Pressing On

I’ve done relatively little scud-running over the years. That’s mainly because I earned an instrument rating at about the same time I started using personal airplanes more and more for transportation rather than recreation. It’s difficult to say which came first—the utility an instrument rating affords or the need to use an airplane for personal transportation—but in my case, the two developed at about the same time. My most memorable scud-running flight involved flogging a Skyhawk between Columbus, Ga., and Knoxville, Tenn., one summer afternoon. Writing about it now, I don’t recall the exact reason I determined getting an IFR clearance wasn’t the way to go, but that’s the decision I made. I presume it had something to do with either the airplane or the weather.

Key Takeaways:

• Safe low-level VFR flight (scud-running) necessitates meticulous planning, constant weather monitoring, and always having an immediate option to divert or turn around.
• Never enter an area of reduced visibility without knowing the conditions on the other side, as doing so dramatically increases risk.
• A fatal accident tragically illustrates the consequences of a non-instrument-rated pilot continuing VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), resulting in collision with terrain.
• Pilots must be prepared to change their flight plan, divert, or turn back at the first sign of worsening weather to avoid similar catastrophic outcomes.

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