Narrative:

Event: poor communication of pilot's intentions to ATC led to situation causing flight from VFR conditions to marginal VFR conditions. Situation: after waiting for acceptable VFR conditions for takeoff from monterey peninsula airport to develop (mry was 1000 broken all morning, but I thought conditions were too marginal for my capability) we taxied out and told mry ground control that we would depart VFR. I told mry ground that I wanted to depart VFR for 'a departure taking us out around the peninsula', a route that would take us straight out from runway 28, out from underneath the broken cloud cover before we passed the coastline approximately 2 mi north of the field. I also told mry ground that our flight plan was to follow the coastline south to vandenberg AFB, our destination. The broken cloud layer was over the airport control zone except for the northern extension of the arrival/departure path. I intended to use this break in the cover to depart into excellent VFR conditions which existed over the coastline to the west and for the entire trip to vandenberg. After takeoff, I climbed to approximately 1200 MSL and continued straight out for 1 mi when I was switched to departure frequency for the monterey arsa. Departure then told me to take a northwest or southwest heading instead of my current heading. I told departure that I 'would like to continue on this (current) heading'. Departure stated that 'there was traffic inbound on a 10 mi ILS final and should turn now'. Instead of telling departure that I needed to maintain my heading to stay VFR, I elected to take a southwest heading through a break in the coastal hills and overcast. This break in the clouds was at approximately 1000 AGL and I descended to maintain VFR cloud and ground separation distances as required by the FARS. We passed through the break and climbed out as we reached the coastline. The conditions were VFR and cavu for most of the flight home. Problem: I had no training in marginal VFR flight and in judging separation distances between clouds and ground. I believe the ceiling at mry was less than 1000 AGL and mry estimated it at 1000 to keep the airport open for VFR traffic. I also should have told departure that I needed to hold my heading, but they were ATC, and the c-control. The real problem was inexperience in this type of VFR flight and my unwillingness to do what I thought was correct. Pilots should have training in both marginal VFR flight and in telling ATC what the cannot/should not do. Experience in these areas would have helped me contend with this situation better. I also should have explicitly told ATC that my intentions were to make a straight out departure instead of 'heading out around the peninsula'.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOW TIME PLT ELECTS TO DEPART ARPT ON CROSS COUNTRY WITH LOCAL MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS. INFLT ENCOUNTER WX. INBOUND APCHING TRAFFIC REQUIRES TURN OFF PLANNED DEP HEADING.

Narrative: EVENT: POOR COM OF PLT'S INTENTIONS TO ATC LED TO SITUATION CAUSING FLT FROM VFR CONDITIONS TO MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS. SITUATION: AFTER WAITING FOR ACCEPTABLE VFR CONDITIONS FOR TKOF FROM MONTEREY PENINSULA ARPT TO DEVELOP (MRY WAS 1000 BKN ALL MORNING, BUT I THOUGHT CONDITIONS WERE TOO MARGINAL FOR MY CAPABILITY) WE TAXIED OUT AND TOLD MRY GND CTL THAT WE WOULD DEPART VFR. I TOLD MRY GND THAT I WANTED TO DEPART VFR FOR 'A DEP TAKING US OUT AROUND THE PENINSULA', A ROUTE THAT WOULD TAKE US STRAIGHT OUT FROM RWY 28, OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THE BROKEN CLOUD COVER BEFORE WE PASSED THE COASTLINE APPROX 2 MI N OF THE FIELD. I ALSO TOLD MRY GND THAT OUR FLT PLAN WAS TO FOLLOW THE COASTLINE S TO VANDENBERG AFB, OUR DEST. THE BROKEN CLOUD LAYER WAS OVER THE ARPT CTL ZONE EXCEPT FOR THE NORTHERN EXTENSION OF THE ARR/DEP PATH. I INTENDED TO USE THIS BREAK IN THE COVER TO DEPART INTO EXCELLENT VFR CONDITIONS WHICH EXISTED OVER THE COASTLINE TO THE W AND FOR THE ENTIRE TRIP TO VANDENBERG. AFTER TKOF, I CLIMBED TO APPROX 1200 MSL AND CONTINUED STRAIGHT OUT FOR 1 MI WHEN I WAS SWITCHED TO DEP FREQ FOR THE MONTEREY ARSA. DEP THEN TOLD ME TO TAKE A NW OR SW HDG INSTEAD OF MY CURRENT HDG. I TOLD DEP THAT I 'WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE ON THIS (CURRENT) HDG'. DEP STATED THAT 'THERE WAS TFC INBND ON A 10 MI ILS FINAL AND SHOULD TURN NOW'. INSTEAD OF TELLING DEP THAT I NEEDED TO MAINTAIN MY HDG TO STAY VFR, I ELECTED TO TAKE A SW HDG THROUGH A BREAK IN THE COASTAL HILLS AND OVERCAST. THIS BREAK IN THE CLOUDS WAS AT APPROX 1000 AGL AND I DESCENDED TO MAINTAIN VFR CLOUD AND GND SEPARATION DISTANCES AS REQUIRED BY THE FARS. WE PASSED THROUGH THE BREAK AND CLIMBED OUT AS WE REACHED THE COASTLINE. THE CONDITIONS WERE VFR AND CAVU FOR MOST OF THE FLT HOME. PROBLEM: I HAD NO TRAINING IN MARGINAL VFR FLT AND IN JUDGING SEPARATION DISTANCES BETWEEN CLOUDS AND GND. I BELIEVE THE CEILING AT MRY WAS LESS THAN 1000 AGL AND MRY ESTIMATED IT AT 1000 TO KEEP THE ARPT OPEN FOR VFR TFC. I ALSO SHOULD HAVE TOLD DEP THAT I NEEDED TO HOLD MY HDG, BUT THEY WERE ATC, AND THE C-CONTROL. THE REAL PROBLEM WAS INEXPERIENCE IN THIS TYPE OF VFR FLT AND MY UNWILLINGNESS TO DO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS CORRECT. PLTS SHOULD HAVE TRAINING IN BOTH MARGINAL VFR FLT AND IN TELLING ATC WHAT THE CANNOT/SHOULD NOT DO. EXPERIENCE IN THESE AREAS WOULD HAVE HELPED ME CONTEND WITH THIS SITUATION BETTER. I ALSO SHOULD HAVE EXPLICITLY TOLD ATC THAT MY INTENTIONS WERE TO MAKE A STRAIGHT OUT DEP INSTEAD OF 'HEADING OUT AROUND THE PENINSULA'.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.