I had been flying back and forth from Buffalo to New York City for some time. One weekend I decided to give my father his first airplane ride. He had never been off the ground, even in an airliner. On a nice calm weekend, I decided to fly him from his home in New York City to where I lived in Buffalo. The weather was good except for some solid, low stratus clouds in mid-trip. I had to decide whether to fly over the top for part of the trip or duck under the clouds. 288
Ground Reference
I had been flying back and forth from Buffalo to New York City for some time. One weekend I decided to give my father his first airplane ride. He had never been off the ground, even in an airliner. On a nice calm weekend, I decided to fly him from his home in New York City to where I lived in Buffalo.
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot flying VFR under low clouds experienced instrument fluctuations due to subconsciously attempting to fly parallel to rolling terrain, having lost the horizon in haze.
- He realized that visual references could be deceptive and corrected the issue by trusting the aircraft's stability and instruments rather than constant "corrections" based on misleading ground cues.
- The experience highlighted the critical importance for VFR pilots to monitor all instruments and be aware of internal aircraft parameters, as external visual cues can be misleading.
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