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A comment on Planes and Helicopters That Don't Require a Pilots License. Parent comment

Re:Planes and Helicopters That Don't Require a Pilots License by psunavy03 on Saturday July 15, 2023 @09:59PM (#36742785)
No one is saying a brief smidgen of inadvertent IFR is dangerous. Flying through puffies while cloud-surfing is not going to get you killed, and no one actually follows the FAA recommended cloud clearances anyway.

What IS going to kill a VFR-only pilot is things like scud-running under a marginal ceiling trying to press an airport because "I swear it can't be that bad based on the last PIREP and I have to meet Mom/Dad/spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend/buddies because X." Then they find out the ceiling IS that bad, they go inadvertent IMC, they freak out, and now we're off to the races. Maybe they wrap it up too tight trying to do a 180. Maybe they CFIT. Maybe they pop out again mid-turn and now they're lost AND freaked out.

One of the #1 rules of aviation is to KNOW YOUR LIMITS.

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Re:Planes and Helicopters That Don't Require a Pilots License by BWStearns on Sunday July 16, 2023 @11:04AM (#36747786)
For sure, I just felt like the specific numbers needed to be called out as very misleading. You don't fly safer by having unrealistic fears, you fly safer by having realistic fears. Being deeply and wrongly convinced you will insta-die if you _have_ to fly instrument for a minute will not help you if you get stuck and have to do that minute.

That said, as a lowly PPL, I think we PPLs should do foggle practice somewhat regularly especially if you intend to fly at night in a rural/coastal area. There've been a few CFITs into the ocean at a nearby airport because of non-instrument PPLs taking off out into the ocean with no references.

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