Ben glad you were able to land asap. I’m an ATC at KMIA with 11 years experience in tower and Radar. let me be very clear, NEVER be afraid to ask for help, assistance, let us know the weather is deteriorating and you need vectors back or to an area with better visibility and weather. Don’t be afraid declare an emergency either. I think pilots are afraid to ask for help or say they are in a bad place but we are there to help. We have a lot of equipment at our disposals that we can literally look up from our radar scope and see weather for at least 5-10 airports depending on the facility. We can ask for pireps from other VFR on or frequency to get you there. Let ATC know weather is deteriorating and ask them how the route looks ahead we’ll give you some feedback. Also, I’m not sure but unless that’s a low traffic area, he says he has no further VFR traffic for you says, no one else for one reason or another is flying in that low vis weather you know? My ears perked up when he said that, but it might also be a low traffic area. Also realize ATC gave you his MVA, minimum vectoring altitude which was 1600’ and advised it was broken ahead at 1400’. I have planes go low on me, and that’s fine I just advise the further they get from me I might lose radio coms. We get a lot of student pilots and new pilots in South Florida and or weather is mostly VFR, but I’ve had some scary calls of pilots calling me lost IMC. Scariest few transmissions of my career but I was able to help the pilots. Good luck and be safe!
THANK YOU for your encouragement, information and valued advice. The ATC person I dealt with realized very quickly that I was getting myself into trouble. He was unbelievably helpful and reassuring during the ordeal. Furthermore, after landing, I received a call from ATC asking if we were safely on the ground. This was emotionally overwhelming and my voice was breaking when I thanked them again and again for their help. You guys at ATC are really the heroes in the skies that deserve more credit then you currently get for rescuing pilots like me. Let me say this again, THANK YOU ATC for keeping us safe.
theVRpilot: There is a culture in aviation that causes pilots to be afraid to ask for help for fear they will get in trouble, and I think it is a huge problem. That some how needs to be fixed. I wish the FAA would work up some outreach programs that would help change the culture. Wouldn't it be great if a pilot could put in ADS-B that they are VFR only or IFR Single Pilot so ATC could have an understanding of capability? They could warn VFR only pilots of what they are heading into. What doesn't help is ATC guys with a tone in their voice the they are ready to rip a pilot's head off at any moment.
@@whfrederickiii Walt I completely agree. Having a PPL is a privileged but I also feel it is a privilege to help and be a part of your journey as you are flying and work the other side of the radio guiding you home. I understand that people are reluctant to admit they are in a bad spot or need help with fear that maybe they have done something wrong or it can get them in trouble. I work with many people who absolute love what they do, do their best job daily to help ALL pilots VFR/IFR, student or not to get to their destinations but I do know those that you are referring too that rip a pilots head off for simple things. I worked with someone for 3 years who would unkey and complain about every pilot he spoke about, I told him hey man, for the last 45 minutes you have been complaining, so either everyone on the frequency is an idiot or are you the idiot? lol. He stopped huffing and puffing for the remainder of our shift, but deep inside its his personality. Some controllers are more intense then others. We in part work a thankless job in which we have to keep everyone separated, move IFR traffic in and out of Busy class B/C airspaces while dodge VFR air work aerial mapping request, while dodging storms, etc etc etc etc and at times, when a controller has to repeat themselves over and over, and then you get stepped on, and incorrect readbacks (which if you read it back wrong and I dont catch it its my fault as well as a pilot deviation) so we are constantly managing the stress of getting everyone to where they want and staying level headed. I also work with a few controllers who never get upset and have a deep passion and excitement for aviation and enjoy flying themselves. They understand the pressure, the stress and needs that new GA VFR pilots have. Empathy is the key word for me. I like the IDEA of having ADS-B show VFR only, or IFR single pilot. On our end it could show a character to symbolize one or the other when we click on the target or print its flight progress strip. Controllers are human too, even the grumpiest controller will help in time of need, never be afraid to ask, and ill continue to tell my peers to calm down! lol
Ben, I am a twenty thousand hour ATP.....you did ok, and most important you learned something from the experience. Continue and get your instrument rating. If you don’t have one get a simple autopilot. An another commenter wrote, it takes guts to post a mistake, and I applaud you for it.
Thank you for watching and your encouragement. I do appreciate it. It was a very good lesson for me. In fact, I cut my flight short today because the clouds were about 4,000 and getting lower at which point I decided to head back. I will definitely continue my IFR training.
Watching this 4 years later 1. Thank you for posting this. It is a lesson to all of us as to how quickly it can happen. 2. Happy to hear you got your instrument rating. I hope you are practising to stay proficient, and I wish you many more safe flying hours. Again, thanks for sharing it. It is brave to share your mistake so that all of us can learn from it.
Been there and done that. Confess, and fly the airplane. This is when training really comes into play. We all learn from each other. One comment, no shoulder harness for pilot?
Please practice limiting cockpit distractions. Have your alternate airport(s) preplanned so you're not fumbling when you need to divert in deteriorating conditions. Right at the moment you said you were going to "Continue" you were focused on the iPad and I'm assuming loading the alternate into a GPS, learn the nearest function! Way too distracted and the wall of overcast right in front of you didn't register, the decision to divert should've occurred long before you encountered a low overcast.
It took courage to post this video. It curled my toes to watch you fly into IMC. I hope you keep this video up even though you might get some harsh criticism. It's valuable for other pilots to see how fast it happens when scud running. But even when you get an instrument rating, there will still be times you will need to divert, and those will be far scarier.
You did the right thing. Good pilots make good decisions and that is what you did when it became clear that you might have a problem, and it may have saved your lives. Glad you guys made it safely!
First off man, thanks for putting this up so people can see just how damn fast you can get yourself into a loooot of trouble. When you found yourself in a bad space you got out of it safely, so well done there too, can't ever take that away from you. It's too easy to comment from the comfort of a chair especially when you're not having to contend with the stress of actually handling the machine, but I will say depending on how and where you train the concept of decision points is one we shouldn't forget. As another pilot mentioned, the weather didn't find you, you found the weather.The whole time you're getting forced lower and lower with no end in sight, this is when you should be thinking about that diversion or landing until the wx improves. Have that hard stop ready if it's not better in 5nm we ARE diverting. Like I said, it's so easy to see that from your comfy spot at home so I am really glad you took the opportunity to share this to show people just how important those decisions points are. If you get the point where you think "Ah, I should have diverted" it's too late for that option to safely do so. Also, critically, when you enter IMC you enter a +1000fpm climb INTO the IMC, entering at about 1200ft, climbing almost 300ft to 1500ft before exiting again at 1200ish ft - a real lesson on the disorientation in unexpected IMC. As soon as you get into that IMC you can no longer fly VFR, get on instruments and trust them, if you hadn't broken out of cloud quickly I am not certain you'd have had the altitude to recover from the disorientation. As soon as you entered IMC visibility reduced immediately. Looking over your shoulder won't show you a horizon or clear sky. Check that heading, rate 1 turn to the recip heading and fly it S&L until clear. You know the weather behind you is good. Don't search for it, you'll only end up disoriented. I'm glad you took the time to post, I hope people learn. I know I did and will be still mindful of decision making pts etc. Safeflying.
Kenny, thank you for your constructive feedback and recommendations to enter and exit IMC. You are absolutely right, I saw and still flew into bad weather. I should have made the decision to divert at least 15 minutes earlier, which would have prevented this dangerous situation. At least, there two good things that came out of it: 1). We are still alive 2). We had a great unplanned trip to Louisiana - see ua-cam.com/video/DaMrat0mkes/v-deo.html But all kidding aside, thank you very much again for taking time and providing me with great feedback and education.
A lot of people let great comments. Glad you has enough sense to land the plane with your wife on board who trust you with her life. One thing I have to say about this video. Fly the plane first. Don't worry about ATC. You are the one in the situation not them. Aviate, navigate and communicate last in this type of situation.
Speaking as a 10,000 hour, west coast of Alaska pilot, the soup didn’t surround you, you flew into it. Something to remember, if you can see the ground, you are 99.9% less likely to experience “uncontrolled flight into terrain”. You could see it (clouds, weather) coming for miles in the video yet didn’t recognize it. That is where more experience, preferable with an experienced flight instructor (that’s an instructor who has actually had a job for a few years flying in said conditions, not just a ticket) would help you greatly. I’m not a great writer and not trying to belittle you, just don’t want you or your passengers to get hurt. Find an experienced instructor and fly a few sessions in true, marginal conditions. Not so you can push the envelope but just so you can recognize and avoid a bad situation before it happens. Otherwise, great job of recognizing he current situation and admitting it was time to land. Good Flying!
