Had my first “real” IFR lesson today, accidentally (tho with my instructor!) We had planned to fly out to Cable (CCB) and then down to Long Beach (LGB) but the weather didn’t hold up so instead we flew to Torrance (TOA). Weather was marginal – if I’d been by myself I wouldn’t have gone – but we decided to pop over to Long Beach since it was right next door. Got on the runway fine in VFR but by the time we’d taxi’d back it was drizzling and closing in. So Jesse (my instructor) filed a “Tower Enroute” IFR, and I got to fly that back to Santa Monica. I didn’t really do any of the radio work for the IFR portion, just flew the plane which was challenging enough – I’ve flown with a “hood” but never in actual clouds (tho I think actual IFR is somewhat easier, I get claustrophobic with the blinder hood on).
In case you’re interested our clearance was fly runway heading (250) to 800 feet, turn to 270, for vectors to Santa Monica, climb and maintain 3000 expect 4000 ten minutes out. Which is what we flew, heading out over LAX, then back east to the VOR approach to SMO. We went in and out of clouds most of the way, dropping out to VFR abou four miles east of the airport.
Tomorrow or Friday, depending upon weather, I head up over the Tejon pass to Visalia; but it’s still sprinkling rain here so I’m hoping for good weather tomorrow.
Here’s the flight track from the GPS (of course I love this!). The double track to the east is us flying out, and then back.
