In general aviation, scud running is a practice in which pilots lower their altitude to avoid clouds or instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The goal of scud running is to stay clear of weather to continue flying with visual, rather than instrument, references.

2023年9月21日 · Scud running is a term used to describe a flying technique where a pilot flies at low altitudes to avoid clouds or bad weather conditions. This technique is used when a pilot is flying under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and encounters weather conditions that are below the minimum VFR weather requirements.

2022年10月4日 · We can say that scud running refers to the practice of flying at a lower-than-usual level to stay beneath clouds and avoid instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). During scud running, the pilot should decrease the height to remain below inclement weather and maintain visual flight rules (VFR) instead of the instrument flight rules (IFR).

Most times intentional scud running is the main culprit. Those scattered clouds that are easily flown around in open country can be a menace in a narrow canyon. Yet pilots continue to scud run. And, not all of them are low-time pilots who haven’t learned better. Some are high-time pilots—maybe instrument-rated—and mostly of sound judgment.

2004年12月22日 · Scud running is the time-honored practice of trying to stay VFR down low between weather and terrain while motoring off to a destination. Generally, it involves a VFR-only pilot flying in good daytime visibility over flat terrain at an altitude that will clear charted obstacles.

Pilots who have felt the need to scud run cite navigation equipment failures, strong headwinds at IFR altitudes, ice or turbulence, and a lack of alternative options when IMC conditions develop while flying over remote locations.

2000年9月11日 · AVweb’s Rick Durden shows you how to scud run, then shows why you shouldn’t. There’s a right way and a wrong way to do anything. So it is with scud running, that time-honored practice of scooting under weather to get to a destination.

2016年3月14日 · Proliferating cell towers and wind turbines make scud running riskier than ever. Getting under a cloud layer and proceeding visually to a destination has been a temptation for pilots since the beginning. Airmail pilots, cruising at maybe 80 mph, had plenty of time to see and avoid obstacles down really low, but they still crashed airplanes.

2017年9月1日 · Does a scud-running pilot always know his position? Does he know the location and height of all nearby obstructions? If conditions worsen, is he prepared to declare an emergency and climb into the overcast?

What are the risks and rewards of scud running? “Scud running” means deliberate flight under low clouds (“scud”), attempting to maintain visual meteorological conditions.