Scud Running

[champguy]

I was reading a well known aviation safety magazine edited by a well regarded nationally famous journalist, and saw that comming up next month there will be an article about scud running, "the right way and wrong way". Grab a beer, this should be good.

[lucaberta]

I always had thought that the good way to do scud running is when you are alive at the end of it, and the bad one is when you get killed. But maybe there's a little more than just that...

Ciao, Luca

[Dave Higdon]

I was reading a well known aviation safety magazine edited by a well regarded nationally famous journalist, and saw that comming up next month there will be an article about scud running, "the right way and wrong way". Grab a beer, this should be good.

Hmmmm.... can't imagine who that might be...but do plan to have a ringside seat to read that one, having flown a little scud running in the past -- strictly thought I was doing it the right way, with advance prep and steps to avoid bumping into anything sticking up off the ground...have even employed Special VFR a couple of times...

But rather than get off on the topic without hearing from the experts, I'll wait like the rest of you -- with my beer and peanuts handy.

Dave

[Navionpilot]

Dave, you just have to follow I-74 and you will be fine. Watch out for that big antenna north/east of Bowman!

Navionpilot

[Cavebear42]

Wow, you guys should have had the legal disclaimer reviewed _before_ this episode.
I have always considered scud running anytime when you choose an altitude lower than thy which you would have chosen on a CAVU day due to the weather. I don't have experiance in the area (being a fairly new VFR pilot from California) but think that it is crazy to do such things. I can imagine the scud run accident with the start of the chain thinking that 1500 agl isn't bad. Then you are looking at 1000, not bad. Then 1000 limited visabillity, this sucks. Then 750, how do I get outta here. Clouds and ice above, deteriorating weather behind. Lower ceilimgs ahead. Not sure _exactly_ where I am due to the trip through low viz. Can't climb to get a better view. Is that a cell tower? .......

Also, no one mentioned it so I will. Many(most?) vfr into imc fatalities are by ifr pilots in ifr planes.

[champguy]

"Get Home Itis" is certainly part of the problem
Luca you are right that there is a little more, always a little more. You are young and have a family. If you were single and had a girlfriend in that little village north of Rome, you would know a lot more about marginal VFR and things you shouldn't be doing.