Quick question for the more experienced pilots in here than I, and yes I will preface this by saying I realize it's mission dependent, but:
In Alaska (and yes, I know, a huge state) or other mostly-cold-weather states, is IFR capability a nice thing to have in light aircraft without wing anti-ice capability?
If the aircraft you were flying was type certificated for IFR but didn't have the necessary equipment, how much would you be willing to spend to equip it? 1% of the aircraft's value? 5%? A fixed dollar amount? $0.00? Do you think it would increase the resale value of the aircraft at all? Yes I know, most PA-18's are not type certificated for IFR, so this is a more general question.
It seems to me that in the summer, and even sometimes in the winter at very cold temps (below 0F), you might often want to fly in clouds and be reasonably confident that there will not be icing. Even if you just used the capability to climb above a low ceiling at a controlled airport and get to better weather that you knew was just a few miles away, it might be worth the expense given the prevalence of micro-climates in the state.
So, is it crazy to spend extra money to IFR equip an Alaska plane?
I fly presently fly 182 that is technically IFR capable, but at the moment has a single VOR/ILS only (no DME) which practically renders it VFR-only (even most of the ILS approaches require DME). Contemplating an upgrade.
Thanks.
In Alaska (and yes, I know, a huge state) or other mostly-cold-weather states, is IFR capability a nice thing to have in light aircraft without wing anti-ice capability?
If the aircraft you were flying was type certificated for IFR but didn't have the necessary equipment, how much would you be willing to spend to equip it? 1% of the aircraft's value? 5%? A fixed dollar amount? $0.00? Do you think it would increase the resale value of the aircraft at all? Yes I know, most PA-18's are not type certificated for IFR, so this is a more general question.
It seems to me that in the summer, and even sometimes in the winter at very cold temps (below 0F), you might often want to fly in clouds and be reasonably confident that there will not be icing. Even if you just used the capability to climb above a low ceiling at a controlled airport and get to better weather that you knew was just a few miles away, it might be worth the expense given the prevalence of micro-climates in the state.
So, is it crazy to spend extra money to IFR equip an Alaska plane?
I fly presently fly 182 that is technically IFR capable, but at the moment has a single VOR/ILS only (no DME) which practically renders it VFR-only (even most of the ILS approaches require DME). Contemplating an upgrade.
Thanks.