. It would be legal to fly out of CCR surface area at slightly
below 900' but once out of the Class D surface area the flight
could legally continue only within 700' of the ground.
Situation:
Ceiling at CCR 1200' with departure to the Northeast where ceiling
remains at 1200. VFR departure but must remain 500' below clouds
but on reaching Willow Pass hills can legally fly between hills
and cloud bases because within 700' AGL. On crossing the hills
the flight must continue at 700 AGL. The flight can only be made
at higher altitudes as the cloud level rises above 1200' or as
the terrain rises but the 500' below clouds FAR applies.
By turning to the Southeast we will leave the magenta shading
and be able to fly almost to 1200' next to clouds in uncontrolled
airspace. The 500' below clouds FAR does not apply until the ceiling
reaches 1700' AGL or higher. Be aware that there are 2500' TV
towers and support wires that will be mostly hidden in the clouds.
Only towers and power lines above 200' are shown on sectionals.
Situation:
Ceiling at CCR 800' Visibility 12 miles. Arrive at Clayton in
VFR conditions and request SVFR for left base 19L. Cleared and
fly below clouds at 700' MSL for landing.
Situation:
Visibility one mile with 400' indefinite ceiling. Ground fog.
Call for SVFR departure in the pattern. ATC will tell you to report
over the field above 1500' in VFR conditions and get your clearance
from there. Clearance will allow you to descent in pattern to
the active runway.
Scud running is inherently dangerous. Avoiding the circumstances
under which bad things happen can reduce the risks involved. Don't
fly into a situation where you can run out of alternatives. In
flying, two of the greatest safety factors are altitude and visibility.
Both of these are compromised when scud running. No flight is
so important that it should not be made safely.
Scud running means deliberate flight below clouds near ground
level. If the uncontrolled airspace is bounded by magenta shading
the flight must be within 700 of the ground. While some areas
do have MSL minimums (See: Northwest of Ukiah) all other areas
must be flown within 1200' AGL. To be legal this flying must be
where there is one-mile flight visibility and clear of clouds.
This means you must have one mile in the direction being flown
while never entering a cloud. This type of flying has some inherent
dangers. Pilot over-confidence in knowledge and ability is the
killer. You don't know what you don't know. Pseudo-agnosia!!!
Take an attitude adjustment program. Flying low and lost is dangerous,
very dangerous.
When visibility is poor the slant range ahead to the ground appears
farther than the horizontal range to the rear. Horizontal visibility
seems to be closing since there is no ground, apparent distance,
visual contrast or depth.
Knowing where you are when flying low requires more area knowledge
than when flying high. Things look different and flow by much
faster. Its difficult to see transmission lines and other wires
from an aircraft. There is a single static line above the main
wires. This wire is rarely visible at all. If the visibility is
over a mile but the ceiling is forcing you to within 200' of terrain
you are flying in big-wire country. Consider flying at your minimum
slow speed for your skill level. You will see more wires at slow
speed. Since you are always flying toward what is in front of
you, the visibility SEEMS better in that direction.
Scud is factostratus or fractocumulus clouds of bad weather. It
consists of small, dark clouds that exist below layers of stratocumulus
or nimbostratus.
How it happens...
1. Being forced ever lower by descending ceilings.
2. Make a 180 but avoid terrain in the turn.
3. Communicate if possible.
4. Get on the ground.
5. SVFR only if capable
Flying in marginal weather conditions requires a sense of risk
management. You have several risk choices such as stay underneath,
go on top, turn right or left. Flying low has known hazards. 63%
of fatal maneuvering accidents have happened during buzz jobs
or low-altitude flight. Altitude above you is wasted. You must
chose a minimum safe altitudes based on your knowledge of the
terrain, suitable landing areas, airspace requirements, obstacles,
safe routes, and other aircraft probabilities. Every altitude
above the minimum safe is a compromise reaching toward the absolute
safe. Absolute safe does not exist. Knowledge reduces the risk
factor.
From your home airport and perhaps even your home area you have
developed a sense of risk management that is going to be lower
than those who are unfamiliar. Prior planning best reduces unfamiliarity.
Prior planning could well include a phone call to your destination
or a conversation with a knowledgeable fellow pilot. You will
always get the best knowledge from the locals. Each airport has
peculiarities of areas to be flown over, avoided, and viewed.
