Flight Training - May 2014 - 30

FLIGHT LESSON

By Ed Bryce
FLIGHT LESSON offers the
opportunity for pilots to learn
from the experiences of others.

runway, so I requested to hold at the
lowest possible altitude that approach
could give me, in the hope of finding an
above-freezing temperature. They told me
to hold at the Whatcom VOR, just north of
Bellingham, at 2,000 feet.
Leveling at 2,000 feet, the ice cleared
off the windshield, but not the wings and
struts. At near-freezing conditions and
still in solid IMC, I was not surprised that
the ice was still sticking to the airplane,
but I took the clear windshield as a sign
that I was not collecting any more ice.
I was wrong.
After holding for 20 minutes, I now
had to use full throttle to hold an airspeed
of 80 knots. I advised Approach Control
to "Tell Bellingham to hurry up or we're
going to have to declare an emergency."
They responded, "We just declared one
had accepted an Angel Flight assignment to fly a patient from
for you. Turn to 130 degrees, intercept the
Bellingham, Washington, to Lopez Island, Washington, on a
localizer, cleared for the approach."
Friday afternoon in late December. The flying club's Cessna 172
Because of the ice-contaminated
is based at Auburn, a few miles south of Seattle. The weather
airframe, I landed flaps up at the cruise
was easy IFR: a 500-foot ceiling over Seattle and an 800-foot ceiling for airspeed of 80 knots. After landing, I
the ILS approach into Bellingham. DUATS reported a 7,000-foot freez- broke off an inch of rime ice from the
ing level, but with the minimum en route altitude at 4,000 feet, I would leading edges of the wings and struts.
be well below the freezing level. My only concern was that any diverTotal time from the first indication of ice
sion airports along the route between Seattle and Bellingham were
until being cleared for the approach the
limited because of a heavy snowfall the night before. I used Boeing
second time was 42 minutes.
Field in Seattle as my filed alternate.
One of the rules about flying in potential icing conditions is to always have an
About 20 minutes after takeoff, at 6,000
This holding pattern at 6,000 feet is
out. Usually that's an airport to divert to if
feet in solid instrument meteorological con- also where I began to pick up icing. I
icing is encountered, or a revised routing
ditions with rain and smooth air, Approach reported it to Approach Control, but since along an airway with lower MEAs below
Control advised that Bellingham had just
I had been cleared for the approach, no
the freezing level. At the point where I
issued a notam that they were closing the
special handling was required. I would be encountered icing, my out was to land
runway until 3 p.m. for snow removal and
on the ground in another 10 minutes, and at my destination, Bellingham. When
asked, "What are your intentions?"
I was descending toward warmer air and a Bellingham extended the runway closure,
My first thought was to divert, but with
freshly plowed runway.
I attempted to accommodate air traffic
the runway set to reopen about 10 minutes
In a few minutes Approach Control
control but was unable to hold for the
after my time of arrival, I decided to slow
canceled the approach clearance and said entire 30 minutes.
the cruise speed and hold somewhere
Bellingham had extended the notam for
Now my only "out" was to declare
along the route until the airport reopened. an additional 30 minutes, because the
an emergency in order to get priority
That "somewhere" turned out to be the
snow removal crew needed additional
handling. Fortunately, just the threat of
initial approach fix, and after a single turn, time. The nearest diversion airport was
declaring an emergency got me an immeI was cleared for the approach.
20 minutes away with a snow-covered
diate clearance to land. I would advise
not to wait as long as I did. When I had
to increase the rpm to hold airspeed was
when I should have declared the emergency-not when I ran out of throttle.

RUNNING OUT
OF OPTIONS

HOLDING IN ICING CONDITIONS

MAY 2014 FLIGHT TRAINING

/ 30

ALEX WILLIAMSON

LEVELING AT 2,000 FEET, THE ICE CLEARED
OFF THE WINDSHIELD, BUT NOT THE WINGS
AND STRUTS.

Flight Training - May 2014

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