Scud Running

Scud Running is one of general aviation's most tempting and hazardous procedures and claims numerous lives every year. It is generally regarded as an attempt to maintain visual flight in marginal conditions, such as when the ceiling (or scud) is less than 1,000 feet and visibility is less than 3 miles.

A scud runner should plan to follow highways, railroads, and other forms of reliable guidance. Consider, however, that these also can lead to tunnels, bridges, and other hazards. A course through the area should be plotted in advance. The chart should then be folded open to avoid having to fumble with it. Placing the chart between the thumb of the left hand and the control wheel can keep life saving information available with minimal eye movement and vertigo-induced head twisting. Marking the course line with 5 or 10 mile or knot ticks helps keep track of en-route position. Knowing how much distance is covered every two minutes provides a reasonably effective form of dead-reckoning navigation.

Most scud runners give little thought to the threat of colliding with other aircraft. Yet consider that it would be just as logical for a pilot heading in the opposite direction to use the same topographical guidance. And since a low ceiling compresses VFR traffic vertically, other airplanes are likely to be at approximately the same altitude. Common sense suggests that scud runners fly to the right of highways, rivers or whatever landmark they have chosen to follow. This places their course line to the left making tracking visibility easier.

Excessive speed complicates scud running. Although reducing speed has advantages a pilot must be careful not to go too far. Low-level flying provides a greater than usual impression of speed. This causes some to believe they are flying too fast. Speed should be slow enough to avoid obstacles, but fast enough to provide stall protection while maneuvering. In visibility less than one mile consider partially deflecting the flaps. This provides added stall protection and the nose-down attitude improves visibility.

When looking behind, a scud runner sees his fleeting ground-reference points disappearing behind the veil of restricted visibility through which he had been flying. This creates an illusion that can lead him to believe that conditions behind are worsening or "closing up". Contributing to this deception is the feeling that conditions ahead are improving because forward motion of the airplane causes progressively more of the terrain ahead to come into view. The overall effect of this illusion increases with airspeed. Consequently, pilots are reluctant to turn around while the opportunity still exists. In most cases, weather immediately behind an airplane does not deteriorate that rapidly.

Most novice scud runners have a tendency, to lose altitude because they perceive the natural horizon to be lower than it really is. Others are ground-shy and tend to drift up toward the overcast. These tendencies make it critical for every pilot to have acquired instrument skills when venturing into areas of scud running.

Keep a hand on the throttle at all times in anticipation of a sudden maneuver. And it is usually best to maintain an altitude two-thirds of the way between the ground and the cloud base; use extreme caution when flying over snow-covered terrain that blends with a milky overcast eliminating any visual horizon (a condition known as white-out); similar caution is required when flying toward the sun in dense haze.

Always consider a precautionary landing. A cardinal sin is to pass up an en-route airport or reasonably attractive landing area when the situation becomes critical. Although it is illegal to intentionally climb into IFR conditions without a clearance, such an option might be considerably safer than continuing in IFR conditions at low altitude. A spiraling climb to avoid surrounding terrain eventually places the airplane safely above. It also improves the availability of navigation and communications facilities. While ascending into controlled airspace the transponder should be squawking the emergency code (7700) to alert air traffic control of your presence. Needless to say you will have some explaining to do but at least you will be alive to explain.

This is in no way a comprehensive discussion of scud running techniques and is certainly not meant to be encouraging scud running. The best way to deal with the problem is to avoid it in the first place.

This is an extrapolation from Barry Schiff's: The Proficient Pilot Series Vol 1