Recently, a subscriber sent me a note to ask about the legality of departures into bad weather. At first, this seemed like a rather simplistic question, but as I dug, the back story made it a reasonable discussion. That pilot had a career in the military. As with most large bureaucracies, its operations were rather stringently governed by restrictions and minimums, often more stringent than others might find necessary. The pilot had since retired, converted his military experience to civilian purposes, and now was enjoying flying general aviation.
So, the question, asked with some disbelief, concerned the legality of launching in a single-engine piston aircraft into a low overcast. The pilot even offered that perhaps there was a minimum equipment requirement, such as turbine power, before that became legal. Or, perhaps one needed a twin, and could that legally be a piston-twin, before launching into the scud? The discussion that ensued is worth exposing to your scrutiny.