A visit to the airport bulletin boards for noise abatement procedures
is always worth while. You serve yourself and all other pilots
by obeying the caveat that is often unwritten but there.
I have done my share of scud running. I often do so with students
so that they can be exposed to the available options and choices.
I always fly down the right side of valleys and roads. I fly ridges
in preference to valleys since this gives me a wider turn space.
I fly over power towers instead of between them. I fly away from
navigable rivers since they are more likely to have high towers.
I fly in less than three-mile visibility only when I know exactly
where I am in relationship to my destination and all the problems
I face getting there under adverse conditions. I teach as much
as conditions will safely allow about minimum altitude flight.
Better for the student to be exposed to the problems and solutions.
Such flying is a learning experience comparable to on-the-job
training.
FAR 91.119 gives the minimum safe altitude as one that permits
a pilot to make an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons
or property. There are stated minimums over congested areas, and
other than congested when within 500 feet of person, vessel, vehicle,
or structure. Marginal VFR has a ceiling from one to three thousand
feet with a visibility between three and five miles. In a familiar
area there is practically no hazard in flying in such conditions.
The exception is if the conditions are deteriorating or you are
flying toward rather than away from deteriorating conditions.
If you should get suckered into a situation that is getting beyond
your experience or ability get ATC help if you can. If you can't
reach an airport your best survival option is a precautionary
landing while conditions allow a controlled and planned arrival.
At minimums the pilot must know, at all times, where he plans
to land and how he expects to avoid any obstacles. Altitude is
the most important ingredient in any emergency landing. The ideal
is the arrive abeam the 'numbers' of your selected landing site
with 1000' of altitude so that you can make a normal power-off
approach and landing.
The major difference between an FAA emergency approach and landing
from any other landing is that there is no go-around option. One
recommended technique is the airplane-best site-cockpit (ABC)
system where you set up your best glide, select the best landing
option below you that allows landing into the wind, and finally
prepare the cockpit. Once you are committed to land, it is best
to shut off the fuel to prevent the engine from causing a re-start
crash, shut off the electrical and open the doors.
1. You are most likely to be disoriented in low visibility
2. Being instrument rated is only partially effective as insurance.
3. The onset of vertigo may completely disable the pilot.
4. Loss of situational awareness, being lost, is mentally disabling.
5. The stress of being lost increases susceptibility to illusions
6. Disorientation is the greatest cause of fatal accidents.
The pilot who makes a plan prior to the flight and then follows
the plan is not going to get into a scud running situation. Basic
to the plan is clouds no lower than 1000', no less than three
mile visibility, selected visual points along the route at a minimum
of half the visibility (1-1/2 mile) and knowing exactly where
you are at all times. Take a flight with an instructor in three-mile
visibility and low ceiling between two local airports. It is certain
to heighten your awareness of the need for checkpoint
selection. You must have a pre-selected sequence of checkpoints.
The one you are over, the direction of the next one and
the one to look for after that. If you can't do this along the
route you have no business in the air.
Interstate highways are good. Especially, look for distinctive
patterns, such as a curve to the south of a town, for unambiguous
location. Airport pattern orientation recognition is essential
for navigation by low level pilotage.
Factory smokestacks and nuclear plant cooling towers are excellent
if there is a plume that can be seen for a long distance.
Big clusters of oil tanks are very nice, but unfortunately rare.
Suggest you never use a tank farm as a checkpoint in Oklahoma.
I did once as a reporting point. ATC said it was not a good idea.
Landmarks that are duplicated are often only useful if you
already know exactly where you are. Some landmarks, such as railroad
tracks, are seasonal. Trees can hide them in the
summer, but they really stand out in winter snow. Power line right-of-ways
can be used if they cut through trees, since there
is good contrast, but that isn't always the case, and it's hard
to tell from the chart.
Many smaller lakes out west are seasonal, as are islands in these
lakes. I find that flying across rural areas with irregular farms
and small roads is the most challenging of the pilotage situations.
Midwestern pilots are lucky: The entire landscape is ruled in
perfect lines!
The distance between checkpoints should vary with visibility.
A best checkpoint is best when it is off to your left side and
good when to your right side. Poorest right on the course line.
Checkpoints should have at least two other verifiable
references. Use VOR radials if you must.
Once flew low level across Oregon. Told ATC that I was over a
small town with a distinctive lumberyard. Same company
yard was in all the small towns of Oregon. Once told unicom that
I was over a crossroads with a Shell service station. Only
one of several in the area.
