M20 ON IFR FLT PLAN TO VCB ENCOUNTERS IMC AND A NUMBER OF ORIENTATION DIFFICULTIES TRYING TO FLY A GPS APCH PROC.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM FRESNO TO VACAVILLE NUT TREE. I WAS AT 4000 FT AND STARTED GETTING INTO IMC JUST TO THE N OF STOCKTON. I AM A NEW INST PLT AND MY EXPERIENCE IN IMC IS VERY; VERY LIMITED. I KNEW THAT I WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO MAKE AN APCH IN IMC INTO NUT TREE AND I WAS PREPARING FOR THE GPS APCH TO RWY 20. I WAS HANDED OFF FROM NORCAL APCH TO TRAVIS APCH. IT WAS STARTING TO GET DARK AND TRAVIS WAS RPTING 800 FT BROKEN IN MIST. I WAS GIVEN VECTORS TO INTERCEPT THE FINAL APCH COURSE FOR THE GPS APCH; BUT I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE APCH COURSE BTWN THE IAF AND THE FAF GOING OUTBOUND INSTEAD OF INBOUND. I WAS CLRED FOR THE APCH BY THE CTLR BUT I FELT THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO INTERCEPT AND FLY THE APCH BY THE VECTORS I HAD GOTTEN. I REQUESTED THAT THEY GIVE ME VECTORS TO THE IAF (IPENE WAYPOINT) AND I WOULD ENTER THE HOLD TO MAKE THE COURSE REVERSAL. THE ALT IS SUPPOSED TO BE NO LOWER THAN 2000 FT UNTIL INBOUND FROM IPENE THEN DSND NO LOWER THAN 1700 FT BY THE FAF. I AGAIN WAS CLRED FOR THE APCH. AS I PASSED IPENE (INBOUND ON THE APCH) I STARTED TO DSND AND THE CTLR TOLD ME TO MAKE ANOTHER TURN BECAUSE SHE HAD TFC COMING INTO TRAVIS SO I HAD TO TURN AROUND AND CLB BACK UP AGAIN. I MADE A COUPLE OF TURNS AROUND THE IPENE WAYPOINT AND I WAS CLRED AGAIN FOR THE APCH. I WAS HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME TRYING TO FIGURE WHERE I WAS AT ON THE APCH COURSE BECAUSE I AM VERY NEW AT THIS AND BECAUSE I WAS SET UP FOR THE APCH ONCE THEN I HAD TO BREAK OFF AND START AGAIN. I GOT BELOW MINIMUMS A COUPLE OF TIMES BECAUSE I WAS GETTING VERY TIRED AND TURNED AROUND BECAUSE OF THE FALSE STARTS. I FLEW THIS APCH TERRIBLY AND WHEN I BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUD AT ABOUT 800 FT I WAS IN A HVY MIST AND THE VISIBILITY WAS ABOUT 3 MI. I WAS ABLE TO FIND THE RWY LIGHTS AND I LANDED. THIS WAS MY VERY FIRST APCH IN IMC AND AT A STRANGE ARPT. I WAS HAVING A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING THE TRAVIS CTLR. SHE WAS REALLY GARBLED AND I AM NOT SURE IF IT WAS HER EQUIP OR MINE BUT I WAS HEARING OTHERS FINE. IT WAS VERY CONFUSING FOR ME TRYING TO FLY THE GPS APCH AND GETTING CLRED THEN HAVING TO START OVER AGAIN TWICE. I KNOW THAT I MISUNDERSTOOD AN ALT ASSIGNMENT BECAUSE OF THE BAD RECEPTION AND MY CONFUSION.