No-notice checkride?

[Machine]

Sounds like you got screwed. That E-6 overstepped his bounds by saying you're not allowed to fly.

 

[phrogpilot73]

New River does have weather guessers, but they're boobs. I've seen 500/1 broadcast on ATIS, only to be poking along at 65 knots and 75 feet trying to stay clear of clouds.

You got screwed. Sort of. If I remember correctly, they can't issue a flimsy number for a VFR flight plan if there is IMC/Convective SIGMETS enroute. Without a flimsy number, you can't file. That might have been what he was getting at.

As for the 53's/AH-1's taking off and flying - we don't need to file a flight plan, because we're covered by our flight schedule (as long as we remain in the local area), and they were just utilizing the VFR/Special VFR course rules in the area.

If it was me - I would have filed IFR (we're allowed to, because all our aircraft are IFR capable), then asked to depart Special V and canceled as soon as I was out of tower's airspace. Fuck 'em, it's not like Bragg is that far away. If you're interested, I think I still have the Special V course rules brief laying around somewhere and can shoot it to you. I've never flown into Bragg, but I flew into and out of New River for 4 years.

 

[Gatordev]

You got screwed. Sort of. If I remember correctly, they can't issue a flimsy number for a VFR flight plan if there is IMC/Convective SIGMETS enroute. Without a flimsy number, you can't file. That might have been what he was getting at.

But again, that's not true. As I mentioned before (can't remember if it was this thread or not), DUATS is perfectly legal, and it doesn't issue a Flimsy number. Now how you notate it...that is the question. But Base Ops sure as hell isn't going to know the difference.

Also, I don't buy the convective SIGMETS en route argument. I've been issued a valid brief w/ SIGMETS en route, and that was in the TRACOM where they used to be verbotten until they changed them to slightly less verbotten.

 

[phrogpilot73]

But again, that's not true. As I mentioned before (can't remember if it was this thread or not), DUATS is perfectly legal, and it doesn't issue a Flimsy number. Now how you notate it...that is the question. But Base Ops sure as hell isn't going to know the difference.

Also, I don't buy the convective SIGMETS en route argument. I've been issued a valid brief w/ SIGMETS en route, and that was in the TRACOM where they used to be verbotten until they changed them to slightly less verbotten.

I disagree that DUATS in this case is perfectly legal.

Where Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC) or United States Marine Corps Weather Services are locally available, a flight weather briefing shall be obtained from a qualified meteorological forecaster. Weather briefings may be obtained in person, by telephone, by facsimile, or by remote computer-based weather briefing system. If NMOC or USMC Services are not locally available, an FAA-approved weather briefing from either a Flight Service Station (FSS) or Direct User Access Terminal System (DUATS) may be substituted.

Is DUATS legal? Only in the absence of local weather briefers. Since he was filing at New River, and base ops and the wx guessers are not 20 feet from each other, I'd guess that he's kinda bound to use them.

As for convective SIGMETS and what not, I have no idea what their rules/limitations are - I was just throwing it out as an idea.

 

[Gatordev]

Again w/ the "facts." Good point. I didn't realize it had the shall in there and I currently don't have a local briefer, which was where my head was. Mea culpa.

(Though I still contend that Base Ops wouldn't know the difference).

 

[HeloBubba]

NATOPS = Dash 10 in the Army.

A NATOPS contains much more material than a Dash 10.

I have a NATOPS for an SH-2F and a Dash 10 for a UH-1H/V sitting here side-by-side. The NATOPS has almost twice as many pages. Not really an apples-to-apples comparison, but it is the best I have.

 

[hokieav8r]

Thanks for the info

I appreciate all the responses. The main thing is he would not issue a weather brief for VFR. I considered using DUATS and the FAA and gettin outa there, but I wasn't in any hurry and I enjoyed being drilled around by the weather "briefer" there at Base Ops. We took one of their cars and went to the local choke and puke, got a quick bite, waited for the SIGMET to expire then got some night training out of the flight back. Have a good one fellas. Stay low and hit em hard.

 

[kmac]

Is DUATS legal? Only in the absence of local weather briefers. Since he was filing at New River, and base ops and the wx guessers are not 20 feet from each other, I'd guess that he's kinda bound to use them.

With the decrease in local weather forecasters (not just the guy briefing you) around USN/USMC bases, isn't it becoming a gray area? In other words if you're having to get your dash-1 from a forecaster in Norfolk, wouldn't it be easier to just use DUATS or 1-800-WX-BRIEF? The latter is what I will use today since it's the weekend and (more importantly) I'm not taking off from Navy Corpus (but International instead).

 

[Gatordev]

With the decrease in local weather forecasters (not just the guy briefing you) around USN/USMC bases, isn't it becoming a gray area? In other words if you're having to get your dash-1 from a forecaster in Norfolk, wouldn't it be easier to just use DUATS or 1-800-WX-BRIEF? The latter is what I will use today since it's the weekend and (more importantly) I'm not taking off from Navy Corpus (but International instead).

I wouldn't call it gray at all. My take is that you are completely in the right to do that. The Jax area doesn't have any guessers. Whenever I actually have to file, I use DUATS and don't have to deal w/ the NFWB nonsense. I get my weather in the time it takes for NMCI to connect to the server (which is admittedly, longer than it should take). And all of this is in sync w/ 3710.

 

[Feet Wet]

Most bases will be pissed if you use 1800WXBRIEF and then activate once airborne, but screw them. If they have so much of an issue with it, then they should unf*** their own mess at Base Ops/Metro/WX.

I for one, will use the faster, more reliable system.

When filing out of New River it's like you just handed them a brain teaser of some sort and they have to "figure" it out....and then it's still messed up, you're late, and pissed all at the same time.