Thank you for your input and advice. You are right, I should have recognized the danger much earlier and turn back sooner. I actually do have about 20 hours of flying in real IFR conditions with Captain Doron who is the greatest CFII ever. My time and training with Doron kicked in and saved my rear this time. I'm currently studying for the IFR knowledge test. Happy Flying!
I flew out of Bethel in the 90’s and 2000’s, plus last summer. Was gonna fly again this summer but a new pilot at Yute Commuter crashed yesterday, killing himself and 4 passengers. Probably the end of the company. And, knowing the area and prevailing wx, I would bet he got into IFR conditions and didn’t recognize it until it was too late. An Instrument ticket did???
Cherokee 592, Decisions AND awareness. In my experience that awareness comes from hands on,,,,,experience. Which is why I recommended getting a TRULY experienced instructor and taking a few flight in TRULY marginal conditions.🙂
This is several years old, so I'm sure you are a better pilot now. Planning a flight well is as important, if not more important than the actual flight. When you take a trusting passenger with you, it becomes 1000 times more important for you to be competent and well prepared for all phases of the flight. If you aren't, then please go out there alone. Sorry if this is too harsh. Thanks for sharing this.
Ahmad thank you for watching and your constructive critique. I couldn't agree more with your assessment. I'm currently training for my IFR rating. Happy & Safe Flying!
Thank you for sharing. Great decision in the end. I would of however turned around a long time ago. You can see those clouds coming with lots of warning. Stay safe.
Oof! Lots going on in this flight. A new aircraft, busy (class B) airspace, unfamiliar territory, non-pilot passenger, deteriorating weather... Good decision to get on the ground! Should the decision have been made sooner? Sure. It was clear to viewers that you were in over your head. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t tested some limits in my first 100-200 flight hours (and I probably still do). Thank you for sharing. We can all learn something about our limitations as pilots.
wow that was amazing, how things changed so quickly and you had relief on your face when you touched down. Saw a 40 deg bank angle when you were in the clouds, wow that was scary !!!
Thank you Clayton for watching and your kind words. Yes indeed it was very scary at the time. I was lucky to survive it. Following that I decided to get my IFR rating, which I did last April.
Thanks for sharing this! In a world of UA-cam videos where everyone shares perfect flights and butter landings, it's refreshing to see something unfiltered where things went a little sideways. I'm a student pilot rounding up on fifty hours and I learn a lot from videos like this, so I'll be able to recognize in the future if I end up in a similar situation. Appreciate it!
Thanks for posting, glad you're safe. All of your decisions were good, except for one...you saw the IMC well in advance. Get your Instrument ticket, if you own a plane, instrument ticket will come in handy. GREAT job on keeping the altitude in the turn!!!
What I'm also seeing is 11:21 - head-in-side-cockpit. I've done this as well, while on flight-following from TOA to MYF -- on a weather-briefed days I was convinced it was clear with no clouds... Standard rate 180 and return to airport - scared the hell out of me. You are to be congratulated for having Rosy return commercial and you with a second pilot. That's what I call, "Pilot in Command".
@@TheRealAviatorBen I just noticed you mentioned Farmingdale somewhere. I did my entire PPL out of Bayport (23N) - what a riot that was, on turf. Continued success in 2020.
I was watching his instrument panel the whole time he was in the glass of milk, and he kept rolling further and further on his right. I felt like I was watching the beginning of his graveyard spin. I was also very relieved when he came out of it. Thank god for your safety.
Good Video, I recently obtained my IR. I'm sure you do great with IR training. Don't let these negative comments get to you. Sure, you could have made some better choices earlier in the flight. However, as nervous as you were, you flew the plane and made it back on the ground safely. And I am sure you learned from that experience which is what really matters. Fly Safe!
@@TheRealAviatorBen as a fellow aviator I know what it's like to get lulled into a situation like that especially when you're a low time pilot. The best thing is you will learn from that experience and I guarantee you will never to it again.. That's why they call it experience.. Inevitably you did the right thing and and more importantly the SAFE thing. Safe aviating my friend.. May you have clear sky's and smooth winds.. Blue side up always..
How many hours flying time did you have at this point? Looks like you and your Honey definitely had the adventure. I enjoy your videos and the fact that they are not over edited and show you in rear world situations.
I had about 380 hours when I picked up the plane from Houston Executive (KTME) . Yes, it was very scary flying into IMC. Currently, my Dakota is in the shop, and subsequently, I haven't been flying for more than a month. I hope it will be ready in a couple of weeks. Thank you for watching and your support.
kudos to you for having courage to post your video. i think you already know what errors you made, once you had to descent to 1600' thats when i would have looked for a place to land. scud running is how you get into trouble. good job staying level headed and getting on the ground after your went VFR->IMC.
Thank you Ricardo for your kind words. Yes, I made mistakes and learned what not to do next time. Currently, I'm scheduled for my IFR accelerated training. Hopefully will attain it by end of Feb. Thanks again for watching.
Many years ago while doing my PPL training which I live on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and conditions where weather can deteriorate quickly going from clear sunny day to a low overcast with towering thunderstorms. During a return trip back to my home-base from an airport I had flown to approx 100 miles away. During the trip back the weather begin to deteriorate with a low-cloud ceiling started developing ahead and eventually behind me too. I kept flying lower and lower to remain VR scud running trying to get back to my airport. For a brief period cloud bases seemed to be break up with significant openings occurred -- broken clouds. Flying anywhere from 500' down to 250' trying to stay VR but not sure about obstacles could lie ahead I wanted more altitude. I knew where I was geographically so remaining VR, I went though a significant hole in the clouds for more altitude --- then the worst happened broken clouds closed creating a solid layer which I was now caught above with no cloud breaks anywhere. I could feel anxiety and panic trying to take-over, so I contacted Houston approach which they were able to calm ne down and helped get me back to the airport which ended up being marginal VR! Of course landed okay! Trust me I was shaking from head to toe! From that day forward if there were any inkling of weather --- I didn't fly. Now I am thinking about doing my instrument.
Wow, thank you for sharing. That's was my thinking as well, however, it took me more than 2 years before I started my IFR training due to life getting in the way. In any case, I passed my IFR checkride 2 months ago and I used it to fly to Canada and back. It sure came in handy. Have a look at my recent videos to see what IMC flying was really like for a new IFR pilot.
I would land at least 20 minutes earlier in another airport once I saw the condition deteriorating. See me latest video where I applied this lesson. ua-cam.com/video/7z3bH5hCXx8/v-deo.html Thank you for watching and commenting.
Thanks for posting this. Never have been in IMC and now can see how easy for someone to get into this. Good job with the diversion. Looks like you made the right call.
Vincent, yes it's really easy to get yourself into one, especially on long cross country flights. I almost had another one on my longest flight ever that I just completed from KLDJ New Jersey to KLNA Flordia and back. I'll be posting this video sometime this week. Thank you for watching and commenting.
This happened to me when I was training for my private pilot. Luckily my instructor was with me and it was a small cloud. I think he let me do it on purpose just to see how quickly one can get disoriented in the clouds and how fast it can happen. Thanks for posting this so others can learn even though yes technically you should have been 500 below clouds etc... I'm instrument/commercial rated now and what it has tought me is that you really have to "pilot" the aircraft. Just having the rating means I have the experience to know not to fly into clouds accidentally and make active decisions instead of just waiting to see what happens. Hopefully other pilots out there learn from this video and give the skies the respect it needs to stay safe.
Hi Ben. Thanks for sharing. I had an encounter too in a small Cessna 152. Took off in a moonless night from an airport adjacent to the ocean and once I climbed over the airport perimeter and over water, there was absolutely nothing in my horizon, but just pitch black. No moon, no clouds, no lights no boats. Just black. Immediately I felt that Stomach falling to the floor feeling, but my several years of plying with Microsoft flight simulator when I was a kid kicked in, and I slowly commenced a left hand 180 degree turn with only reference to instruments. It felt very ugly because my senses did not agree with the instruments, but if I pulled harder the airspeed would drop. So I had to trust the airspeed and the artificial horizon until all of a sudden the lights of Tallahassee came appeared on the horizon, and i got my reference again, and it felt so good.
Hi, Yes, I definitely understand and I am glad you made it as well. What really bothered me during my encounter was the fact that I also put my wife into this situation. It still bothers me to this day. I made a promise to myself later that I will get IFR rating, which I'm still working on. Thank you for watching and sharing your story.
Glad you survived this potential NTSB report. If you want to see if you're at the same level as clouds bend down to eye level with the instrument panel then look at the clouds. If the clouds are above your instrument panel you're going to fly under the clouds. If the clouds are even with the panel you're going to fly into the clouds.
