Unicom—June 2024

Aviation Safety

Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 12:19 PM ET

Verified

Edited By: Omar Filipovic

Key Takeaways:

Air show departures, especially under IFR conditions, can lead to extensive ATC clearance delays or dangerous "scud-running" in marginal VFR, advising pilots to wait out weather or prepare for long waits.
FAR 91.205 requires "suitable" navigation equipment for IFR flight in standard category aircraft, though experimental aircraft may have different requirements depending on their operating limitations.
A reader corrects meteorological misconceptions, clarifying that the dry atmosphere cannot be statically unstable beyond the dry adiabatic lapse rate and that moist air is inherently more unstable.

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Air Show Arrivals

I have enjoyed your magazine for many years. Your airshow arrival article (April 2024) reminded me of a 2015 experience I had in Salinas, Calif., when I attended an AOPA fly-in there.

I flew in IFR, because I had recently obtained the rating. The coastal stratus at 1000 feet was still burning off, and it simplified the high-traffic conditions. By the time the show completed, around four p.m., the marine stratus layer had returned. I filed and got in line for takeoff with the other 100 or so planes, most of whom planned to scud-run out of the area VFR. I finally got to the number one position for departure and was told to pull to the side and await ATC clearance.