It is common on hazy days for the visibility to decrease in the
direction of the sun as it is close to the horizon, morning or
afternoon. Aircraft flying into the sun may have less than three-mile
visibility while the tower is reporting ten miles. Slow
down so your turn radius will allow you to turn more quickly.
A thirty percent reduction in speed will reduce the turn
radius by fifty percent.
The most frequent pilot weakness in scud running is lack of
knowledge in dealing with the airspace requirement. You must know
that when the visibility becomes less than three miles or you
are not able to maintain the one thousand able or five hundred
below clouds you have only three options. Conditions that have
visibility of less than one mile do not allow SVFR procedures.
In this situation you must look to other options. Any options
depend on your knowledge of the area and your flight experience.
--Get a clearance IFR or SVFR or
-- Get close to the ground or
--Declare an emergency.
Consider #3, declaring an emergency. It has certain advantages
over #2. Especially if you are running out of options. If you
are over unknown terrain and of uncertain location you should
opt for the emergency. Fly toward the best weather and get help.
A descent will decrease your ability to communicate, decrease
the availability of radar assistance and decrease the options
available. You are far less likely to get into FAA investigation
problems by declaring an emergency than you are by trying to work
your way out.
If visibility is below three-miles but greater than one mile,
any pilot other than a student pilot can request a special visual
flight rules clearance (SVFR)into controlled airspace. This clearance
requires only that you have one-mile flight visibility (the direction
of flight) and that you remain clear of clouds. This clearance
could allow you to remain high enough to get ATC communications
and radar assistance.
Option #2 consists of getting closer to the ground. This is a
viable option only under certain conditions. You must know where
you are and where you will be along your route. You must know
the airspace rules as they apply to low level flight. Class G
airspace is the uncontrolled airspace close to the ground that
allows daytime flight with only one mile visibility and clear
of cloud. At night these minimums increase to basic VFR, 3 miles
visibility, 1000' above' 500' below and 2000' lateral. Based on
the night minimums night scud running is not a feasible option
and probably never has been.
The altitude rules of class G are controlled by FAR and charted
on the Sectional charts. Where there is magenta shaded lines the
airspace between the shaded sides exist as Class G within 700'
of the surface. As the ground rises and falls so does the airspace
except in selected mountainous areas. The entire flyway of the
Bay Area to Sacramento has a floor of 700' where Class G begins.
In marginal conditions, any effort toward VFR flight above Class
G airspace could put you in conflict with IFR aircraft.
Airspace not shaded or shaded in blue exists as Class G within
1200' of the ground. As the surface rises and falls so does the
airspace. Areas around airports in this area may be shaded magenta
where instrument approaches exist. Failure to know where you are
in relation to such airports may cause an airspace violation.
--; In selected mountainous regions, to avoid the up/down elevation
requirements a level altitude is selected and outlined with a
ragged blocked blue line. This space has the base altitude given.
Any aircraft within this space must stay below the base altitude
and maintain one mile flight visibility and clear of clouds. (See
S.F. Sectional northwest of Ukiah)
--; If the only runway on which you can make a safe landing is
"closed" with a big X this does not necessarily mean
that you cannot land on it. Being closed does not necessarily
make it either unsafe or unusable. FAA cannot close a runway;
only the airport authority can do that. However, if the runway
is closed you cannot get a clearance either to takeoff or land
from ATC. ATC will merely advise that such a clearance cannot
be given and that any landing will be at your own risk. All controllers
do not know this provision. If there is a local ordinance against
such a takeoff or landing then you may have to deal with the local
authorities.
--Aside from the ease with which the FARs can be violated the
next greatest difficulty lies with pilot unfamiliarity with terrain
and obstructions. It is a recommended practice that as pilots
drive and fly throughout the area that note is taken as to location
and heights of flight hazards. Just remember, new power lines
and towers can be installed in just a few days. Every few years
some pilot tries to make it through the Caldecott Tunnel or low
over Lake Berryessa. Getting lost at higher altitudes is bad enough.
Getting lost while scud running amounts to receiving a death threat
from your local terrorist.
-- It is very easy to run out of visibility while scud running.
