8 Apr. 2006: IMC at last!

The weather this morning was light rain and overcast at 2,000 feet, the perfect weather for a little indoctrination into IMC flight conditions. Obtained an IFR clearance at Hanscom and ATC told us to climb to 3,000 feet and proceed direct to the Lawrence VOR. We popped in and out of clouds around 2,000 but by 3,000 feet we were right in the middle of it. Windows were whited over and here was a fair amount of turbulence. Crossed LWM VOR at 3,000 and then started the descent to 2,000, breaking out of the clouds just as I started the procedure turn to reverse course back to Lawrence. Flew a VOR approach and executed the missed approach.

ATC gave us delaying vectors to the north and east and I switched on the autopilot to hold heading and altitude as I pulled out my next set of approach plates....the GPS approach into Beverly. Passed through some more low level clouds and started the approach into Beverly without incident.After the Beverly missed approach, ATC gave us vectors to Bedford but brought us very close to Boston and Logan airport. The view of the Boston skyline was phenomenal from over I-93, looking down over the Zakim bridge to downtown. I finally intercepted the Bedford localizer and shot the ILS for runway 29.

What a good time.....doubly so since there was no one else up in the soup today.