3 mile vis in Class G airspace (Sport Pilot)

[LSaupe 123]

Getting ready for a bi-annual (havent flown in a long time, like 2 years ). I see that the 3 mile vis requirement is still there for Sport Pilots in class G.  Any idea why this is (when ultralight pilots, private pilots have only 1 mile)?

[EDMO 1078]

Because most of us old codgers are farsighted?

The Private Pilot had to have some Instrument hours?

The ultralight cant go fast, or that far?

If you cant see China, you shouldn't take off?

Guess they just don't trust us?

I Donno!

EDMO

Edited 24 Feb 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[1avidflyer 1983]

The lowest visability I ever flew in was (I think) 1 1/2 mile. I got caught in some snow, and landed on a frozen lake about 1/2 mile from the airport that was reporting 1 1/2 mile visability. They had 2 paved runways, and no provision for people on skis. I think they had to have fantastic eyesight to see anything 1 1/2 miles away, I didn't think I could see 1/2 mile away. I was on skis at the time, and had picked up a friend from that lake a couple of hours earlier so we could go to a ski flyin. Got caught in the snow on the way back. Anyway, I don't have any problem with the 3 mile visability rule judging from what it looked like when they were reporting 1 1/2 mile visability. Just me though, VMMY. Jim Chuk

[C5Engineer 1170]

Just a total guess but I'm going to say it has to do with the lack of sim instrument (hood time) required for the Sport Pilot. I'm with Jim... 3 miles sucks...can't fathom 1 mile.

[akflyer 1427]

There have been days that I prayed for 1 mile... 

 

My first trip to the lodge I hit a snow storm and I had to stay in the river bed and keep the trees withing 100' of my wing tip to be able to make them out.  That flight tightened me right up.  To land in the river bed with all the pressure ridges was a 99% chance of ripping the gear off and wrecking the plane, the river was too narrow to turn around in and to climb above the trees was a sure bet of loosing sight of the ground and with no AH in the Avid panel I was not about to try and climb above it.  All I could do at that point was to pull in some flaps, pull back on the power and slow down as much as I could hoping to make my arrival in the trees as slow as possible.  I zoomed in the GPS as tight as it would go and kept heading up river till I got the lodge.  The forecast for that day was clear below 10K and a slight possibility of scattered snow showers... The weather guessers got it way wrong that day!

 

[Av8r3400 1178]

These scenarios are the main reason why I'm putting a Dynon D180 in the Mangy Fox.

I don't plan on doing IFR flying in the plane, but getting caught with no options is very bad.

[akflyer 1427]

Larry I have thought about it many times. Maybe if uncle sam sends me back the money he has so graciously been holding for me since 09 I will pull the trigger on it. I've had more than one of those moments in the mountains as well.

[marksires 484]

I have a Dynon D1 'pocket panel'.  I have an IFR equipped Cherokee, and my Avid.  The Cherokee is all vacuum - even the turn and bank is vacuum, so I needed some alternate backup, but in panel options were $$$$$.  I'm 'legal' without one, but seems stupid to me given the likelyhood of a vacuum pump failure.  With the pocket panel, I can move it between the two planes as needed.  I can't imagine ever getting into IFR with my Avid in Florida, but stranger things have happened to me over the years!

Mark

[dav8or 20]

Maybe taking a few hours of Instrument instruction might not be a bad idea for those who have not had any training. I do remember that my instructor liked putting post it notes over the AH, DG and Turn Coordinator pretty often while I was under the hood. With a bit of practice you can hold level flight using the compass, Altimeter and ASI. Not ideal due to the tremendous workload for the mind added to basic navigation but would save your butt when a vacuum pump goes out or if you manage to get caught in instrument conditions by accident somehow in an Avid.

 

Another option is the MGL Extreme Mini EFIS with the AHRS sensors added. I have though about putting one of those in my Avid some day and right now it is what I would plan on putting into the Quickie Q1 that I need to get busy finishing. Avionics will have changed completely by the time I need any for that plane though. One of the guys in my EAA chapter put one in his LongEZ minus the AHRS and has been happy with it.

 

I had forgotten about the Dynon pocket panel. I might save up for one of those since I am also switching between 2 planes and one is certificated.

 

For the experimentals there is one more relatively cheap option:  http://www.beliteaircraftstore.com/tuco.html

 

A small solid state turn coordinator. Not quite as good as an AH but way cheaper.

 

Dan

Edited 25 Feb 2015 by dav8or

[EDMO 1078]

When I was a beginning commercial student, about 50 years ago, I took a VFR C-172 from St. Louis to OK City, had wife and two small daughters with me - CAVU, and made a stop at my hometown in the flatlands of the Missouri Bootheel on my way to Oklahoma.

3 days later I left Cherokee Airport, where there was no fuel, under big cumulous clouds - Near Tulsa, an ATF pilot was reporting hail just north of my location - I quickly got into rain and made a fast landing at an Airport and went right into an open hanger until the storm passed.

Taking off and heading across the hills of North Arkansas, I was under lowering ceilings and about 1000 AGL for a while, and then a pilot north of me in a Beech reported storm tops at 55,000.

I got down to 500 AGL, and was off my course, flying more south to avoid storms.

Spotting a water tower at a small town, I circled it to try confirm my location - There was no name on the tower! -

The clouds were nearly touching the hilltops, but there was what looked like a tunnel in the clouds in a valley to the northeast of the town, and I headed the Cessna into it hoping it wouldn't close up on me before the hills blended into the flatlands of Missouri. I got to the flatlands and landed in rain with maybe 5 gallons of gas left.

Not an exciting story now, but a trip I will never forget with some very precious passengers asleep in the back seat.

EDMO

Edited 26 Feb 2015 by Ed In Missouri