Ben, As the other comentors said, Get your Instrument rating, and as a side note, please watch closley at the amount of time you spend playing with your Ipad instead of flying the airplane. After the IMC encounter I watched as you spent so much time(:30) from 12:36- 13:05 on the Ipad that you went into a 800fpm descent and didn't even realize it until you looked out.
Tony, I agree with you 100%. Watching the video, I realized this was one of my major mistakes of being distracted from my main mission, i.e., AVIATE. Thank you for your comments.
Ben, I’m not a pilot (just a very experienced UA-cam “pilot”🙂, who dreams of flying), but I knew you were making bad choices as I joined you on this journey. Glad you had an angel in the jump seat! This was the first time I saw your channel. Kudos to you for sharing this, as others can learn from your mistakes. I’m now a subscriber & look forward to your videos. Best to you.
Very easy to criticise I think you were composed obviously stressed and very brave to undertake a turn in IMC wings level reduce power let her drop out of the cloud. I agree previous posts a simple autopilot would have taken away a lot of the stress as each time you tried to fiddle with the gps you were loosing pitch and attitude control well done for posting wish there was more like this to learn from.
That's a great start to do the Sheppard Air Online Ground school course and follow the directions and hit it hard as you can and take a few practice test skills to know the way as to get the highest score possible and when you have the opportunity to take to real exam then go get it done . I'll fly with you anytime to be a safety pilot to practice approaches afterwards
I didn't watch the video, but how the heck dose somebody fly inadvertently into IMC?!? I have a few thousand hours under my belt, but never ran inadvertently into IMC, for some reason I always saw what was in front of me.
He was being handed off and had his eys on the radios for several seconds (far too long). Don't act as if you have never been heads down far longer than you should have been. Right? RIGHT?
@@robajohnson that is the dumbest excuse I've heard. He may have been looking down to switch a radio for several seconds, for how long before he got to that point could he see the cloud layer. Rediculous to make excuses for this clown who is just using this as click bait.
@@DZ-rg7jt LOL! 1) Who made excuses? Understanding what went *wrong* is how you get better. 2) While it is clickbait it seems to be even stronger virtue signaler bait. 3) I know that over my 29 years of flying I have screwed up plenty. So I feel no need to boost my self-esteem by virtue signaling and preening about how awesome I am by putting others down. {shrug} To each his own but I don’t think your little pissy fit makes you look like a good pilot. Do you? 4) On that note, we all KNOW you have screwed the pooch before and if you deny it we all know you either have 5 hours or you are a MASSIVE liar on top of your other obvious faults (virtue signaling and throwing little temper tantrums) So climb on down off your high horse-- You ain't fooling anyone. Look at the post from @alaska grown below. That is how it's done. Live and learn
A lot of people will make the mistake of flying into the ceiling (that you can't see clearly), instead of keeping a safe distance and flying lower. It's much harder to fly into the ground that you can see.
i believe he was doing his 180 turn which pushed him up a little bit maybe wrong angle/speed but at least the man made the late BUT right decision of turning around and heading the hell back lol
One of my suggestions would be to become more familiar with your required preflight action or NWKRAFT. Always be familiar with the weather not only at your departure and destination, but also your route. Keep always multiple alternates ready that way you don’t get overwhelmed in the cockpit. Next time try to take a step back and breath you started to panic and thats never the best course of actions. But congratulations on taking the right steps to get yourself out of the IMC safely. If you don’t feel comfortable with something just divert to an alternate before is too late. Fly smart and don’t become part of the statistics.
Good job of getting down safely. You stayed calm, took a course of action, made the decision to land and lived to tell us about it. Not a pilot just an aviation enthusiast. I think my age and circumstances will not allow me to earn a ppl.
James, thank you for watching and your encouragement. Let me tell you, age shouldn't be a barrier to get your PPL unless you are over 85 🤓 IMHO. I myself, started my 1st lesson 2.5 years ago.
@@TheRealAviatorBen I will not go into all my circumstances. But currently on SS-DI. Once September of next year hits I can earn unlimited income. But we are not promised tomorrow either. I just have a lot of hope!
Good job making the turn and escaping the VMC to IMC trap. I would much rather have seen you referencing the instruments during the turn than looking out the right hand side. If you don't plan to start IFR training right away, I suggest you at least get some actual IFR time with a rated CFII and maybe use a home flight simulator to crank up your instrument scan. Best wishes for a long and safe flying career.
Richard, thank you for your advice. I did practice with a CFII in real IFR conditions about 1 year ago for about 19 hours. However, getting caught in it after not doing it for 1 year illustrated to me the importance of attaining IFR ASAP and practicing it often. Thanks again for taking time to respond and providing valuable feedback.
A non pilot here ( inadequate visual depth perception meant no pilot's license for me) a few of these sorts of videos come up on my feed and mostly the situation doesn't look too bad, perhaps videos show visibility to be clearer than it is. Then there are the modern aids available which if used should give very useful situation information. The problem often seems to be that once some visibility is lost the stress levels rise and exaggerate the potential danger, easy to say that from the comfort of a grounded chair I know but that is my perception. My amateurs' comment would be when flying not to look outside all the time but scan the instruments regularly and absorb their messages. Learn to rely on them 100%
Thank you for watching and commenting. You may not know this, however, as a VFR private pilot you are supposed to rely mainly on visual queues. Therefore, when you loose visual references your anxiety level goes way up. The solution for it is to get your IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) rating, which as you rightly eluded to, trains the pilot to rely 100% on his/her instruments. That's what I did a couple of years later if you care to see my last few videos. Thanks again for taking time to comment.
Absolutely correct. Looking at it now I realized how distracted I was in the cockpit, which didn't help matters. In hindsight, I should have turned around 15 minutes earlier and land. A great lesson for me and hopefully to others. Thank you for commenting.
Ben... Wow! Thanks for sharing your flight.... while you were earning your ppl, did you develop your own personal minimums? You just helped me reviewing and sticking to mine! Stay safe!!
Yes, I did but the mission of transporting the plane from Houston to Linden got the better of me. I'm glad that it helped you, it certainly taught me a number of lessons. Thank you for your feedback. Happy flying and stay safe.
Thank you for watching, however, see below requirements that do not specifically require you to have VOR, DME, ADF specifically. It depends on the approach that you'll be using, e.g., GPS, than you would need a GPS but not VOR. Thanks again for taking time to comment. GRABCARD: IFR Minimum Equipment Generator or Alternator Radio/Navigation Appropriate For Flight Attitude Indicator Ball (Inclinometer) Clock Altimeter (Pressure Sensitive) Rate of Turn Indicator Directional Gyro
Thanks for uploading the video! in aviation we have to learn from other people's mistake cuz you might not have a chance to learn with yours and I gotta say, my heart was pounding when you got IMC, if it wasn't stated on the title 12 seconds, I'd be desperate myself, really scary!!!
Wasn't textbook, his altitude was all over the place and he wasn't looking at the flight instruments. He was slow and task saturated just to copy basic frequencies.
@@TheRealAviatorBen mine likes 4 primes...fuel pump for 5 seconds then off...pump throttle 2x then once you hit the key set rpm to 1000-1200. When its warm I omit the prime.
Thank you for sharing, As a student pilot I really appreciate being able to see how quickly things can go from marginal to frightening. I will remember it when I eventually get my License and am making similar decisions.
Thank you NOONE for watching and your comments. Please subscribe to the channel if not already done so. I'll have another recent video coming in a couple of days.
Hi Ben just started watching your videos ,mostly are funny this one in particular not funny and I'm glad you guys made it alive. VFR into IMC pilot killer.I fly cherokee out of FRG I met Doron few times nice guy. Looking to upgrade maybe Dakota or V tail maybe next year if we ever get out of Quarantine lol stay safe
Believe me, Even when you are trained it can be difficult in prolonged lower altitude no visibility conditions to believe your instruments. Watch the Air France crash video. The pilots could not tell they were descending. Good luck!
Quick call to flight service before a flight is always good. There is a lot to comment on, but I would review the video with your CFI or an experienced pilot at your club or FBO for the errors, mitigation’s and learning opportunities. Glad all were safe. Pucker factor 6.
Glad you made the secision to divert Ben, those ceilings were getting really bad... I recommend you to get familiar with the use of the attitude indicator, trust your instruments more than your perception in such conditions... 38 degree of bank on IMC and no IFR experience is not a healthy combination... Dont get so much sticked to your Ipad and radios, spend 90% of your time watching outside and plan in advance. Great video, good winds (and better weather!).
