christmas trip

[gotyacovered]

i want to apologize on the front end b/c of my lengthy post. but i think in this type of post, detail is important.

the weekend after Christmas, my wife and I + 2 kids were planning on going to my mom and dads for Christmas. we fly there all the time and land at a private airstip, Red Oak (4AR2) 3-4mins drive from my parents house. my dad also uses a V tail Bo outta there occasionally. it was raining off and on for a few days leading up to the trip, but the forecast for a flight looked pretty do-able. i call the owner of the hangar at Red Oak Estates where i park and asked him about the runway conditions.

they were fine, weather was sunny and clear at this point. so we plan to fly. it was a debacle from the moment i woke up that day. wife is asking every five mins if weather is going to be good enough to fly, had a big deal fall thru at work, employees were calling in sick... you know how it is--murphy's law type of deal. now an hour late heading to mom and dads... im at the airport, loaded up, waiting on the wife and kids, irritated but focused on the duty at hand. it was reporting VFR (3900 over and 10) in KHOT and IFR (800 over and 6) in Arkadelphia and 4900 in Magnolia/El Dorado (ELD) and 4900 in Camden (CDH). In Texarkana it was 1200 over and 6 and improving petty rapidly. i can tell its not that low in Hope, visually. i depart and as i am passing thru 2000 i am picking up some lite precip, but not even enough to make the "hum". (cessna 182 flyers who have been in the rain, know the hum, something about the wing struts and rain.)

Just off Hope, direct 4AR2 and climbing to 4500 (so i thought) and just as i am checking on with FW center thru 2600 i can tell i am not gonna make 4000 and i am now concerned with that 800ovc report at Arkadelphia, the layer above me is concrete and there is steady light precip. and the layer below... Its as far in front of me as I can see, viz was good, but not even close to unlimited... in other words... I cant tell... but its solid as far as i can see. Go thru all the METARS and KHOT is now few 1200 scattered 5500, LIT is 5100 over and 6, camden and magnolia are still 4900 and 10. it doesn't (visually) look good south, METARs look great. In other words it looks terrible north and METARS are reporting better VFR conditions than the southern airports I was monitoring, but visually its worse south.

13 mins into the flight, I had it... that feeling. I reverse course D-->M18... we are driving. as I am arriving back to Hope, I can see sunshine south. Look at Magnolia (actually ELD) METAR again, same thing... (METAR is now 63mins old). I tell my pissed wife and oblivious kids, lets go have a look. sigh from wifey.

I fly about 20 miles southeast, almost direct to CDH for about 40 miles at 3500ft then as I turn direct 4AR2 I am able to get to 4500ft and greater than 10 mils viz. Arkadelphia never picked up, not that day (which was a Friday) or the next and was 1200 over and 10 Sunday on my way back by--sky clear in Hot Springs.

ffw to sunday... back at red oak, Dad is helping me and the wife and kids load up--lotsa stuff going back that we didnt take, kids were happy. I crank up, warm up, run up and begin my taxi to 09 for my departure... before I know it, I am completely buried--stuck, i sunk the second i left the concrete. I look over at my dad and he gives me the "cut it off you arent going anywhere" look and fingers across throat gesture. I wanted to make sure and prove him right... after trying it at almost full power, it was obvious--I wasn't going anywhere... after shuffling the owners plane around in his hangar and using his hangar winch attached to my tail tie down (plus 2x4's and his sons he) we were able to get her out, easier than I expected. A quick washing of the wheel pants to clear the mud and a tutorial on where to taxi (woulda helped had i looked at the turf before trying to taxi on it) so I would not repeat my mistake.

Nice soft field take off... smooth cool flight back to Hope after a great weekend. For fun I shot the newly commissioned VOR/DME Rwy 04 approach; and, I remember exactly as I was passing NUPKE 18DME (a little low I might add) this thought crossed my mind... my oh my, how different could things have been?

Reflecting later at home...

how many people have continued to fly themselves or their families, under those very same circumstances I had Friday, and perished for the desire to complete a mission? Fullfill their PLAN? Stay on schedule? Swallow their pride?

how would I have handled it if I would have continued my inevitable meeting with IMC?

Will I always have the discipline and resolve to reverse course or take whatever necessary action? I hope so. i pray so.

I have taken 16 flights to and from 4AR2. my average logged time is 1.15 hours... that particular Friday, i hope i will always remember... I logged 1.4hrs. It cost me an additional 18mins to reverse course and go around, on the average. pretty cheap.

[theFlyingHog]

Thanks for posting this. I don't have a much to add other than maybe come back and read this and remember that feeling you had

[GusMcRae]

Good job dealing with the internal and external pressures and making good decisions. 

I flew my 8 year old to Brady Christmas Eve, good clear day but pretty windy, F05 has 34/16 and 20/02 runways.  Brady has 35/17 asphalt and 26/08 turf in fair condition.  When I arrived Brady, it was one of the most un-nerving crosswind landings I've ever had to accomplish.  Very turbulent for about the final 800ft AGL.  Wind was 20kts and gusts up to 35kts from 270, landed on 35.  After I got on the ground I was pretty nervous about it turning me over. 

After dropping him off, I departed via the grass runway 26.  First time I've used a grass runway in the 182.  I flew the 150 down there before, similar wind direction but not as strong and departed on the grass. 
If that happens again, I'll land on the grass as well.

[bvillepig]

Gotya I am glad you took the long way. In the long run it is the best option and when dealing with weather one always needs several outs.

When I get a chance I will post my first "declared emergency situation".  I did truly learn how things can go wrong very quickly in IMC.

December has been a very difficult month for weather flying decision making. I drove to Fayetteville Christmas Eve this year 5.5 hours one way.

I had looked at the weather all day and had finally decided I did not want to drive the 5.5 hours. I was at the hanger and pulled the plane out. The weather was marginal at best but not overwhelming. 1400 ovc at HKA and ASG. A pretty simple approach.

I decided to check flight service one last time before I cranked it up.  It just so happened an icing airmet popped up a few minutes before. Surface to 12000. It was hard but I told my wife we are driving.  We unloaded and drove. I second guessed myself for the first couple of hours in the car because I could see broken sky as I was driving but then realized it was for the best.