Why is it that Los Angeles is supposed to be blessed with perfect weather? This is clearly an east coast concept based on their truly horrible climate so that it only seems good in comparison. It always seems to be cloudy lately - or at least on those days that I have available to fly.
Once again, the VFR gods are not smiling on me. The METARs for fifty miles all indicate clear or a really high overcast but the Mark I eyeball observation tells me that the valley has BKN at 2000 and SCT at 1000. While that might be enough in the midwest, where the highest point is a four story grain silo, it just doesn't cut it here with hills rising up 2000 ft+ and real mountains lurking about.
The LA basin is surrounded to the north and east by terrain that gets up to ten thousand feet with lots and lots of little six thousand footers hiding in the white/gray puffy stuff. The coast is socked in with the usual 'marine layer' read overcast at 1500 and the whole enchilada has one of the most complex airspace systems in the country with Bravo airspace never more than a few miles (or a few thousand feet in altitude) away.
Some day, I will have to devote some time, effort and a not inconsiderable sum of greenbacks to getting my IFR ticket.
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