Couple of points: - be concerned about radio towers when skud running. We have some here in Coastal North Carolina that top 1400’ - I would have slowed to 90 knots or so. Gives u a little more time to avoid towers. Looked to me that u we’re pushing 147 kts
Thank you for watching and your advice. I'll definitely remember that should I ever (I hope NEVER) encounter this in the future. Since then, I've been much more consciences re weather prior to flights. I also just passed my IFR knowledge test and currently working on my practical.
Dude, once you train and learn to trust your instruments and engine and system gauges. Imc is fun and safe to encounter. (Obviously not when in known icing or encounter icing) i have around 200 hours with 7 in actual imc and its a challenge but fun especially when you shoot an approach like you trained for.
Agreed re the cockpit management. I should have ignored updating the flight plan on the Garmin and make the decision to land in the alternate, 3R7, much earlier. This would have avoided the IMC situation I got myself into. I'm currently working on my IFR knowledge test. Thank you for watching and providing feedback. I always appreciate it.
Just throwing it out there, if you get disoriented in IMC, turn the autopilot on and activate the wing leveler. But you definitely should not have stayed in the clouds, dipping down even 1-200 feet would have gotten you out of it. Watching the altitude on your video you actually climbed deeper into it as things progressed.
Once I got my instrument rating, 99% of my missions are a "go". I regularly fly from Cape Cod to south Florida and back. You'll love flying in the IFR system and it's alot safer on many levels.
That's was my intention, but given the stress, it was a challenge. Nothing that IFR rating won't cure, which is my plan. Thank you for watching and your feedback.
@@TheRealAviatorBen Stressful to say the least. There are pilots that can't manage to get their IFR rating. The military uses two pilots on helicopters. When in hostile situations the copilot calls out airspeed & altitude. Maybe you can train your wife to assist you in those situations to call them out for you as you're managing the situation. VFR into IMC, one of the deadliest combinations.
Life got in the way, i.e., losing Rosy's son, moving to Florida, etc. My updated goal is to pass the written test this year. Thank you for watching and commenting.
As a helicopter guy… when tower makes a suggestion to fly at a certain altitude due to a cloud deck… you take it. MSA + 100 is usually a good alt for us VFR folk. Watching the mistakes this guy made hurts me.I hope he has learned a valuable lesson and even more I hope he has gotten some Instruments and an IFR rating
Thanks for the experience. But to be honest...you should look out much more then be distracted by workload inside the cockpit. The result was obvious as we can see.You had the level-control all over the place. But after all at the end good airmen ship with landing a.s.a.p.
I know there is a lot going on here and I’m only 15 seconds into the vid when I made this post but does anyone else notice he is not wearing a shoulder harness.
Sean, actually I do wear the shoulder belt that is under left my arm. I admit that it's not a great place, but I do this because it kills my neck if I don't. Thank you for watching and commenting.
@@TheRealAviatorBen Hi thank you for replying. Mine hurts my neck as well. I put a 3.00 seat belt pad on the strap. It does look like my grandmothers car but it is more comfortable. My last comment was a bad call out. But I sure do like how you responded. Have a great flight and be safe.
That was close, please stop messing with those clouds, you are supposed to be 500 feet below them in Class E, which meant you should have been at 8 800 or 900 feet, which is too low for a cross country. Suggest you set personal mins for trip like this, like at least a 3,000 foot ceiling or no go. Get your instrument ticket, will make trips like this no big deal. Stay safe.
The primary benefit of an autopilot in this situation is that, assuming the AP is engaged, it will keep the wings level and prevent the pilot from over-controlling the airplane due to spatial disorientation, which can lead to loss of control and an accident. If you notice in the video, once he encountered the cloud, he panicked and began overbanking the aircraft in a rushed attempt to fly back to visual conditions. For a non instrument rated pilot like this guy, that often leads to an accident. This is similar to what occurred with JFK Jr when he lost visual reference at night.
Ben glad you were able to land asap.
I’m an ATC at KMIA with 11 years experience in tower and Radar. let me be very clear, NEVER be afraid to ask for help, assistance, let us know the weather is deteriorating and you need vectors back or to an area with better visibility and weather. Don’t be afraid declare an emergency either. I think pilots are afraid to ask for help or say they are in a bad place but we are there to help.
We have a lot of equipment at our disposals that we can literally look up from our radar scope and see weather for at least 5-10 airports depending on the facility. We can ask for pireps from other VFR on or frequency to get you there. Let ATC know weather is deteriorating and ask them how the route looks ahead we’ll give you some feedback.
Also, I’m not sure but unless that’s a low traffic area, he says he has no further VFR traffic for you says, no one else for one reason or another is flying in that low vis weather you know? My ears perked up when he said that, but it might also be a low traffic area.
Also realize ATC gave you his MVA, minimum vectoring altitude which was 1600’ and advised it was broken ahead at 1400’.
I have planes go low on me, and that’s fine I just advise the further they get from me I might lose radio coms.
We get a lot of student pilots and new pilots in South Florida and or weather is mostly VFR, but I’ve had some scary calls of pilots calling me lost IMC.
Scariest few transmissions of my career but I was able to help the pilots.
Good luck and be safe!
THANK YOU for your encouragement, information and valued advice. The ATC person I dealt with realized very quickly that I was getting myself into trouble. He was unbelievably helpful and reassuring during the ordeal. Furthermore, after landing, I received a call from ATC asking if we were safely on the ground. This was emotionally overwhelming and my voice was breaking when I thanked them again and again for their help.
You guys at ATC are really the heroes in the skies that deserve more credit then you currently get for rescuing pilots like me.
Let me say this again, THANK YOU ATC for keeping us safe.
theVRpilot: There is a culture in aviation that causes pilots to be afraid to ask for help for fear they will get in trouble, and I think it is a huge problem. That some how needs to be fixed. I wish the FAA would work up some outreach programs that would help change the culture. Wouldn't it be great if a pilot could put in ADS-B that they are VFR only or IFR Single Pilot so ATC could have an understanding of capability? They could warn VFR only pilots of what they are heading into. What doesn't help is ATC guys with a tone in their voice the they are ready to rip a pilot's head off at any moment.
@@whfrederickiii Walt I completely agree. Having a PPL is a privileged but I also feel it is a privilege to help and be a part of your journey as you are flying and work the other side of the radio guiding you home. I understand that people are reluctant to admit they are in a bad spot or need help with fear that maybe they have done something wrong or it can get them in trouble.
I work with many people who absolute love what they do, do their best job daily to help ALL pilots VFR/IFR, student or not to get to their destinations but I do know those that you are referring too that rip a pilots head off for simple things.
I worked with someone for 3 years who would unkey and complain about every pilot he spoke about, I told him hey man, for the last 45 minutes you have been complaining, so either everyone on the frequency is an idiot or are you the idiot? lol.
He stopped huffing and puffing for the remainder of our shift, but deep inside its his personality. Some controllers are more intense then others. We in part work a thankless job in which we have to keep everyone separated, move IFR traffic in and out of Busy class B/C airspaces while dodge VFR air work aerial mapping request, while dodging storms, etc etc etc etc and at times, when a controller has to repeat themselves over and over, and then you get stepped on, and incorrect readbacks (which if you read it back wrong and I dont catch it its my fault as well as a pilot deviation) so we are constantly managing the stress of getting everyone to where they want and staying level headed.
I also work with a few controllers who never get upset and have a deep passion and excitement for aviation and enjoy flying themselves. They understand the pressure, the stress and needs that new GA VFR pilots have. Empathy is the key word for me.
I like the IDEA of having ADS-B show VFR only, or IFR single pilot. On our end it could show a character to symbolize one or the other when we click on the target or print its flight progress strip.
Controllers are human too, even the grumpiest controller will help in time of need, never be afraid to ask, and ill continue to tell my peers to calm down! lol
i never trust vfr in florida. the weather changes its mind quite often lol
@@royhsieh4307 so true! You have to be careful!
Ben, I am a twenty thousand hour ATP.....you did ok, and most important you learned something from the experience. Continue and get your instrument rating. If you don’t have one get a simple autopilot. An another commenter wrote, it takes guts to post a mistake, and I applaud you for it.
Thank you for watching and your encouragement. I do appreciate it. It was a very good lesson for me. In fact, I cut my flight short today because the clouds were about 4,000 and getting lower at which point I decided to head back. I will definitely continue my IFR training.
Watching this 4 years later
1. Thank you for posting this. It is a lesson to all of us as to how quickly it can happen.
2. Happy to hear you got your instrument rating. I hope you are practising to stay proficient, and I wish you many more safe flying hours.
Again, thanks for sharing it. It is brave to share your mistake so that all of us can learn from it.
That incident 4 years ago sure scared me. It made up my mind to get my instrument rating later on. Thank you for watching and your kind words.
