Weathered Out

I'm learning how to fly in weather, so this should have been the perfect training flight. We decided not to go. Weathered out. I guess it comes down to my personal minimums. I recently saw a DVD with Richard Collins "The Prepared Pilot" (a part of his Air Facts series from Sporty's) and one of the topics focused on things he just would not do. Never overload the airplane, always plan to have at least an hour of fuel remaining after the trip, etc. He also talked about his personal weather minimums. So, what personal rules will I follow?

1. IFR, solo, at night: It might happen, but I'm not going to plan on it, and will avoid it if at all possible. Accident statistics support this decision.
2. Dick's idea to plan about an hour of gas in the tank sounds pretty good.
3. Approach minimus will not be busted, period. (No 'taking a peak'.)
4. No re do. If the first approach was flown right, no sense going back again because the weather hasn't changed. Go someplace else (with better weather or lower approach mins).
5. No 'circle to land' at a strange field at night.
6. Don't continue a flight with things that are inoperative for the sake of making a meeting, job, or family.
7. Icing is bad. Always check for icing conditions before the flight. Be prepared to change plans if icing is encountered.
   

I'll have to think about some others.

The pictures at the top represent a "no go" situation. The weather at the field (KRYY) is lower then the published minimums (green arrow) for the most likely approach. Too bad, I was really looking forward to flying tonight, but not into the remains of tropical storm Tammy.