IFR Flights of 13MIKE

by Fred J. Calfior and Douglas W. Miller

WEATHER BRIEF

You:

"Good morning to you! May I please have a weather briefing for a VFR cross country flight? Tail number is November 9413MIKE, and it's a Cessna 182 RG. Leaving Kankakee Airport, with an estimated time of departure in about an hour, nah - make it two from now. My cruise altitude will be four thousand five hundred feet. I'll be going by way of Roberts VOR to Willard-Champaign Airport. ETE will be one hour. I'm a private pilot with an instrument rating."

Kankakee FSS:

"Convective Sigmet One Central is in effect for thunderstorms one hundred miles either side of a line from twenty nautical miles west of South Bend to Terre Haute, moving east northeast at fifteen knots.

A low pressure center over central Indiana with a cold front extends south from that low.

Currently at Kankakee, there is an estimated ceiling eight thousand overcast, visibility one zero, temperature three eight, wind three three zero at one zero, altimeter two niner eight four.

Enroute, clouds are generally three thousand five hundred scattered, with ceiling eight thousand overcast.

Champaign is reporting an estimated ceiling five thousand broken, niner thousand overcast, visibility one five, temperature four zero, wind three one zero at one two.

Forecast for Kankakee at one three zero zero Zulu is ceiling seven thousand overcast, unrestricted visibility.

Enroute, ceilings are forecast five thousand broken.

Champaign's terminal forecast for one four zero zero Zulu is four thousand thin broken, ceiling eight thousand overcast, visibility unrestricted, wind three two zero at eight.

Let's see! You're at four thousand five hundred, so interpolating winds aloft, expect wind three five zero at two zero.

There are no NOTAMs D or L relevant to your flight.

That about wraps up the information I have for you! Any questions you have, or anything I can do for you?"

FILING THE FLIGHT PLAN -

You:

"I might as well file now. Wish I could go right now, but my instructor has a lot of wisdom, as he calls it, to bless my aviation oriented brain with!"

Kankakee FSS:

"Okay! My fingers are ready to type, so give me your plan!"

You:

"VFR, November 9413MIKE, Cessna 182 RG - slash A, one twenty true, Departure - IKK, thirteen hundred Zulu, four thousand five hundred feet, Route - Roberts VOR (that's RBS), Destination -Champaign (CMI). ETE zero plus fifty. Fuel on board six plus no minutes. Alternate - Bloomington Normal Airport, [YOUR NAME - CONTACT PHONE NUMBER - HOME BASE], two on board, Red over white."

Kankakee FSS:

"Good! It's on file. Learn good wisdom! For enroute weather pilot reports, Flight Watch one two two point zero. Enjoy the trip!"

You:

"Thanks! See you later!"

Table of Contents
Previous Section: Flight Scenario Three: Kankakee to Champaign
Next Section: Flight Scenario Three: Setup