Flying in the rain...

[FastTex]

How concerned are you about flying in the rain? I'm talking light rain and not a thunderstorm. While planning a flight for tomorrow I have a 40% chances of rain, wind is ok and cloud base is forecasted @5000' which is plenty even to stay VFR for where I need to fly. I have not been in the rain much except for a few drops here and there. I have been always told that strong rain can damage the paint, etc...

 

[M016576]

3 minutes ago, FastTex said:

How concerned are you about flying in the rain? I'm talking light rain and not a thunderstorm. While planning a flight for tomorrow I have a 40% chances of rain, wind is ok and cloud base is forecasted @5000' which is plenty even to stay VFR for where I need to fly. I have not been in the rain much except for a few drops here and there. I have been always told that strong rain can damage the paint, etc...

 

Not concerned at all, if it’s a stable front/mass.  If it’s not stable- turbulence, thunder storms, icing probable... then I’m concerned.  But rain itself is not a big deal.

I have seen rain and ice damage paint and canopies... but not at speeds less than 200 knots.

Edited February 3, 2019 by M016576

[AlexLev]

The problem with rain when you're VFR-only is that sometimes visibilities can get obscured. The rain itself isn't concerning, but the rain turning a VFR day into an un forecast IFR one is a real possibility. It could also be fine with the rain coming from a higher level stratus cloud and not obscuring visibilities significantly.

Edited February 3, 2019 by AlexLev

[FastTex]

1 minute ago, AlexLev said:

The problem with rain when you're VFR-only is that sometimes visibilities can get obscured. The rain itself isn't concerning, but the rain turning a VFR day into an un forecast IFR one is a real possibility. It could also be fine with the rain coming from a higher level stratus cloud and not obscuring visibilities significantly.

Good point. I was thinking to file IFR and activate it in flight if necessary...or just fly IFR from the TO.

[Cody Stallings]

Rain will kick the paint off the leading edges of a prop if the blue knob is forward

When I get into some rain I have had good luck keeping my paint if I twist it down to around 2300 RPMs

[Niko182]

22 minutes ago, FastTex said:

Good point. I was thinking to file IFR and activate it in flight if necessary...or just fly IFR from the TO.

If you have an IR, the chances for icing and convective activity are low, and you have alternates with approaches along the route, should be just a basic IFR flight without any issues.

[EricJ]

Make sure your antenna bases are sealed up reasonably well.   Water getting in there can cause issues.   Leaks around the upper windscreen or side windows can be annoying.

 

[gsxrpilot]

I've flown in rain many times both VFR (prior to gettin the IR) and later IFR. It's really no big deal. I certainly wouldn't scrub a flight for rain. Thunderstorms, gust fronts, icing... yes, but rain is not a problem.

[moodychief]

I fly IFR in most weather...including rain.  As far as the paint goes,  if you fly in the rain enough it will not only take paint off the leading edge of the prop but also the wing and tail surfaces.  Unlike a lot of people, I didn’t buy my airplane to be a beauty queen.  I bought it to get me places without worrying about the weather.  I can touch up the paint routinely to keep her a thirty footer!!

[Vance Harral]

+1 on rain taking paint off the leading edge of the prop.  But in our case it's not a really gross de-lamination, just small cosmetic nicks along the very leading edge.

[carusoam]

Ice and hail are probably nastier on leading edges than the water....

My concerns were the first flight in rain... wondering what was going to get wet or electrically get shorted...

when you look out the window, see what the water is doing... air bubbles coming out of your fuel caps is an odd sign that your caps are leaking air out... but, at least your fuel vents aren’t clogged... 

All imaginary problems... for my plane.

Flew through the edges of a hurricane, given vectors by ATC... the hurricane we were trying to escape from... that’s a lot of water...

The Mooney is like a modern car... ready to take on some rain, no harm done...

If you fly into heavy rain... it is better to avoid that kind of weather in either car or plane...

So was the question about the plane or the pilot?

Any weather graphics showing yellow and red colors are not good for somebody asking questions about flying in rain...

Like any other flying experience take it on one step at a time... be ready to turn around... have multiple plan Bs...

If you have an IR, why not use it...

If you are VFR only, flight following is your friend...

I’m not understanding the question very well am I?

PP thoughts only, not a cfi...

Best regards,

-a-

[ArtVandelay]

I've flown in rain many times both VFR (prior to gettin the IR) and later IFR. It's really no big deal. I certainly wouldn't scrub a flight for rain. Thunderstorms, gust fronts, icing... yes, but rain is not a problem.

No trouble with rain coming through the various air vents? I gotta believe the footwell vents would have to be closed.


Tom

[David Lloyd]

Used to travel somewhere pretty much every Monday morning, early to arrive and be driving a rental car by 8AM.  If it was raining, I went.  Every now and the in the rain won't peel paint unless it is defective.  It will over time as others have said wear paint from the leading edges.  1500 Hours of flying in Monday mornings' weather would have the paint on the leading edges of the wing looking a little thin.  2000 Hours would need the leading edges painted.  It's almost like tires, if used it will wear.  If it leaks water anywhere, fix it.  Vents usually don't leak much by design.  Water either passes by the vent or there is a drain. Rain, just not a big deal to fly in.

