Cloud under?

FOLLOWING a non-fatal GA accident a few weeks ago, I feel the need to repeat a few of the points about handling the situation in which a lowtime PPL gets stuck on top of a layer of fog.

I won't refer to the accident specifically, of course, but it did seem to bear an uncanny resemblance to the scenario I described in last month's LOOP article. So let's go through another situation (with a few more numbers thrown in) and discuss ways out of it.

Let's say we are flying along at 2000 feet above sea level (ie on QNH) in clear skies. We can't go much higher because of controlled airspace above at 2500ft, but the hilly ground below reaches up to 800ft. Our clearance from the ground is therefore 1200ft, which is fine for now. Now, due to distraction, we don't notice the ground below gradually getting covered in a layer of cloud/fog.

After a few moments we realise we are now above a complete layer of cloud cover, although we are still in the same clear sky above it. What are we going to do to sort out the problem? Initial answer - nothing! We are in clear skies, there is no immediate danger, as long as we continue to remain VMC (ie clear of the cloud). We have a number of sensible options available to sort out our minor predicament.

THREE OPTIONS

First, we can continue with the route we are flying. It may well be the fog has formed over the hills, and we know the range of hills is just a few miles long. We might expect, therefore, the fog will clear as we pass the hills. Absolutely no problem; temporarily we have lost contact with the surface, but we should regain it soon.

Another option, if we feel uncomfortable with continuing down-route (which is understandable), is to do a 180? turn and go back to where we started. Perfectly sound option; the weather behind was good ten minutes ago, so it's probably good now. Turn around, but be careful not to descend into the cloud layer as you do so.

Or you might use a bit of meteorological knowledge and head towards an area where you consider you will regain sight of the earth. This might be on the lee side of the range of hills (where is the wind coming from?). Slightly more complicated plan, as you will then have to resume your navigation when you get in the clear again, but quite 'doable' for the average PPL. So there are three simple plans to deal with the situation we find ourselves in.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If your first thought on getting caught out on top of fog/cloud is that you are now not legal as you are not in sight of the surface, and regaining sight of the ground is the immediate prime directive to become 'legal' again, then you should stop flying at the first opportunity (perhaps at the end of this fl ight) and embark on a legal career, in which you are likely to survive longer. But having decided to regain sight of the ground immediately by going down (in order to fulfil your perceived priority), there are perhaps three potential results as you descend into the cloud, bearing in mind that the ground is only 1200 feet away vertically:

"Having had minimal training in instruments (the instrument appreciation training on he PPL course), you quickly become isorientated in the cloud, lose control of the aircraft, and rash into the ground. Regrettably his is a major feature in accident statistics.

"You descend into the cloud, but you make a good attempt at a controlled descent; wings level, low rate of descent. Unfortunately, the fog is sitting on top of the hills, so you merely complete a Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) as you don't see the earth before you bump into it. If you are extremely lucky, your speed and rate of descent are compatible with the terrain contours, and you meet with mother earth in a survivable manner.

"You pop out of the cloud leaving you in a tiny layer between the cloud above you and the ground (which will look very, very close and you will realize you have just had a very lucky escape). What you can do now (stuck in this tiny 'letterbox' with hilly ground all around) will then be very limited.

THINK, PLAN, FLY

I hope that it's all pretty clear, therefore, what the best ways to sort out the problems are. As is often the case in abnormal flying situations, the initial actions may well be to do nothing immediately! Think calmly, plan sensibly, and at all costs remain VMC (ie away from cloud). Ignore (yes, ignore!) the legal requirement to remain in contact with the surface for the moment; there are no airborne policemen patrolling the skies!

Descent into the cloud is NOT (repeat NOT) an option, unless you have just run out of fuel as well, in which case the whole thing has been a shambles! A good fl ying instructor should teach the handling of incidents like this to reassure student pilots that, with a bit of sensible thinking, we don't need to turn a drama into a crisis.