AFTER ENTERING CLASS D WITHOUT CLRNC AND BEING VFR IN IMC COMPLEMENTS OF A PART TIME COPLT WHO HAS DEVELOPED A LESS THAN STELLAR REPUTATION AMONG CAPTS A VOW IS MADE TO CHANGE OPERATING PROCS NEXT TIME.

Narrative

HINDSIGHT IS ALWAYS 20/20. JUST A QUICK INTRO. THIS WAS THE THIRD DAY OF FOUR FLYING THIS WK. I HAD JUST COME BACK OFF OF VACATION AND HAD A LONG 10 HR DAY ON TUESDAY WITH 3.9 HRS FLYING WITH 18 LNDGS. IT WAS HOT AND FLYING INTO THE SUN WAS WEARING US DOWN. WEDNESDAY WAS OK. THE NEXT 2 DAYS I FLEW AS A CAPT AND ALONG WITH THE HR COMMUTE TO WORK; AND NOT GETTING AS MUCH SLEEP AS I WOULD LIKE WITH YOUNG CHILDREN; FOUND MYSELF GETTING PRETTY TIRED BY THURSDAY. I CAME IN THURSDAY TO FILE FLT PLANS AND GET EVERYTHING READY. I WAS FLYING WITH A SUPPLEMENTAL PLT WE HAVE USED EVERY NOW AND THEN FOR QUITE A WHILE. TODAY'S FLT STARTED WITH ME FILING 4 IFR FLT PLANS. I BRIEFED MY COPLT WHEN HE ARRIVED ON MY PLAN FOR THE MORNING AND HELPED HIM FINISH GETTING EVERYTHING READY. WE HAD 3 FLTS; 6 LEGS AND ALL BACK-TO-BACK. WE WERE ABLE TO DO THE FIRST LEG IFR; DO THE APCH; AND THEN CANCEL IFR WITH APCH AND PROCEED TO HELIPAD A COUPLE OF MI AWAY. WE DID THIS PROC 2 MORE TIMES; ONE BACK TO THIS ARPT AND ONE TO A DIFFERENT ARPT. DEPARTING OUT OF KLOM IFR ON OUR THIRD LEG; WE WERE CLRED TO AMBLER ING AND THEN RADAR VECTORS TO SBJ DIRECT TO N51. I MADE A MISTAKE AFTER GETTING TO ING AND HAD MY COPLT ASK APCH IF WE COULD GO DIRECT TO SBJ WHILE STARTING TO TURN TOWARDS SBJ. APCH ASKED HOW HIGH WE WERE; WE SAID 2000 FT; HE CLRED US TO 3000 FT AND SAID THAT THERE WAS SOME TFC UP AHEAD AND HAD US TURN BACK TO A 360 DEG HDG. HE DIDN'T SOUND UPSET OR TOO ANNOYED; AND NOTHING CAME OF THIS. I JUST MADE A NOTE. ON OUR LAST LEG; WHICH WOULD BE BACK TO OUR ARPT; I STARTED TO CALL ON THE PHONE FOR OUR CLRNC AND MY COPLT SAID INSTEAD OF TAKING THE TIME; LET'S JUST GO BACK VFR. I SAID THAT 'WE HAVE A FLT PLAN; IT'S YOUR LEG TO FLY; LET'S GO DO AN ILS BACK AT TTN.' HE SAID THAT 'WE'VE SEEN THAT THE WX; IT'S VFR; AND THE VISIBILITY IS PRETTY GOOD; LET'S GO BACK VFR.' I FINALLY AGREED; IF HE DOESN'T WANT TO DO AN APCH AND LEAVE WHEN WE GET BACK; FINE. THE WX EARLIER AT TTN WAS VFR. OUR LEG HOME IS ABOUT 10 MINS AND ABOUT 1/2 WAY BACK; THE WX STARTED COMING DOWN A LITTLE MORE AND I THOUGHT; 'GREAT WE SHOULD HAVE GONE BACK IFR.' THEN IT GOT A LITTLE BETTER AND I THOUGHT THAT THIS WILL