[gsxrpilot]

2 hours ago, ArtVandelay said:

No trouble with rain coming through the various air vents? I gotta believe the footwell vents would have to be closed.

Nope, I've never noticed an issue with water coming through the vents. And here in Texas, they're always open.

[DXB]

Rain does beat up my leading edge paint for sure but also washes off the plane nicely.

 

 I generally have carb heat partly on if my carb temp gauge warrants in the rain- i figure there’s definitely enough moisture in the air in that circumstance to have a problem at a freezing carb temp.

 

 I read somewhere about an engine ingesting enough water in a downpour to quit. It eventually restarted on the glide while exiting the shower. So that might be an example of too much rain to fly through. 

https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/it-was-a-dark-and-stormy-night-1-66741228/

Edited February 3, 2019 by DXB

[aviatoreb]

A side Benefit of Tks is that there’s no leading edge paint to peel off in rain, just naked gray titanium.

[Jim Peace]

Flying in the rain almost always means you will be IMC.....

Why would you want to be IMC in a lawnmower with wings?

 

 

[donkaye]

17 hours ago, moodychief said:

I fly IFR in most weather...including rain.  As far as the paint goes,  if you fly in the rain enough it will not only take paint off the leading edge of the prop but also the wing and tail surfaces.  Unlike a lot of people, I didn’t buy my airplane to be a beauty queen.  I bought it to get me places without worrying about the weather.  I can touch up the paint routinely to keep her a thirty footer!!

I have flown in lots or rain, but have become smarter as time goes by.  It does take the paint off the leading edge if you are going fast enough and the rain is hard enough.  I do like my plane to look good, and hard rain and keeping a good paint job looking good are antithetical.

[DXB]

37 minutes ago, Jim Peace said:

Flying in the rain almost always means you will be IMC.....

Why would you want to be IMC in a lawnmower with wings?

So far, I've found isolated patches of rain can often be flown through VFR safely.  However, it seems wise to be able to be able to see the other side of the rain and absence of major vertical development above before venturing in.  Leaving an easy out by skirting near the edge may also be better than blasting through the center.  Not that I have a ton of experience with it, but in some sense I feel safer doing it VFR because I can see well enough not to blunder into an embedded T-storm.  

Lawnmower in IMC? I thought you had a C model, not one of these  My C is a kick ass IFR platform as far as I can tell.

 

 

 

[orionflt]

7 hours ago, DXB said:

Rain does beat up my leading edge paint for sure but also washes off the plane nicely.

 

 I generally have carb heat partly on if my carb temp gauge warrants in the rain- i figure there’s definitely enough moisture in the air in that circumstance to have a problem at a freezing carb temp.

 

 I read somewhere about an engine ingesting enough water in a downpour to quit. It eventually restarted on the glide while exiting the shower. So that might be an example of too much rain to fly through. 

https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/it-was-a-dark-and-stormy-night-1-66741228/

That was my plane. 

I have taken it through rain myself several times, mostly light rain showers but I did get caught in a heavy down pour as a front came thru. My visibility to the side and down was 6-10 miles. My forward vis was almost nothing because of the rain on the wind screen. That being said I did not feel uncomfortable continuing thru it, and I knew it was a very narrow band  

I would not have flow like that for an extended period  

Brian

[HRM]

On 2/2/2019 at 8:08 PM, FastTex said:

How concerned are you about flying in the rain? I'm talking light rain and not a thunderstorm. While planning a flight for tomorrow I have a 40% chances of rain, wind is ok and cloud base is forecasted @5000' which is plenty even to stay VFR for where I need to fly. I have not been in the rain much except for a few drops here and there. I have been always told that strong rain can damage the paint, etc...

 

I did a scud run across the Houston Bravo a few years ago, ATC was more concerned about the rain than I was. That said, I did appreciate their concern.

[Jim Peace]

6 hours ago, DXB said:

Lawnmower in IMC? I thought you had a C model, not one of these  My C is a kick ass IFR platform as far as I can tell.

I have a great C model like yours, but how kick ass is our IFR platform when one of our engines decides to quit?

 

 

 

 

[Skates97]

7 minutes ago, Jim Peace said:

I have a great C model like yours, but how kick ass is our IFR platform when one of our engines decides to quit?

 

I guess that would depend on if it was his engine or yours that decided to quit. Either way, someone might have a bad day. 

My DPE who was just getting ready to retire from the airlines sad in his younger days he would fly single engine IFR all the time. As he got older and more experienced he decided that punching up through or coming down through layer was fine, but extended time IMC in single engine wasn't something he did anymore. His comment was something like "I fly IFR all the time for work, but I have a lot more going for me in the 737."

[McMooney]

light sometimes moderate "rain" isn't a big deal at all.  note i said, "rain",  thunderstorms are something different...  we don't play with thunderstorms.  As someone said earlier red/yellow = hell no.  I remember, my original ppi CFI damn near busting a gut  at my fear of flying in mist one day.  I had been conditioned to believe that anything but a clear blue sky was a no fly condition.

[RLCarter]

During my Primary training we flew in the rain several times, during my Instrument training we got caught in a heavy rain, it was so loud you couldn't hear the plane running or each other on the intercom