PLT DEPARTS VFR TO PICK UP IFR CLRNC AIRBORNE. MIL PLT OBSERVER SAYS CONDITIONS BELOW VFR.

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I FLEW WITH 2 PAXS FROM THE CHICAGO AREA TO DAVENPORT; IA; FOR BUSINESS. WE ARRIVED ABOUT XAPM AND PLANNED ON DEPARTING BY XXPM. CONDITIONS WERE FORECAST TO DETERIORATE SO WE WERE HOPING TO LEAVE ON TIME. I RECEIVED A BRIEFING FILED MY IFR FLT PLAN AT X50 PM WITH FT DODGE FSS. THE CONDITIONS AT DAVENPORT WERE NOT GIVEN BUT MOLINE WAS RPTING A 4000 FT CEILING AND 7 MI VISIBILITY. IN MY OPINION; IT WAS WORSE THAN THAT; PROBABLY 3-5 MI VISIBILITY WITH LIGHT SNOW. I DID MY PREFLT; RECEIVED MOLINE ATIS AS BEING 4000 OVCST; 7 MI WITH LIGHT SNOW. BECAUSE DAVENPORT IS AN UNCTLED ARPT; I DECIDED TO PICK UP MY CLRNC ONCE AIRBORNE; WHICH I DID; I ESTIMATED VISIBILITY TO BE 3 MI; CEILING 2-3000 FT AND LIGHT SNOW. AFTER I PICKED UP MY CLRNC; I WAS INFORMED BY DEP CTL TO CALL THE MOLINE-QUAD CITY TWR. UPON ARR AND CONTACTING THE TWR; THE SUPVR TOLD ME THAT AN AIR NATIONAL GUARD PLT ON THE FIELD MADE A PLT RPT OF CONDITIONS LESS THAN VFR. IN THAT CASE; THE CTL ZONE AT DAVENPORT WOULD BE IN EFFECT; AND I WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF THE FAR'S. HOWEVER; THE ONLY OFFICIAL INFO THAT I HAD WAS THAT GIVEN TO ME BY THE BRIEFER; AND MY MOLINE ATIS. I WILL ADMIT THAT CONDITIONS WERE WORSENING; BUT I STILL FELT THAT VISIBILITY WAS BETTER THAN 3 MI. (I SHOULD ALSO POINT OUT THAT I WAS NOT AWARE THAT I COULD PICK UP MY CLRNC ON THE GND AT DAVENPORT). THE OFFICIAL WX OBSERVER AT DAVENPORT RPTED AT Y00 PM; CONDITIONS WERE 5000 OVCST; 2 MI VISIBILITY WITH LIGHT SNOW AND FOG. AT Y30 PM; HE RPTED 5000 OVCST; 2 MI VISIBILITY WITH LIGHT SNOW. THE DES MOINES FLT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE IS CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING THE MATTER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR STATES HE HAS HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH FSDO REP AND RECENTLY RECEIVED A LETTER OF WARNING WHICH MEANS A LETTER WILL BE IN HIS RECORDS FOR 2 YRS. FAA REP AGREED HE DID NOT HAVE MUCH CHOICE BUT TO USE PLT JUDGEMENT REF WX CONDITIONS. WITH ATIS 5 MI AWAY RPTING 4000 OVCST AND 7 MI VISIBILITY; HE FELT HE WAS LEGAL.