INFLT ENCOUNTER WITH ENRTE WX FACTORS IN CONFLICT WITH WX RPTS FORECAST FLT OF 3 SMA'S TO CONTACT FSS FOR UPDATED CLOUD CONDITIONS AND PIREPS. POSSIBLE IMC IN VFR FLT. VFR FLT ON TOP.

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FLT OF 3 ACFT LEFT WRAY; CO; FOR BLAKESBURG; IA. WX FROM FSS WAS TO BE VFR ON TOP FOR 100 MI OR 1 HR THROUGH CLOUDS WERE SUPPOSED TO END. CLOUDS WERE SUPPOSED TO START AGAIN AFTER ABOUT 50 MI. 1 OF THE ACFT LOST RADIO ON TKOF AND BECAUSE SEPARATED FROM THE GROUP. THE REST OF US WERE EXTREMELY CONCERNED. FINALLY LOCATED MISSING PLANE IN ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS. HAD NOT COME TO THE END OF THE CLOUDS AT 2 HRS. FOUND ONLY 1 HOLE AND IT WAS TOO SMALL TO USE. MOST OF THE FLT WAS AT ODD PLUS 500 FT SINCE WE WERE GOING E. CLOUDS EVENTUALLY FORCED ME TO 11000 FT DURING A SEARCH FOR HOLES THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE N OF I80 AND W OF LINCOLN; NE. ABOVE 9500 FT I DID NOT OBSERVE THE ODD PLUS 500 FT DUE TO SEARCH FOR HOLES. CONTACTED FSS AT LINCOLN (?) (OLW) TO GET WX UPDATES AND INFO. 1) THIS WAS A TOTAL WASTE OF TUNE. ULTIMATELY; WE FOUND A HOLE WELL OUTSIDE OF LINCOLN AND CAME OUT UNDER A CEILING OF ABOUT 2500 FT AGL AND 3-4 MI VISIBILITY WITH LIGHT RAIN AND SOME FOG PATCHES THAT WE AVOIDED. FLOW SE ABOUT 30-40 MI TO CRETE WHERE WE LANDED SAFELY. WHAT DID I DO WRONG? BELIEVED WX RPT AND WENT VFR ON TOP RATHER THAN STAYING LOW. ALSO WE GOT A GROUP WX RPT RATHER THAN ME GETTING IT DIRECT. I WAS DISTRACTED BY THE SEARCH FOR THE OTHER AIRPLANE. ALLOWED OTHERS TO CHANGE PLANS IN MIDSTREAM; CALLED FSS. BLEW ADDITIONAL PLUS 500 WHAT DID I DO RIGHT? CLBED TO LOOK FOR HOLES. GOT PLT RPTS ON 122.75 THAT ALLOWED HOLE LOCATION AND SUCCESSFUL DSCNT. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO IN THE FUTURE? STAY BELOW THE CLOUDS BE MORE CAUTIOUS ABOUT BELIEVING WX RPTS. GET AN INSTR RATING THIS YR SO I CAN GO IFR IF NECESSARY. GET MY VOR FIXED. SUMMARY: I BLEW IT BY GOING VFR ON TOP AND NOT WATCHING MY ALT DURING MY SEARCH FOR HOLES. ULTIMATELY FOUND A HOLE; VERIFIED POS USING PILOTAGE AND SET A COURSE FOR A NEARBY ARPT. AVOIDED TWRS BY AVOIDING FOG PATCHES AND BY FOLLOWING A CAREFULLY SELECTED COURSE. GPS AND ADF WERE VERY USEFUL ABOVE AND BELOW THE CLOUDS. PLT RPTS WERE VERY HELPFUL IN LOCATING HOLES AND GETTING ACTUAL WX CONDITIONS BELOW THE CLOUDS. IN OUR GROUP SENSE WAS THAT FSS WAS MORE INTERESTED IN GETTING US TO ADMIT WE WENT IFR THAN GIVING US USEFUL INFO. MY LAST EXPERIENCE WAS JUST THE OPPOSITE -- THEY WERE QUITE USEFUL.