Been there and done that. Confess, and fly the airplane. This is when training really comes into play. We all learn from each other. One comment, no shoulder harness for pilot?
There is one but I had it below my arm pit. I know.... it's not a good idea 😑
Please practice limiting cockpit distractions. Have your alternate airport(s) preplanned so you're not fumbling when you need to divert in deteriorating conditions. Right at the moment you said you were going to "Continue" you were focused on the iPad and I'm assuming loading the alternate into a GPS, learn the nearest function! Way too distracted and the wall of overcast right in front of you didn't register, the decision to divert should've occurred long before you encountered a low overcast.
Kent, you are absolutely right. Thank you for your suggestions .
It took courage to post this video. It curled my toes to watch you fly into IMC. I hope you keep this video up even though you might get some harsh criticism. It's valuable for other pilots to see how fast it happens when scud running. But even when you get an instrument rating, there will still be times you will need to divert, and those will be far scarier.
Thank you for your encouraging comments. I have no plans to remove this video.
You did the right thing. Good pilots make good decisions and that is what you did when it became clear that you might have a problem, and it may have saved your lives. Glad you guys made it safely!
Thank so much for watching and your kind words. I appreciate your support. Fly safe!
First off man, thanks for putting this up so people can see just how damn fast you can get yourself into a loooot of trouble. When you found yourself in a bad space you got out of it safely, so well done there too, can't ever take that away from you.
It's too easy to comment from the comfort of a chair especially when you're not having to contend with the stress of actually handling the machine, but I will say depending on how and where you train the concept of decision points is one we shouldn't forget. As another pilot mentioned, the weather didn't find you, you found the weather.The whole time you're getting forced lower and lower with no end in sight, this is when you should be thinking about that diversion or landing until the wx improves. Have that hard stop ready if it's not better in 5nm we ARE diverting. Like I said, it's so easy to see that from your comfy spot at home so I am really glad you took the opportunity to share this to show people just how important those decisions points are. If you get the point where you think "Ah, I should have diverted" it's too late for that option to safely do so.
Also, critically, when you enter IMC you enter a +1000fpm climb INTO the IMC, entering at about 1200ft, climbing almost 300ft to 1500ft before exiting again at 1200ish ft - a real lesson on the disorientation in unexpected IMC. As soon as you get into that IMC you can no longer fly VFR, get on instruments and trust them, if you hadn't broken out of cloud quickly I am not certain you'd have had the altitude to recover from the disorientation. As soon as you entered IMC visibility reduced immediately. Looking over your shoulder won't show you a horizon or clear sky. Check that heading, rate 1 turn to the recip heading and fly it S&L until clear. You know the weather behind you is good. Don't search for it, you'll only end up disoriented.
I'm glad you took the time to post, I hope people learn. I know I did and will be still mindful of decision making pts etc. Safeflying.
Kenny, thank you for your constructive feedback and recommendations to enter and exit IMC. You are absolutely right, I saw and still flew into bad weather. I should have made the decision to divert at least 15 minutes earlier, which would have prevented this dangerous situation.
At least, there two good things that came out of it: 1). We are still alive 2). We had a great unplanned trip to Louisiana - see ua-cam.com/video/DaMrat0mkes/v-deo.html
But all kidding aside, thank you very much again for taking time and providing me with great feedback and education.
A lot of people let great comments. Glad you has enough sense to land the plane with your wife on board who trust you with her life. One thing I have to say about this video. Fly the plane first. Don't worry about ATC. You are the one in the situation not them. Aviate, navigate and communicate last in this type of situation.
Well said! Thank you for watching and commenting.
Speaking as a 10,000 hour, west coast of Alaska pilot, the soup didn’t surround you, you flew into it. Something to remember, if you can see the ground, you are 99.9% less likely to experience “uncontrolled flight into terrain”. You could see it (clouds, weather) coming for miles in the video yet didn’t recognize it. That is where more experience, preferable with an experienced flight instructor (that’s an instructor who has actually had a job for a few years flying in said conditions, not just a ticket) would help you greatly. I’m not a great writer and not trying to belittle you, just don’t want you or your passengers to get hurt. Find an experienced instructor and fly a few sessions in true, marginal conditions. Not so you can push the envelope but just so you can recognize and avoid a bad situation before it happens. Otherwise, great job of recognizing he current situation and admitting it was time to land.
Good Flying!
Thank you for your input and advice. You are right, I should have recognized the danger much earlier and turn back sooner. I actually do have about 20 hours of flying in real IFR conditions with Captain Doron who is the greatest CFII ever. My time and training with Doron kicked in and saved my rear this time. I'm currently studying for the IFR knowledge test.
Happy Flying!
Alaska Grown hey man where do you fly out of? I fly for a company out of Nome!
That's exactly what I thought. I flew VFR for 500 hours before I got my IFR .., and not even once touched a cloud. It's all about DECISIONS
I flew out of Bethel in the 90’s and 2000’s, plus last summer. Was gonna fly again this summer but a new pilot at Yute Commuter crashed yesterday, killing himself and 4 passengers. Probably the end of the company. And, knowing the area and prevailing wx, I would bet he got into IFR conditions and didn’t recognize it until it was too late. An Instrument ticket did???
Cherokee 592, Decisions AND awareness. In my experience that awareness comes from hands on,,,,,experience. Which is why I recommended getting a TRULY experienced instructor and taking a few flight in TRULY marginal conditions.🙂
This is several years old, so I'm sure you are a better pilot now. Planning a flight well is as important, if not more important than the actual flight. When you take a trusting passenger with you, it becomes 1000 times more important for you to be competent and well prepared for all phases of the flight. If you aren't, then please go out there alone. Sorry if this is too harsh. Thanks for sharing this.
Ahmad thank you for watching and your constructive critique. I couldn't agree more with your assessment. I'm currently training for my IFR rating. Happy & Safe Flying!
Thank you for sharing. Great decision in the end. I would of however turned around a long time ago. You can see those clouds coming with lots of warning. Stay safe.
Thank you for commenting.
Oof! Lots going on in this flight. A new aircraft, busy (class B) airspace, unfamiliar territory, non-pilot passenger, deteriorating weather... Good decision to get on the ground! Should the decision have been made sooner? Sure. It was clear to viewers that you were in over your head. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t tested some limits in my first 100-200 flight hours (and I probably still do). Thank you for sharing. We can all learn something about our limitations as pilots.
I agree 100%. I should have been on the ground much, much sooner. Thank you for watching and your constructive criticism.
wow that was amazing, how things changed so quickly and you had relief on your face when you touched down. Saw a 40 deg bank angle when you were in the clouds, wow that was scary !!!
Thank you Clayton for watching and your kind words. Yes indeed it was very scary at the time. I was lucky to survive it. Following that I decided to get my IFR rating, which I did last April.
@@TheRealAviatorBen wow congratulations on getting your IFR Rating you are a very smart man.
Thanks for sharing this! In a world of UA-cam videos where everyone shares perfect flights and butter landings, it's refreshing to see something unfiltered where things went a little sideways. I'm a student pilot rounding up on fifty hours and I learn a lot from videos like this, so I'll be able to recognize in the future if I end up in a similar situation. Appreciate it!
Thank you for watching and your kind words. Happy New Year!
Thanks for posting, glad you're safe. All of your decisions were good, except for one...you saw the IMC well in advance. Get your Instrument ticket, if you own a plane, instrument ticket will come in handy. GREAT job on keeping the altitude in the turn!!!
Thank you for watching and your encouragement.
Well done!
Thank you
What I'm also seeing is 11:21 - head-in-side-cockpit.
I've done this as well, while on flight-following from TOA to MYF -- on a weather-briefed days I was convinced it was clear with no clouds...
Standard rate 180 and return to airport - scared the hell out of me.
You are to be congratulated for having Rosy return commercial and you with a second pilot. That's what I call, "Pilot in Command".
Thank you for sharing your similar story.
@@TheRealAviatorBen I just noticed you mentioned Farmingdale somewhere. I did my entire PPL out of Bayport (23N) - what a riot that was, on turf.
Continued success in 2020.
@@humanfactorswithpaulgarth9596 Turf? Unbelievable. I did my PPL in Farmingdale. Thank you for commenting and happy flying.
Thanks for posting this. Great lesson for all of us vfr pilots
Baris, thank you for commenting.
I was watching his instrument panel the whole time he was in the glass of milk, and he kept rolling further and further on his right. I felt like I was watching the beginning of his graveyard spin. I was also very relieved when he came out of it. Thank god for your safety.
