Departing into the lowest feasible weather is like landing after breaking out at the bare minimums—we’re constantly honing our skills for these conditions, but it’s rare to actually use them. Maybe that’s why there’s that mental re-grouping when we wake up on a chilly morning, surprised to look out at low-hanging mist and fog. It might be legal to go, but can you go? Should you? The lure of better weather just a few miles away then takes hold, and so you decide to wait—once ceilings lift a little, this becomes just an IFR departure from the home airport. That’s what the rating is for, right?
Low Enough
Such is the situation at Nashville’s John C. Tune, where you’re having coffee with a hangar neighbor. She’s also waiting for it to clear up some to get a ride to Peachtree, Georgia, to pick up her bird after a maintenance project. You’re taking your faster retractable, so it’s maybe a couple of hours to Peachtree. Still, the mission is on a bit of a schedule due to the shop hours. The plan was to meet at your hangar first thing so you can make a leisurely round trip from KJWN to KPDK; in between you can assist the other pilot with a thorough ground inspection and test flight well before the mechanics head out for the day. Then, you’ll each fly your respective aircraft home. For now, though, maybe brew another pot of coffee and grab breakfast—departure will be behind schedule thanks to the current METAR:
