Inferior performance

Its been a great couple of days in Saratoga Springs, New York. You almost had to miss it since your TBM is in the shop. Luckily, the owner of your former V-tail Bonanza let you borrow back your old bird after a few phone calls and promises of adult beverages. You knocked out your business engagement early so you even got a chance to tour the battlefields-which was great until torrential rains forced a retreat to a local pub.

IFR Staff

Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot, accustomed to flying a modern TBM, is forced to undertake an IFR departure in a borrowed, older V-tail Bonanza, leading to some apprehension despite frequent IFR experience.
Departing into low IFR conditions (300 overcast), the pilot reviews procedures and programs the GPS but rotates the Bonanza "when it feels right" rather than using specific parameters.
Immediately upon entering the clouds, the pilot senses a critical lack of climb performance, realizing "something isn't quite right" with the heavily fueled Bonanza.

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It’s been a great couple of days in Saratoga Springs, New York. You almost had to miss it since your TBM is in the shop. Luckily, the owner of your former V-tail Bonanza let you borrow back your old bird after a few phone calls and promises of adult beverages. You knocked out your business engagement early so you even got a chance to tour the battlefields—which was great until torrential rains forced a retreat to a local pub.