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Flight Summary

Simple Mission, Hard IMC

Mission:  Deliver the Archer for ADS-B Installation

The mission was simple, fly the Archer from Austin (KAUS) to Fredricksburg, TX (T82) so that the avionics shop can install our new Free Flight Ranger ADS-B solution.   The weather had been bad all week and I had canceled the flight several times.   Our Archer was fully IFR certified and current with a WAAS Garmin 430W GPS.   There had been concerns of icing all week.   When the weather briefer says Ice, I say "Grounded."  It is an automatic response for me.

On this day, the freezing layer and ice concerns had lifted and giving me plenty of room for error.  The forecast was calling for 600-1000 foot ceilings with tops around 4,000 feet.  Visibility was not an issue.   I departed Austin and entered the IMC and climbed above the clouds.  I very much enjoy flying ontop of a solid overcast, it makes for some of the best views.   I was cleared for the GPS Approach into T82.   I setup the panel, dialed in the GPS, briefed the entire approach then started to fly the needles.   Before I started the approach the AWOS was reporting 600 overcast.   This was a LPV approach with mins just above ILS.   When I was 100 feet away from minimums I really started to think...  Am I actually going to have to go missed for real?   As I was reaching for the throttle to execute my missed, I broke out.   Entering into the VMC environment it took me an extra second or two to actual locate the runway.  (It felt like it took 10 minutes, but I am sure it was less than 5 seconds).   

I landed normally and taxied up to the Avionics shop.  I used the bluetooth on my headset to call flight service and cancel my IFR Flight plan.   When I got out the Avionics shop guys were shocked.  We didn't expect you to actually make it today.