Well, I was making a 180 degree turn, but I understand where you're coming from. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Good Video, I recently obtained my IR. I'm sure you do great with IR training. Don't let these negative comments get to you. Sure, you could have made some better choices earlier in the flight. However, as nervous as you were, you flew the plane and made it back on the ground safely. And I am sure you learned from that experience which is what really matters. Fly Safe!
Joe, thank you for your comments and encouragement.
Wish kobes pilot had the presence of mind to land before weather got worst ....rip to the victims respect for landing and being smart
You've been very gracious to your detractors.
Someone out there might watch this and not make the same mistake. I can't think of any greater reward.
Thank you for watching and your encouragement,
Great to see a real video of your experience.. You did the right thing in the end which was to be cautious and not take risks. Good on you
Jay, thank you for your encouragement.
@@TheRealAviatorBen as a fellow aviator I know what it's like to get lulled into a situation like that especially when you're a low time pilot. The best thing is you will learn from that experience and I guarantee you will never to it again.. That's why they call it experience.. Inevitably you did the right thing and and more importantly the SAFE thing. Safe aviating my friend.. May you have clear sky's and smooth winds.. Blue side up always..
How many hours flying time did you have at this point?
Looks like you and your Honey definitely had the adventure. I enjoy your videos and the fact that they are not over edited and show you in rear world situations.
I had about 380 hours when I picked up the plane from Houston Executive (KTME) . Yes, it was very scary flying into IMC. Currently, my Dakota is in the shop, and subsequently, I haven't been flying for more than a month. I hope it will be ready in a couple of weeks. Thank you for watching and your support.
Any landing u walk away from is Great !!
Totally agree. Thank you for watching and commenting.
180 turn could be a quick answer ,IMC is not a monster be there and be prepared ,,,Yess ATC will be happy to help in all our needs
Agreed. It took me awhile, but since then I got my IFR rating. I learned my lesson. Thank you for watching and commenting.
kudos to you for having courage to post your video. i think you already know what errors you made, once you had to descent to 1600' thats when i would have looked for a place to land.
scud running is how you get into trouble.
good job staying level headed and getting on the ground after your went VFR->IMC.
Thank you Ricardo for your kind words. Yes, I made mistakes and learned what not to do next time. Currently, I'm scheduled for my IFR accelerated training. Hopefully will attain it by end of Feb. Thanks again for watching.
Many years ago while doing my PPL training which I live on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and conditions where weather can deteriorate quickly going from clear sunny day to a low overcast with towering thunderstorms. During a return trip back to my home-base from an airport I had flown to approx 100 miles away. During the trip back the weather begin to deteriorate with a low-cloud ceiling started developing ahead and eventually behind me too. I kept flying lower and lower to remain VR scud running trying to get back to my airport. For a brief period cloud bases seemed to be break up with significant openings occurred -- broken clouds. Flying anywhere from 500' down to 250' trying to stay VR but not sure about obstacles could lie ahead I wanted more altitude. I knew where I was geographically so remaining VR, I went though a significant hole in the clouds for more altitude --- then the worst happened broken clouds closed creating a solid layer which I was now caught above with no cloud breaks anywhere. I could feel anxiety and panic trying to take-over, so I contacted Houston approach which they were able to calm ne down and helped get me back to the airport which ended up being marginal VR! Of course landed okay! Trust me I was shaking from head to toe! From that day forward if there were any inkling of weather --- I didn't fly. Now I am thinking about doing my instrument.
Wow, thank you for sharing. That's was my thinking as well, however, it took me more than 2 years before I started my IFR training due to life getting in the way. In any case, I passed my IFR checkride 2 months ago and I used it to fly to Canada and back. It sure came in handy. Have a look at my recent videos to see what IMC flying was really like for a new IFR pilot.
Very interesting -- So, please tell me ( not a pilot) what you would do differently if you were making the exact trip under the exact conditions ?
I would land at least 20 minutes earlier in another airport once I saw the condition deteriorating. See me latest video where I applied this lesson. ua-cam.com/video/7z3bH5hCXx8/v-deo.html
Thank you for watching and commenting.
Aviate, navigate, communicate. Focus on flying the plane and not all the gadgets. Great video to learn from.
Learned my lesson and I totally agree. Thank you for watching and commenting.
@@TheRealAviatorBen Keep the videos coming!
Thanks for posting this. Never have been in IMC and now can see how easy for someone to get into this. Good job with the diversion. Looks like you made the right call.
Vincent, yes it's really easy to get yourself into one, especially on long cross country flights. I almost had another one on my longest flight ever that I just completed from KLDJ New Jersey to KLNA Flordia and back. I'll be posting this video sometime this week. Thank you for watching and commenting.
A great lesson for us all that bad weather can sneak up on you if you don't pay attention nor check it before takeoff. Thanks for sharing Ben.
Very true!
Good job at realizing the situation could be overwhelming, even when questioned by your passenger and not having get there itis
Thank you Brook for watching and commenting. I appreciate it.
This happened to me when I was training for my private pilot. Luckily my instructor was with me and it was a small cloud. I think he let me do it on purpose just to see how quickly one can get disoriented in the clouds and how fast it can happen. Thanks for posting this so others can learn even though yes technically you should have been 500 below clouds etc... I'm instrument/commercial rated now and what it has tought me is that you really have to "pilot" the aircraft. Just having the rating means I have the experience to know not to fly into clouds accidentally and make active decisions instead of just waiting to see what happens. Hopefully other pilots out there learn from this video and give the skies the respect it needs to stay safe.
Thank for your encouragement and feedback.
Hi Ben. Thanks for sharing. I had an encounter too in a small Cessna 152. Took off in a moonless night from an airport adjacent to the ocean and once I climbed over the airport perimeter and over water, there was absolutely nothing in my horizon, but just pitch black. No moon, no clouds, no lights no boats. Just black. Immediately I felt that Stomach falling to the floor feeling, but my several years of plying with Microsoft flight simulator when I was a kid kicked in, and I slowly commenced a left hand 180 degree turn with only reference to instruments. It felt very ugly because my senses did not agree with the instruments, but if I pulled harder the airspeed would drop. So I had to trust the airspeed and the artificial horizon until all of a sudden the lights of Tallahassee came appeared on the horizon, and i got my reference again, and it felt so good.
Hi, Yes, I definitely understand and I am glad you made it as well. What really bothered me during my encounter was the fact that I also put my wife into this situation. It still bothers me to this day. I made a promise to myself later that I will get IFR rating, which I'm still working on.
Thank you for watching and sharing your story.
Glad you survived this potential NTSB report.
If you want to see if you're at the same level as clouds bend down to eye level with the instrument panel then look at the clouds. If the clouds are above your instrument panel you're going to fly under the clouds. If the clouds are even with the panel you're going to fly into the clouds.
Jeff, thank you for the tip.
@@TheRealAviatorBen you welcome.
That's what I noticed too, you could see you were heading into the clouds. They were basically at your level when you looked out of the windscreen.
Love your Video
Thank you for watching and commenting.
Thanks for sharing. Gland you are fine. A lot to analyze here.
Thank you for watching and commenting. I'm actually in the process of getting my IFR raring at this time. Thanks again.
@@TheRealAviatorBen that is amazing! Enjoy your training!
Thanks for sharing, Ben. KUDOS to the approach controller at 8:03 - he was REALLY helpful.
You are welcome Robert and yes the controller was very helpful. Thank you for watching and for your comments.
Ben,
As the other comentors said, Get your Instrument rating, and as a side note, please watch closley at the amount of time you spend playing with your Ipad instead of flying the airplane. After the IMC encounter I watched as you spent so much time(:30) from 12:36- 13:05 on the Ipad that you went into a 800fpm descent and didn't even realize it until you looked out.
Tony, I agree with you 100%. Watching the video, I realized this was one of my major mistakes of being distracted from my main mission, i.e., AVIATE. Thank you for your comments.
Man you are lucky to be alive. Do you know how many people do that and end up leaving a smoking hole? Go get your IFR ticket please.
Working on it as we speak :) Thank you for your comment and please subscribe to the channel.
Ben,
I’m not a pilot (just a very experienced UA-cam “pilot”🙂, who dreams of flying), but I knew you were making bad choices as I joined you on this journey. Glad you had an angel in the jump seat!
This was the first time I saw your channel. Kudos to you for sharing this, as others can learn from your mistakes.
I’m now a subscriber & look forward to your videos. Best to you.
Thank you Tony. I appreciate your comments and subscription.
Very easy to criticise I think you were composed obviously stressed and very brave to undertake a turn in IMC wings level reduce power let her drop out of the cloud. I agree previous posts a simple autopilot would have taken away a lot of the stress as each time you tried to fiddle with the gps you were loosing pitch and attitude control well done for posting wish there was more like this to learn from.
