19 February 2016

BEST LAID PLANS.....

...Of Mice, Men and VFR Pilots, etc.

Monday 15th February

First post for a very long while but today's tale is worth telling.

I had planned an aviation outing with youngest daughter in early January - Hamilton to Tauranga for brunch and back home by early afternoon, but was frustrated by the weather - very cloudy Kaimai ranges and raining at the Waihi Gap so it was an early return home then.
So, today was our second attempt at the same flight.

Weather seemed OK when checking the night before - rain predicted in Tauranga early morning (had cleared by the time I checked the weather this morning) and again after 1600 but OK for VFR in between and good conditions in Hamilton all day.  Well, you know weather forecasts!!

It was a little cloudy but the cloud over the ridge by Wairere falls was well clear (1000' plus of clearance to cross when we got there) so we flew over on a direct track from Hamilton without any dramas. A bit breezy in Tauranga at 13 Knots but 070º magnetic so straight down 07/25 and no problem for landing.

We had an excellent brunch at the Avgas Cafe but in the half hour or so we spent there the weather had closed right in (helped by the wind backing to the North-East driving the cloud towards the ranges).  I thought it was worthwhile trying to get back via the Waihi Gap as the ATIS appeared favourable (just) but after taking off for a look I couldn't see Matakana Island behind the Mount (see photos) and the cloud base and vis were well below that on the information so it was a call to tower to return for landing. By the time we got down and taxied clear it was actively raining quite hard so back to the cafe for a sit down and chat about the situation.  Once back there the wind had dropped away to variable 4 Knots so the low cloud was likely to be around for a while. 

I phoned the tower and the guys there were very helpful. They invited us up for a look at the weather from their excellent vantage point. Completely VFR unflyable over the Kaimais but the controllers assured me it was starting to clear. Also, had a PIREP (pilot report) that the cloud base at the Waihi gap was ~1200' so that route was out and it looked even worse to the East for the other lower route via Te Puke. No choice other than to sit it out.  I called the aero club in Hamilton to tell them we were "stuck" and was reassured that weather conditions were still good over there and likely to remain so if we did make it over the hills.

After a pot of tea at the cafe, the sun was starting to break through over the sea so time to check in with the tower again. They reckoned it was clearing over the gap where the road (Highway 29) goes over so I went up to the tower for another look and, sure enough, the Kaimai ridge could clearly be seen where the road goes over and also at Wairere falls. The controllers said that a twinstar had just crossed the range VFR a short time before.

So, after a call to the club in Hamilton with my intention which they were happy with, we set off.  The route via the road looked best and we were able to climb to 2800' once clear of the zone which was plenty of room to get over the gap (road height is about 1700' and the highest point - a mast to the east is ~2200'). We flew though a light shower but crossed the ridge safely, heading towards the mast first and then turning right to cross diagonally over the lowest point. I called Tauranga tower to tell them we were over OK and to thank them for their help. Apart from a few bumps on the lee side of the range (surprise, surprise!!), it was an uneventful flight back home to Hamilton.

Lessons learnt and heeded (mainly):

1) Weather forecasts are FORECASTS and, although essential to preflight planning, are not 100% reliable. Conditions can change sooner and quicker than predicted.
2) Have a back-up plan - staying a night in a motel may cost but is a lot better than having to do a precautionary landing on a beach/in a paddock or worse.
3) Don't let that dreaded get-there/home-itis grab you.  We contacted middle daughter in Hamilton to sort out some stuff which we had planned to get back in plenty of time for so felt relaxed about the time factor.
4) Get help and information - the aviation community are always very helpful I have found and the guys in the tower today were worth their weight in gold. Thanks to them, an instructor at the club who told me "Not to push it", and, I think, a bit of common sense from me, it all ended well and safely.

A challenging but good day flying in the end. Finally, some photos (courtesy daughter's phone):


Looking pretty good over the Waikato - soon to change, though!!


Pretty, pretty

After Brunch... not too good to the East...

And worse beyond the Mount!: Time to land - 10º flap already