Narrative:

I took off from a grass field in northern mn with 6 aboard. The haze gave us very poor visibility under the overcast, but I saw light ahead. Soon there were breaks, then larger ones, and then a nice fat hole a couple miles across. I felt I could climb through it, getting at once the safety of height and visibility. I fed in the power slowly and ended up above the clouds . There was one thing that I wasn't quite happy about, I did belly into the far side of that hold for just 2 or 3 seconds. In the real world of flying, it is not, in my opinion, a danger. There just can't be anyone dumb enough to fly through thin-scattered or thin-broken clouds. I could have circled, but that would have been less wise, it seems to me, and quite costly. It's all quite arguable I supposed, but I've studied thee things very seriously for a very long time. There are times when the dangerous thing is to follow the book too closely. A large plane, on IFR flight plan, claims to have met me at such an angle and distance that he saw my mustache! This fellow, on flight plan, admits to the controller that he was skimming the clouds. When told that he has traffic he says words to the effect that, yeah, I just saw him pop up under me, and I saw his mustache! Wow. So when we land I have this request to call a number and ask for mr X. I told him the above. I guess my whole point here is this: whether or not it was my lane and mustache that fellow saw is one thing, but what in the world was he doing on a deck of scattered to broken clouds? Doesn't everyone know that god makes those holes for us poor VFR pilots to slip through? The fact is, getting the IFR rating is something I could have done many times. But I have noticed for 2 decades that my IFR friends, and the IFR pilots I read about in aviation safety etc, are constantly having to do, or choosing to do, things that no descent VFR pilot would think of doing. I chose to fly as safely as possible. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter states he was being somewhat facetious in his remark about holes for VFR pilots. Really does know he should have circled rather than climb straight through. Reporter has very definite and righteous ideas about his VFR flying. He is right and IFR pilots do unsafe things.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: VFR PLT IN SMA CLIMBED THROUGH HOLE IN CLOUDS BUT CAUGHT ONE EDGE. IFR FLT CLAIMS NMAC.

Narrative: I TOOK OFF FROM A GRASS FIELD IN NORTHERN MN WITH 6 ABOARD. THE HAZE GAVE US VERY POOR VISIBILITY UNDER THE OVERCAST, BUT I SAW LIGHT AHEAD. SOON THERE WERE BREAKS, THEN LARGER ONES, AND THEN A NICE FAT HOLE A COUPLE MILES ACROSS. I FELT I COULD CLIMB THROUGH IT, GETTING AT ONCE THE SAFETY OF HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY. I FED IN THE POWER SLOWLY AND ENDED UP ABOVE THE CLOUDS . THERE WAS ONE THING THAT I WASN'T QUITE HAPPY ABOUT, I DID BELLY INTO THE FAR SIDE OF THAT HOLD FOR JUST 2 OR 3 SECONDS. IN THE REAL WORLD OF FLYING, IT IS NOT, IN MY OPINION, A DANGER. THERE JUST CAN'T BE ANYONE DUMB ENOUGH TO FLY THROUGH THIN-SCATTERED OR THIN-BROKEN CLOUDS. I COULD HAVE CIRCLED, BUT THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN LESS WISE, IT SEEMS TO ME, AND QUITE COSTLY. IT'S ALL QUITE ARGUABLE I SUPPOSED, BUT I'VE STUDIED THEE THINGS VERY SERIOUSLY FOR A VERY LONG TIME. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THE DANGEROUS THING IS TO FOLLOW THE BOOK TOO CLOSELY. A LARGE PLANE, ON IFR FLT PLAN, CLAIMS TO HAVE MET ME AT SUCH AN ANGLE AND DISTANCE THAT HE SAW MY MUSTACHE! THIS FELLOW, ON FLT PLAN, ADMITS TO THE CTLR THAT HE WAS SKIMMING THE CLOUDS. WHEN TOLD THAT HE HAS TFC HE SAYS WORDS TO THE EFFECT THAT, YEAH, I JUST SAW HIM POP UP UNDER ME, AND I SAW HIS MUSTACHE! WOW. SO WHEN WE LAND I HAVE THIS REQUEST TO CALL A NUMBER AND ASK FOR MR X. I TOLD HIM THE ABOVE. I GUESS MY WHOLE POINT HERE IS THIS: WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS MY LANE AND MUSTACHE THAT FELLOW SAW IS ONE THING, BUT WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS HE DOING ON A DECK OF SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS? DOESN'T EVERYONE KNOW THAT GOD MAKES THOSE HOLES FOR US POOR VFR PLTS TO SLIP THROUGH? THE FACT IS, GETTING THE IFR RATING IS SOMETHING I COULD HAVE DONE MANY TIMES. BUT I HAVE NOTICED FOR 2 DECADES THAT MY IFR FRIENDS, AND THE IFR PLTS I READ ABOUT IN AVIATION SAFETY ETC, ARE CONSTANTLY HAVING TO DO, OR CHOOSING TO DO, THINGS THAT NO DESCENT VFR PLT WOULD THINK OF DOING. I CHOSE TO FLY AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: REPORTER STATES HE WAS BEING SOMEWHAT FACETIOUS IN HIS REMARK ABOUT HOLES FOR VFR PLTS. REALLY DOES KNOW HE SHOULD HAVE CIRCLED RATHER THAN CLIMB STRAIGHT THROUGH. REPORTER HAS VERY DEFINITE AND RIGHTEOUS IDEAS ABOUT HIS VFR FLYING. HE IS RIGHT AND IFR PLTS DO UNSAFE THINGS.

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.