Marty, Thank you for watching and your feedback. I'm still in the process of preparing for my IFR rating, which should help me in these situations.
That's a great start to do the Sheppard Air Online Ground school course and follow the directions and hit it hard as you can and take a few practice test skills to know the way as to get the highest score possible and when you have the opportunity to take to real exam then go get it done . I'll fly with you anytime to be a safety pilot to practice approaches afterwards
Bernard, thank you for watching and the information you provided. Are you located near NY/NJ? I might take you up on your offer. Thanks again.
Glad you made it out. literally seconds from disaster!
Absolutely, thank you for your comments.
Doesn't matter if you're in ground effect, keep your hand on that throttle! You never know if you're going to need to to around.
Got it. Thank you for watching and commenting.
I didn't watch the video, but how the heck dose somebody fly inadvertently into IMC?!? I have a few thousand hours under my belt, but never ran inadvertently into IMC, for some reason I always saw what was in front of me.
He was being handed off and had his eys on the radios for several seconds (far too long). Don't act as if you have never been heads down far longer than you should have been. Right? RIGHT?
@@robajohnson that is the dumbest excuse I've heard. He may have been looking down to switch a radio for several seconds, for how long before he got to that point could he see the cloud layer. Rediculous to make excuses for this clown who is just using this as click bait.
@@DZ-rg7jt LOL!
1) Who made excuses? Understanding what went *wrong* is how you get better.
2) While it is clickbait it seems to be even stronger virtue signaler bait.
3) I know that over my 29 years of flying I have screwed up plenty. So I feel no need to boost my self-esteem by virtue signaling and preening about how awesome I am by putting others down. {shrug} To each his own but I don’t think your little pissy fit makes you look like a good pilot. Do you?
4) On that note, we all KNOW you have screwed the pooch before and if you deny it we all know you either have 5 hours or you are a MASSIVE liar on top of your other obvious faults (virtue signaling and throwing little temper tantrums)
So climb on down off your high horse-- You ain't fooling anyone.
Look at the post from @alaska grown below. That is how it's done. Live and learn
A lot of people will make the mistake of flying into the ceiling (that you can't see clearly), instead of keeping a safe distance and flying lower. It's much harder to fly into the ground that you can see.
When you touched cloudes at 1300 ft, why the hell did you climb further up ti 1470 ft ?
i believe he was doing his 180 turn which pushed him up a little bit maybe wrong angle/speed but at least the man made the late BUT right decision of turning around and heading the hell back lol
One of my suggestions would be to become more familiar with your required preflight action or NWKRAFT. Always be familiar with the weather not only at your departure and destination, but also your route. Keep always multiple alternates ready that way you don’t get overwhelmed in the cockpit. Next time try to take a step back and breath you started to panic and thats never the best course of actions. But congratulations on taking the right steps to get yourself out of the IMC safely. If you don’t feel comfortable with something just divert to an alternate before is too late. Fly smart and don’t become part of the statistics.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments and suggestions.
Good job of getting down safely. You stayed calm, took a course of action, made the decision to land and lived to tell us about it. Not a pilot just an aviation enthusiast. I think my age and circumstances will not allow me to earn a ppl.
James, thank you for watching and your encouragement. Let me tell you, age shouldn't be a barrier to get your PPL unless you are over 85 🤓 IMHO. I myself, started my 1st lesson 2.5 years ago.
@@TheRealAviatorBen I will not go into all my circumstances. But currently on SS-DI. Once September of next year hits I can earn unlimited income. But we are not promised tomorrow either. I just have a lot of hope!
Good job making the turn and escaping the VMC to IMC trap. I would much rather have seen you referencing the instruments during the turn than looking out the right hand side. If you don't plan to start IFR training right away, I suggest you at least get some actual IFR time with a rated CFII and maybe use a home flight simulator to crank up your instrument scan. Best wishes for a long and safe flying career.
Richard, thank you for your advice. I did practice with a CFII in real IFR conditions about 1 year ago for about 19 hours. However, getting caught in it after not doing it for 1 year illustrated to me the importance of attaining IFR ASAP and practicing it often. Thanks again for taking time to respond and providing valuable feedback.
A non pilot here ( inadequate visual depth perception meant no pilot's license for me) a few of these sorts of videos come up on my feed and mostly the situation doesn't look too bad, perhaps videos show visibility to be clearer than it is. Then there are the modern aids available which if used should give very useful situation information. The problem often seems to be that once some visibility is lost the stress levels rise and exaggerate the potential danger, easy to say that from the comfort of a grounded chair I know but that is my perception. My amateurs' comment would be when flying not to look outside all the time but scan the instruments regularly and absorb their messages. Learn to rely on them 100%
Thank you for watching and commenting. You may not know this, however, as a VFR private pilot you are supposed to rely mainly on visual queues. Therefore, when you loose visual references your anxiety level goes way up. The solution for it is to get your IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) rating, which as you rightly eluded to, trains the pilot to rely 100% on his/her instruments. That's what I did a couple of years later if you care to see my last few videos. Thanks again for taking time to comment.
@@TheRealAviatorBen Explanation appreciated although I still think that for VFR navigation instruments at least should be paid some attention
VFR = 1000 above 500 below clouds right?
Absolutely correct. Looking at it now I realized how distracted I was in the cockpit, which didn't help matters. In hindsight, I should have turned around 15 minutes earlier and land. A great lesson for me and hopefully to others. Thank you for commenting.
It's going to happen. It can be much worse. Train for it. You handled it very well.
Dave, thank you for watching and your encouragement.
Ben... Wow! Thanks for sharing your flight.... while you were earning your ppl, did you develop your own personal minimums? You just helped me reviewing and sticking to mine! Stay safe!!
Yes, I did but the mission of transporting the plane from Houston to Linden got the better of me. I'm glad that it helped you, it certainly taught me a number of lessons. Thank you for your feedback. Happy flying and stay safe.
Love how the earpieces are put on the dash. Awesome flight Captain... 👊🏼🔥👊🏼
Thank you for your feedback.
have you got an artifcial horizon and vor and dme adf and gps in your aircraft you need it if your flying IFR
Thank you for watching, however, see below requirements that do not specifically require you to have VOR, DME, ADF specifically. It depends on the approach that you'll be using, e.g., GPS, than you would need a GPS but not VOR. Thanks again for taking time to comment.
GRABCARD: IFR Minimum Equipment
Generator or Alternator
Radio/Navigation Appropriate For Flight
Attitude Indicator
Ball (Inclinometer)
Clock
Altimeter (Pressure Sensitive)
Rate of Turn Indicator
Directional Gyro
Nice job landing and making the right decision to fly later when YOU were comfortable to do so!
Thank you Nick for watching and commenting. Please hit the like button and subscribe to my channel if not already done so. Thanks again!
Wow, you were given a second chance-One of the lucky ones.
Definitely got a 2nd chance. Having said that, I'm now studying for my IFR knowledge test. Thank you for you commenting.
Thanks for uploading the video! in aviation we have to learn from other people's mistake cuz you might not have a chance to learn with yours and I gotta say, my heart was pounding when you got IMC, if it wasn't stated on the title 12 seconds, I'd be desperate myself, really scary!!!
One thing for sure, I learned that you don't mess with the weather, period! Thank you for watching and your feedback.
Nice turn. 33 degrees while maintaining altitude. text book.
Thank you for commenting. If not already done, I'd appreciate a subscription to my channel :) Thanks again.
Wasn't textbook, his altitude was all over the place and he wasn't looking at the flight instruments. He was slow and task saturated just to copy basic frequencies.
Sweet bird! The Dakota should make a decent IFR platform for you. I am a Dakota owner as well and love the UL and power.
Brad
Yes, I love the plane, although I find it a bit of a challenge to start in cool days. Thank you for your feedback.
@@TheRealAviatorBen mine likes 4 primes...fuel pump for 5 seconds then off...pump throttle 2x then once you hit the key set rpm to 1000-1200. When its warm I omit the prime.
@@bradyoder5899 Thank you Brad, I'll give it a go next time I fly my bird.
Thank you for sharing, As a student pilot I really appreciate being able to see how quickly things can go from marginal to frightening. I will remember it when I eventually get my License and am making similar decisions.
Thank you NOONE for watching and your comments. Please subscribe to the channel if not already done so. I'll have another recent video coming in a couple of days.
Great choice in reversing course. Live to fight another day!
Thank you for watching and feedback.
This needs to be a new Netflix series. Up, Up and Away. Lovely flight and mazel tov.