WORK; THE VISIBILITY IS STILL 3-4 MI. UP AHEAD; I NOTICED SOME MORE CLOUDS THAT WOULD MAKE US DSND DOWN TO ABOUT 800 FT MSL; AND I REACHED UP AND SET IN 800 FT IN THE AUTOPLT. WE FLY COUPLED TO THE FLT DIRECTOR ALL THE TIME UNTIL WE ARE LNDG OR TAKING OFF OR OBVIOUSLY WHEN WE NEED TO HAND FLY. I STARTED TO DO SOMETHING ELSE AND THOUGHT THAT HE WOULD DSND. WHEN I LOOKED UP AGAIN; WE WERE IN THE CLOUDS. I SAID WELL AT LEAST STAY OUT OF THE CLOUDS! HE WRESTLED WITH THE CTLS AND WE POPPED BACK OUT OF THE CLOUDS. NOW FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF MI WE WERE DSNDED DOWN TO 600 FT MSL AND HUNTED AND PECKED OUR WAY AROUND TO STAY CLR OF THE CLOUDS. NOW I'M HELPING HIM OUT MORE; AND ANNOYED THAT HE FLEW INTO THOSE CLOUDS; THIS GUY IS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND FLIES 500-1400 FT ALL THE TIME. WHY WOULD THIS BE ANY DIFFERENT? HE KNOWS HOW TO DO STUFF! NOW I REALIZE TOO LATE THAT WE ARE GETTING CLOSE TO TTN AND I HIGHLIGHT TTN IN THE GPS TO GET A RANGE; AS I CALL TTN. I NOTICE THAT WE ARE AT 3.9 NM WHEN THE TWR COMES BACK AND ASKS IF THAT WAS US AT 600 FT. I REPLY THAT 'YES; THAT'S US' AND THE CTLR ASKED US TO STAY N OF RWY 6 ON THE WAY IN SINCE HE HAD SOMEONE ON FINAL. I SAID THAT WE WOULD STAY N OF THE RWY 6/24. NOTHING FURTHER WAS SAID BY THE CTLR. WE DIDN'T NEED A SPECIAL TO GET IN TO THE ARPT; THE WX WAS FEW AT 1100 FT AND 1400 FT OVCST 3 1/2 MI LIGHT RAIN. NOW I KNOW HINDSIGHT IS 20/20; BUT I WAS JUST BESIDE MYSELF ABOUT THIS AND ALSO WITH MY COPLT. THIS PLT WE USE IS S A GOOD FRIEND OF THE CHIEF PLT AND SOME OF US HAVE MADE SOME COMMENTS ABOUT THIS BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE FACT THAT THIS GUY JUST DOESN'T WANT TO DO A WHOLE LOT; JUST COME IN AND GO HOME. EVEN ON THIS FLT I HAD TO CONSTANTLY TELL HIM TO DO THINGS; CALL BASE; TELL THE CTLR THIS OR THAT. HE'S DONE THIS FOR US FOR MANY YRS PART TIME; HESHOULD KNOW THIS BY HEART. OBVIOUSLY; NOW THAT I'VE GOTTEN BURNED; THINGS WILL GO A LOT BETTER NEXT TIME I FLY WITH HIM! I TALKED TO OUR TRAINING CAPT ABOUT THIS AND HE TOO; AS WELL AS SOME OF OUR OTHER PLTS; HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THIS PLT. MOST OF THE TIME I GET PLENTY OF REST AND USUALLY THE SCHEDULE ISN'T TOO BAD. IN THE FUTURE I WILL MAKE SURE I LOOK AT MY FATIGUE LEVEL AND WILL BE EVEN MORE ASSERTIVE WITH THIS PLT AND MANAGE HIM AS WELL AS THE FLT BETTER.