Always fly to the right side of roads and valleys. Know in which
direction the clear weather lies. You should know that an aircraft
could make a turn in much less space at slow speeds. A 180 turn
at 65 takes much less turning room that one at 100. You should
begin your turn near the side of your clear space. The use of
flaps can make the turn even tighter but don't over bank just
hold the selected angle longer to complete the turn.
--Getting lost greatly increases the stress of flying. Any increase
in stress focuses the attention on the problem and decreases the
flying capability of the pilot. You will not react as well to
any loss of visibility, turbulence, or mechanical problem if it
is compounded by the stress of being lost.
--In all of these flights there is a "basic law" that
requires the aircraft always to be able to make an emergency landing
without injury or damage to persons or property. This means that
in sparsely populated areas it is legal to fly as low as you want
so long as you can make a safe landing. This "basic law"
also applies in the vicinity of airports, where you can fly as
low as required so long as you have intention to land. This intention
is best expressed on the radio.
In the North Bay region there is only one airport that has
the potential of being VFR when avection fog conditions exist.
That airport, Virgil O. Parrett-(2O3) is at 1848' MSL and 3200
feet long with lighting. What this means is that any aircraft
caught on top of the cloud layer, even at night, has a viable
option up to 1800 feet a little more than 20 miles north west
of Napa airport. Pilots in the South Bay area have Bonny Doon
without lights, 2400' long, and slightly over 2000'. If you fly
in an avection fog region you should learn just where your best
(closest) useable airport may lie.
If you are under the avection layer or the visibility options
mean that an emergency is the only remaining option. Declare an
emergency and make your best effort to get to a major airport
with surveillance radar approach capability. At some point in
your training you should get the experience of making a practice
surveillance approach. In the North Bay Travis AFB is a preferred
choice. I phoned Bay TRACON and was told that they do not offer
surveillance approaches. I wonder how they handle emergencies?
The procedure that will exist in an emergency at Travis is that
you get radar vectors out to about a five-mile final and are told
to descend to 400'. When the final controller takes over you are
told not to respond by voice to any directions. You make all turns
at half standard rate. Vectors will consist of "turn right,
turn left, stop turn". All other information will have to
do with how well you are flying toward the airport. In practice
you will be required to advise what your missed approach plans
are. You must not descend below 400' nor will you be allowed to
land except in an emergency.
There are 115 reported wire strikes annually. Less than 10%
of wire strikes are reported so the actual number is close to
1500. If visibility report exists, 90% occur with visibility in
excess of three miles. 86% had over 1000' ceiling and 60% had
clear or scattered clouds. 40% of the pilots knew about the wires
they hit. The ratio of airplane to helicopter is 4 to 1 in favor
of the airplane. 70% of wire strikes occur below 100'.
In our area we often have avection fog that gives unlimited visibility
underneath a coastal or river region. Pt. Reyes just north of
San Francisco is a projection that traps pilots flying southeast
along the coast. Every year or so someone will fly down into Tomales
Bay and run into an airplane eating hill. Also when following
rivers that have freighters such as our Sacramento and San Joaquin
the power line towers rise to nearly 500' instead of the usual
200 or less. Following a river works best if you fly over the
towers. Never between them. Always fly to the right side of roads,
rivers, and valleys.
Wires are marked by utilities according to aircraft probability
and lack of visibility, not by altitude. Pilots hit wires; wires
do not hit pilots. Wires under 200' are not charted. The best
way to avoid wires is by climbing. Visible wires often have invisible
wires below them. Flying over the poles is the best guarantee
of wire avoidance. An 80-knot speed gains 16 seconds of seeing
time over 120 knots. Ask yourself "Where are the wires."
not "Are there wires?" A 10,000-hour pilot is the most
likely candidate for a wire strike.
Precautions for LVFR (Low VFR)
1. Slow to low cruise...reduces turn radius and gives time to
see things.
2. Be sure to put on Carb. Heat
3. Put in partial flaps
4. Hand on throttle
5. No turns over 30 degrees
6. Make turns into wind to reduce radius
7. Remain trimmed for level flight
8. If you don't know where you are, get help
9. Lights on, fly right side of roads and valleys
10. Maintain radio contact or monitoring
FAR 912.119 requires that in the event of power failure a landing
can be made without hazard to person or property. This means that
in uninhabited areas you can go "this" low. California
can apply fines up to $1000 for low flight in addition to what
the FAA might do. 10% of buzzing accidents account for 30% of
general aviation fatalities. Low flight is dangerous and in many
cases illegal. The risks aren't worth it.
