Finish The Job

Elaine Kauh

Monday, January 23, 2023 at 03:23 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A challenging solo night IFR flight to Lexington, KY, involved marginal weather, a closed main runway (4/22), and complex NOTAMs, forcing the pilot to use ground-based approaches in a non-GPS equipped aircraft.
The pilot had to execute a non-precision LOC 22 approach (due to ILS 22 glideslope outage and ILS 4 unavailability) and circle to land on the shorter Runway 27, navigating various lighting and procedural limitations.
Thorough alternate airport planning was crucial, revealing significant limitations for the filed alternate (Frankfort) and leading to the identification of a more suitable personal backup (Louisville).
The scenario underscores the critical importance of extensive pre-flight and in-flight briefing, NOTAM analysis, and adaptable decision-making for safe IFR flight in complex and dynamic conditions.

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The second leg of your Tennessee-to-Kentucky journey (see January IFR) is going more smoothly than the first, but there are yet some tough decisions to make before parking for the night at Lexington, Kentucky. There’s the matter of working around a busy airport with a runway closure in marginal VFR weather. Oh, and it’ll be dark when you arrive, adding more complexity to this single-engine solo trip.

Lots of NOTAMs