Very Poor Visibility in VFR Flight Conditions
Weather is good but the visibility is down. What can happen over water on a lazy, hazy, steamy flight into the sun in the Summer?
In Michigan - plenty. Mid-afternoon, returning from a popular amusement park called Cedar Point, on a flight to a shore line destination to the West you reach cruising altitude in level flight. Suddenly you discover you can't determine where the horizon is because of very limited visibility caused by humid hazy air facing into the sun. You look down - below you the blue of the water gives you a sensation of sky. You look up - and the blue sky looks exactly as the water below.
Now you wonder what is the actual attitude of your airplane? Yep! You are disoriented. If you are instrument rated you can file an instrument flight plan and proceed to your destination after you I-dent and receive clearance form the Center to fly to your destination.
Trusting your instruments, the sensation (illusion) of attitude confusion disappears and you make your destination.
If you don't have an Instrument Rating the flight could end tragically. It doesn't have to if you recognize that apparent IFR conditions could occur even if the forecast called for normal VFR flight.
This may require you to reschedule your flight or pick another route where the direction of the plane is not facing into the sun and your flight path is not over water. a flight plan is not a bad idea either.
Ask questions, before the flight, about flying in those conditions if you are a low time pilot.