If you wish to make a low altitude flight over the runway, never
express this as your "intent" on the radio at an uncontrolled
airport. Big brother may be watching/listening. Make all turns
and altitudes as though "intending to land" and then
call a "go around". An acquaintance in Oregon was given
a 90-day suspension for flying contrary to FAR 91.119 for having
the wrong "intent".
Flying low is a type of flying that, while enjoyable, requires specific training and experience. Low flying exposes you to obstacles not usually encountered. Tall towers have guy wires that angle out from the top. These guy wires are invisible to pilots until it is too late. Know where the local towers are and their height. Over 200' AGL they will be (should be) on the charts. The power line towers adjacent to rivers are in the over 600' category to allow ship passage. Narrow valleys have high wires that extend several hundred feet above the valley floor.
One way to reduce the closure rate toward hard to see obstacles is to slow down the aircraft. Not only will this increase the time to see it will increase the maneuverability of the aircraft. Speeds below Va will allow full control defection. If you can find towers, plan to overfly them directly. Be prepared to fly under power lines if necessary. Flying close to a tower and under the lines will allow a higher altitude. Flying to a power line at an angle allows greater viewing time. When worse comes to worse and you are going to hit a line, do so with full power. This will increase your penetration and controllability.
The pilot is requires to rely on a combination of his own vigilance,
ATC (when available), color contrast, and lighting. Becoming familiar
with the terrain and reporting points enables the pilot to put
more time into aircraft scan. The pilot should know where to expect
and look for the most likely traffic while not ignoring the possibility
of a surprise from elsewhere. The pilot should know where things
are within the cockpit. The exterior scan should be 4 to 1 to
the outside vs. the inside.
When using the flight computer or charts hold them up so that
you can maintain the 4 to 1 proportion of your scan over the top
of the chart. Looking down into your lap will cause the weight
of your head to cause a well trimmed aircraft to descend. Keep
your head up and raise the chart. Know that the most likely collision
is going to be with an aircraft on your horizon. An airplane on
the horizon that remains in a fixed position is going to hit you
unless you change direction. Remember, if you are in a relatively
slow aircraft you are most likely to be hit at about 30 degrees
from the rear. The most dangerous other aircraft in the air is
the one you don't see and probably can't see.
As indicated previously the best time to learn to fly is in
fall and winter. Private pilot weather training is a weak area
of training and instruction. It takes a special effort of both
instructor and student to fit the desirable instruction into the
available weather. Book learning won't teach the how and when
to fly when ceilings and visibility are low. Look for opportunities
to fly in less than desirable conditions.
The FAR minimums are not safe or practical except when the pilot
has had previous instructed experience in the same area. The pilot
must constant situational awareness of his position. His position
in relationship to where he is going, has been, obstacles, and
likely traffic conflicts.
The pilot selected minimums should be well above the FAR minimums.
This required knowledge of area weather peculiarities. The S.F.
Bay Area has both avection and radiation fog conditions. The decision
to fly depends on an 'experienced' assessment of both the present
and expected situation.
Different kinds of weather create differing visibility problems.
Avection fog give a ceiling or deck, radiation fog may give vertical
position while obscuring any slant range visual references. Loss
of the horizon reference is the prelude to IFR. Poor visibility
is the primary cause of becoming lost. Poor visibility greatly
increases the chance of running into an obstacle. Poor visibility
greatly affects your ability to estimate distances. Airports that
seem far away may be twice as close. If you make repeated flights
over an area, use one of the flights to determine the minimum
safe obstacle clearance altitude while flying good VFR.
You ability to navigate by pilotage or traditional navigational
aids will be greatly reduced by being forced to fly low. GPS is
not so affected. Look out! GPS or LORAN can easily fly you into
terrain if your data base s does not have terrain altitudes. Given
the opportunity, go flying in the rain with an instructor for
virgin flights.
Good flight planning will avoid a pilot getting into clouds,
without visual references at night, or with one-mile visibility
at 699' AGL. Good planning will get you high clouds, good visibility,
and no weather. A VFR flight when weather is marginal will require
more planning and local weather and terrain knowledge than will
an IFR flight. Planning may include flying small ifr (I follow
roads). You need to know where the transmission lines are, towers,
and obstacles. Mostly, you need to know where you are at all times,
which way is the most dangerous, which way is safest, and where
you need to head to get where you are going.