Thank you Shirley. Maybe one day you'll get wild and want to fly with us... 😎
Hi Ben just started watching your videos ,mostly are funny this one in particular not funny and I'm glad you guys made it alive. VFR into IMC pilot killer.I fly cherokee out of FRG I met Doron few times nice guy. Looking to upgrade maybe Dakota or V tail maybe next year if we ever get out of Quarantine lol stay safe
Richard, thank you for watching and commenting. Yes, I do feel lucky.
Nice video! Wow, the soup can surround you quickly. Smart move to go back.
Thank you. Yes, it was shockingly quick and I still get anxious watching it. Please subscribe if you liked the video.
Get instrument rated ASAP please. Too many inexperienced pilots in the air right now.
Absolutely, I'm currently working on my IFR knowledge test. Thank you for watching and your feedback.
Believe me, Even when you are trained it can be difficult in prolonged lower altitude no visibility conditions to believe your instruments. Watch the Air France crash video. The pilots could not tell they were descending. Good luck!
Someone did not read the description before posting! ;)
@@william8654 447? They knew they were descending but they didn't know why 447 has nothing to do with this
Been flying for 27 years my friend.
Quick call to flight service before a flight is always good. There is a lot to comment on, but I would review the video with your CFI or an experienced pilot at your club or FBO for the errors, mitigation’s and learning opportunities. Glad all were safe. Pucker factor 6.
Thanks for the tips!
Glad you made the secision to divert Ben, those ceilings were getting really bad... I recommend you to get familiar with the use of the attitude indicator, trust your instruments more than your perception in such conditions... 38 degree of bank on IMC and no IFR experience is not a healthy combination... Dont get so much sticked to your Ipad and radios, spend 90% of your time watching outside and plan in advance. Great video, good winds (and better weather!).
Thank you Mario for commenting and advice. Happy and safe flying to all of us.
Great job, man my stomach was turning a bit watching that....
Mine too 😎 Thank you for watching and commenting.
Couple of points:
- be concerned about radio towers when skud running. We have some here in Coastal North Carolina that top 1400’
- I would have slowed to 90 knots or so. Gives u a little more time to avoid towers. Looked to me that u we’re pushing 147 kts
Thank you for watching and your advice. I'll definitely remember that should I ever (I hope NEVER) encounter this in the future. Since then, I've been much more consciences re weather prior to flights. I also just passed my IFR knowledge test and currently working on my practical.
Geez!!! and you held your breath for 12 seconds too... I start my instrument rating in 2 weeks. How did you edit the instrument overlay in the video?
Yes, 12 very long seconds :). I use Garmin Ultra 30 that has great templates for these overlays. Please subscribe if you liked the video.
Dude, once you train and learn to trust your instruments and engine and system gauges. Imc is fun and safe to encounter. (Obviously not when in known icing or encounter icing) i have around 200 hours with 7 in actual imc and its a challenge but fun especially when you shoot an approach like you trained for.
@@kilianbrech3860 Sounds good. Thank you for your comments.
I liked and subscribed. I love a Cherokee! I fly a Cherokee 180D.
Thank you and happy flying.
At around 11:33, is that a runway below you in the center of the video?
It looks like, but it is not a runway. Thank you for commenting.
Wow you handled it well, you made good decisions, but if i may criticize that you need to work on cockpit management. IFR ticket is critical.
Agreed re the cockpit management. I should have ignored updating the flight plan on the Garmin and make the decision to land in the alternate, 3R7, much earlier. This would have avoided the IMC situation I got myself into. I'm currently working on my IFR knowledge test. Thank you for watching and providing feedback. I always appreciate it.
@@TheRealAviatorBen I learned from that video to. I have my IFR ticket but stay current. Good job I will keep watching
@@LunchBox_SB322 Thank you Anthony.
Flying into IMC as a VFR pilot is not a good decisions, and that's where it started.
@@VMCAviationVideos Agreed. Thank you for commenting.
Just throwing it out there, if you get disoriented in IMC, turn the autopilot on and activate the wing leveler. But you definitely should not have stayed in the clouds, dipping down even 1-200 feet would have gotten you out of it. Watching the altitude on your video you actually climbed deeper into it as things progressed.
Josh, thank you for your suggestion.
Wow!
Once I got my instrument rating, 99% of my missions are a "go". I regularly fly from Cape Cod to south Florida and back. You'll love flying in the IFR system and it's alot safer on many levels.
Working on it as we speak... Thank you for commenting.
Love the editing
Thank you
0:16 that looks like my home airport. KFRG
It used to be mine as well where I also received my PPL.
Before you left did you do a weather briefing?
Yes, I did. Unfortunately, it was off. The front forecast moved west 8 hours faster then predicted.
Thank you for watching and commenting.
Nice job at getting yourself out of IMC. You handled everything good. Nice job.
Chad, thank you for taking time to comment. Your subscription would be appreciated.
Maybe she can help with the writing part ? Safe flight
@@bknightone Sorry, did I misspelled something? Thank you for watching and safe flight to you as well.
Never take your hand off the throttle on landing. You might need to add power to stop bounces. Not a good practice! It can bite you some day!
Agreed. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Smart ADM Ben !
Thank for watching and encouragement.
Cursing yoker when flying into IMC turn & maintain your altitude & airspeed.
That's was my intention, but given the stress, it was a challenge. Nothing that IFR rating won't cure, which is my plan. Thank you for watching and your feedback.
@@TheRealAviatorBen Stressful to say the least. There are pilots that can't manage to get their IFR rating. The military uses two pilots on helicopters. When in hostile situations the copilot calls out airspeed & altitude. Maybe you can train your wife to assist you in those situations to call them out for you as you're managing the situation. VFR into IMC, one of the deadliest combinations.
@@akalksander9184 Excellent idea re my wife calling airspeed and altitude. Thanks again.
Hey Ben, that was real scary to look at glad you got out ok, was wondering if you got that IFR rating?
Life got in the way, i.e., losing Rosy's son, moving to Florida, etc. My updated goal is to pass the written test this year. Thank you for watching and commenting.
As a helicopter guy… when tower makes a suggestion to fly at a certain altitude due to a cloud deck… you take it. MSA + 100 is usually a good alt for us VFR folk. Watching the mistakes this guy made hurts me.I hope he has learned a valuable lesson and even more I hope he has gotten some Instruments and an IFR rating
Thanks for the experience. But to be honest...you should look out much more then be distracted by workload inside the cockpit. The result was obvious as we can see.You had the level-control all over the place. But after all at the end good airmen ship with landing a.s.a.p.
Agreed. Thank you for watching and your suggestion.
Just remember, if you ever end up VFR into IMC for any reason, the easiest way to save your own life is to simply perform a 180 degree turn.
Understood. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Atc said altitude at discretion like 3 times why not go lower
Nathaniel, I didn't feel comfortable going lower that 1,000 ft. Thank you for watching and commenting.
From the word "Ooops" I thought this whole thing looked a bit shakey.
Yes, it was a lesson that I'll never forget. Thank you for watching and commenting.
and Z for Zebra
I know there is a lot going on here and I’m only 15 seconds into the vid when I made this post but does anyone else notice he is not wearing a shoulder harness.
Sean, actually I do wear the shoulder belt that is under left my arm. I admit that it's not a great place, but I do this because it kills my neck if I don't. Thank you for watching and commenting.
@@TheRealAviatorBen Hi thank you for replying. Mine hurts my neck as well. I put a 3.00 seat belt pad on the strap. It does look like my grandmothers car but it is more comfortable. My last comment was a bad call out. But I sure do like how you responded. Have a great flight and be safe.
That was close, please stop messing with those clouds, you are supposed to be 500 feet below them in Class E, which meant you should have been at 8 800 or 900 feet, which is too low for a cross country. Suggest you set personal mins for trip like this, like at least a 3,000 foot ceiling or no go. Get your instrument ticket, will make trips like this no big deal. Stay safe.
Thank you Paul for watching and your advice.
Can rosy get the camera closer to her face, lol
:-)
As a non pilot what happens if you fly into cloud but you have a auto pilot, will that not get you out of trouble?
The primary benefit of an autopilot in this situation is that, assuming the AP is engaged, it will keep the wings level and prevent the pilot from over-controlling the airplane due to spatial disorientation, which can lead to loss of control and an accident. If you notice in the video, once he encountered the cloud, he panicked and began overbanking the aircraft in a rushed attempt to fly back to visual conditions. For a non instrument rated pilot like this guy, that often leads to an accident. This is similar to what occurred with JFK Jr when he lost visual reference at night.
Brian Wilkins thank you that explains a lot✈️👍
No autopilot ?
Unfortunately, this plane has single axis A/P. I was reluctant to use it given that it was my first flight on this plane.