My first for-real IFR flight after earning my instrument rating involved flogging a Skyhawk from the DC area to Asheville, N.C. It was at night, over the Appalachian Mountains, along V222, in IMC. The headwinds were stiff enough that I was obliged to stop into Hickory, N.C., for fuel and a bathroom.
Refreshed, with an empty bladder and full tanks, we lifted off into a pitch-black sky. We literally saw nothing until maneuvering for the approach into KAVL. I was younger then and considered myself bulletproof. And not without some reason: I was painfully current on instruments, knew the route well and had confidence in the airplane, which I’d flown a good bit before this trip.