Planning an alternate route before departure is far superior to
having to make an alternation because of lowering conditions.
Marginal conditions get worse later in the afternoon. VFR rules
change even more at night. Staying visual during the day is much
easier than at night. Without a moon, night flight is more like
IFR than VFR.
Within 3000' of the ground, in VFR conditions, where 500/1000/2000
cloud clearance and 3 mile visibility can be maintained, there
is no restriction as to what direction you must be flying in Class
E airspace. Neither is there such a restriction if you are climbing
and descending, regardless of altitude up to 18,000' Above 10,000'
you must maintain 1000/1000/1 mile clear of clouds and 5 mile
visibility. You must have an operating transponder above 10,000'.
If you become uncertain as to how the hemispheric rule applies
to the magnetic course you are flying make gradual climbs and
descents and you will technically never be in violation if you
maintain the appropriate cloud clearance and visibility.
When it comes to choosing a flight altitude in VFR conditions
between two points it is important that you consider several items:
-- Aircraft capabilities.
Don't try to climb to 9,500 in a C-150. A C-150 flight to Las
Vegas can be a 12 hour round trip regardless of wind direction.
-- Choose an altitude appropriate to the distance.
Avoid 3000'. Remember local flights tend to stay below 3000. No
need to go high for short distances. Most pilots tend to fly at
even 500s even below 3000. Choose a unique altitude so as to avoid
traffic. Above 3000 AGL you must fly according to the hemispheric
rule. Fly at 7,500 or 8,500 to minimize traffic conflicts but
be aware when you cross, parallel or fly airways.
-- Choose an altitude appropriate to the terrain and airports.
This means that route selection may be predicated on several factors.
-- Choose an altitude appropriate to the winds.
Winds usually increase in velocity with altitude. Plan accordingly.
Choose an altitude with reference to special airspace restrictions,
local hazards and cloud layers. It is more likely to be a rough
flight below clouds.
The pilot now plans to depart CCR for Petaluma under a cloud cover that has occasional clouds at 1500' and varies from overcast to scattered at 2500' for the entire route. Visibility is 15 miles. He departs 1R and requests on course Petaluma. Two options now exist. Find a hole in any scattered area of clouds and climb up if you are able to maintain 2000' lateral distance from any cloud. How do you tell? Anytime you can sense the movement of a cloud you are too close. Also you are making an assumption that you will be able to find a similar hole at Petaluma or if not when returning to CCR. Advice, don't get caught on top of clouds. Don't do this flight on top unless weather is definitely improving.
The second choice is to stay below the clouds. Only cloud clearance presents an obvious weather problem. At 2000' he should be able to stay below the clouds. 2000' presents several problems. It is the altitude at which he is most likely to meet other aircraft. A clearance is going to be required if the flight touches the new 5-mile Class D at Napa. There is along the shoreline of San Pablo Bay a National Game Refuge with a 2000' minimum altitude, which would make the cloud clearance questionable. There are several hilly populated areas that could be over-flown with questionable AGL altitudes as per FAR 91.119 requirement of 1000'. How does he do it?
Don't fly at 2000'. Choose 1850'. Fly at unusual altitudes when within 3000' of the ground. Fly the shoreline until reaching the Mare Island Bridge. Be alert for the high high-voltage towers just east of the Vallejo Bridge. You could turn inland to cross these lines over lower towers. Always cross power lines at the towers. Avoid any clouds at your flight altitude by at least 2000' unless you are within 700' of the ground. Along the southern coast of Mare Island, proceed inland across the old Black Point Cutoff known now as Route 37. The bay side of this road is a National Wildlife Refuge with a 2000' minimum altitude. Proceed along the right side of the road inland to allow some room for opposite direction traffic that may not be able to clear the Refuge. Not so far inland as to intrude on Napa's Class D unless we obtain a clearance for the intrusion and passage. After passing the Sear's Point Raceway fly up the Petaluma Hill Road until you pick up the airport.
The actual arrival at Petaluma will require a bit of creativity because the cloud level may make a right 45 entry difficult to impossible. It may be desirable to overfly the airport at a maximum allowable altitude and make a pattern entry from there. Use the radio to let others know where you are and what you a doing. The next time there are marginal conditions of this type, make the flight with an instructor who is both familiar with the route and its options. Know IFR approach routes and altitudes into Napa.
On the route home, the pilot chooses to fly a more direct route over the hills to the east and through the Class D airspace at Napa. To do this he will need to fly between the cloud layer and the tops of the hills. This can be legally done as long as there is some space available and it is done without intruding on the 500' clear of persons required by FAR 91.119. The rule is that when we are within 700' of the ground (magenta) we can fly as close to a cloud as we want but not into it. If an area is not magenta tinted, the altitude is 1200' of the ground. You will never fully understand the application of the rules until you are actually exposed, with an instructor, to the actual flight.
Once over the hill we descend to 500' below the clouds. Now we are once again faced with the "all available information" aspect of the FARs. Ignorance is no excuse but this pilot is about to intrude on the instrument approach airspace used into Napa. These approaches are flown at 1770' and 420' to and from the SGD VOR on a course of 050 degrees. It is vital that we avoid this area and altitude range until we ascertain whether there is inbound IFR traffic. By making radio contact with APC tower and obtaining both advisories and a clearance through their airspace enroute of CCR we can maximize our safety options.
As he reports "clear" of Napa and gets the ATIS at CCR he finds that CCR has a 600' ceiling with 10-mile visibility. This is well below VFR minimums so a special VFR clearance is required. He circles near the Mothball Fleet while he makes his request for SVFR clearance. He knows that under these conditions his location and arrival path to CCR will be in minimum conflict with inbound IFR traffic. He also knows that with his SVFR clearance he need only stay clear of clouds and have 1 mile flight visibility. His intention to land allows him to proceed to the airport at minimum altitudes but noise considerations are always in effect. Under SVFR conditions you must know where you are at every moment. These are the worst possible conditions to become disoriented or lost. From this position any one of several arrivals can be made. Straight in 14, base to 19, downwind 1, direct entry downwind 32. Since you will not be allowed into the CZ when IFR traffic is present you will probably be the only aircraft in the area. Take your most economical choice according to conditions.
On a direct flight from CCR to Rio Vista with weather below VFR minimums you must remain within 700' of the ground under but up to the fog deck and you will be allowed to climb above that altitude only when the fog deck exceeds 1200'. Remember 500' below clouds unless within 700' of ground. However, you should note that there is, near Rio Vista, a two-mile distance where 1200' is specified and for that short distance you could fly up to 1200 but not above that until the deck reached 1700. (the required 500' below again) It is important that you note the areas of 700' (Magenta) between the Bay Area and where they meet the 1200' regions which are no longer indicated in blue on the sectional as of November 1992.
What this means is that in a flight from the CCR surface area to the APC surface area you can fly under a layer of fog within 700-800' of the ground in the daytime only as long as you do not enter a cloud and can see 1-mile in your flight direction. You will not be allowed to either enter or leave either of the surface areas by means of a SVFR clearance unless there is a reported 1-mile visibility.
By FAR you will not be allowed to fly above 700' of the ground except where the fog deck allows you 500' clearance below. Within the airport surface areas you are limited by your clearance to a specified altitude (2000 or 1500) or lower. Within the surface area you must be clear of clouds, not above the clearance altitude restriction and have 1 mile flight visibility. Draw the flight line CCR to LVK both direct and via freeways so as to determine how the flight should be made under a 900' deck.
SVFR
CLEARANCES
(1) Cleared (to enter\out of\through) the Concord Delta Surface
Area (direction) of the Concord Airport, maintain SVFR
conditons at or below 1500 while in the Delta Surface Area.
Report:
Entering the Delta Surface Area
Leaving the Delta surface area or reaching VFR conditions, which
ever occurs first.
(2) Overhead arrivals
Descend in SVFR conditions at or below 1500 in right/left traffic
(runway) report leaving 1500.
(3) Overhead departures
Climb in SVFR conditions in right/left traffic (runway) until
reaching VFR conditions. If not in VFR conditions by
1500, maintain SVFR conditions at or below 1500 and advise.
(4) Local Operations
Local SVFR operations in the immediate vicinity of Concord Airport
are authorized until (time). Maintain SVFR conditions at or below
1500.
VFR
Cloud Clearances and Visibility
3-152. 3 miles visibility., 1000 feet above clouds, 500 feet below,
and 2000 feet horizontally
5-111 .5 miles, 1000 above, 1000 below, 1 mile horizontally
1-COC. 1 mile visibility. clear of clouds
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