Narrative:

I was in the position of needing to accumulate many hours of multi-engine flight time in the space of a few weeks, to prepare for a commuter airline interview. Cost was a major concern, so I shopped around and found an FBO/flight school that would rent a seminole at reasonable block rates. However, a check-out flight(south) were required and the duration of the check-out period was left primarily to the discretion of the FBO's CFI. This day, there were advisories for icing in clouds and the ceiling was approximately 1700 ft overcast. The CFI mentioned doing some instrument work and added that we would 'be in the clear at 2500 ft MSL.' I figured his plan was to stay below the ceiling and the potential icing since the seminole has no deicing capability. After takeoff, however, the CFI called approach requesting IFR clearance for approachs at local airports. An alternate was legally required, but he did not designate one. ATC then assigned an altitude that put us in the clouds just below the tops. Outside air temperature was +3 degrees C but the ice began to form. Light rime ice accumulated during our approach to mqj airport and eventually the pitot mast, which also houses the static source, iced over due to inoperative pitot heat. I pulled on the alternate static source and discovered we were 200 ft low. ATC did not complain and the altitude deviation was promptly corrected. At this point I spoke up and suggested we return to the home airport VFR following completion of the current approach rather than go missed right back up into the ice. The CFI thought that 'seemed like a good idea.' by the CFI's approximation, we had accumulated 3/8 inch ice on the airplane. The CFI then ordered a r-hand climbing turnout from the standard l-hand traffic pattern at the non twred mqj airport. This right turn was to accommodate a king air coming head-on down the approach for the opposite runway whom the CFI reasonably assumed would be circling into a l-hand pattern for our runway. The king air decided to enter right circling traffic for our runway and we wound up being head-on anyhow. The final straw was during our VFR return to home airport that lies beneath the shelf of class C and necessitated flight over a congested metropolitan area. Base of class C was 2100 ft MSL and it is entirely possible that we could have remained legally clear of obstacles over downtown and below class C by flying at 2000 ft MSL. Or, better yet, why not talk to ATC. This CFI's solution was to reach over and turn off our mode C so ATC couldn't tell where we were (altitude). I was instructed to fly at 1900 ft MSL. When I showed disapproval of him deactivating mode C, all he said was, 'if we followed all the FARS, we'd never get anything done.' I think that pretty well summed up his attitude toward flying. We never flew together again.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WHILE GETTING CHKED OUT IN A PA44 SEMINOLE, INSTRUCTOR PLT HAD TRAINEE CLB INTO ICING CONDITIONS. THEN HE HAD HIM FLY A NON STANDARD MISSED APCH RESULTING IN A HEAD TO HEAD CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER ACFT AND FINALLY, HE TURNED OFF THE MODE C TO HIDE THE FACT THEY WERE FLYING LOWER THAN ALLOWED OVER A POPULATED AREA.

Narrative: I WAS IN THE POS OF NEEDING TO ACCUMULATE MANY HRS OF MULTI-ENG FLT TIME IN THE SPACE OF A FEW WKS, TO PREPARE FOR A COMMUTER AIRLINE INTERVIEW. COST WAS A MAJOR CONCERN, SO I SHOPPED AROUND AND FOUND AN FBO/FLT SCHOOL THAT WOULD RENT A SEMINOLE AT REASONABLE BLOCK RATES. HOWEVER, A CHK-OUT FLT(S) WERE REQUIRED AND THE DURATION OF THE CHK-OUT PERIOD WAS LEFT PRIMARILY TO THE DISCRETION OF THE FBO'S CFI. THIS DAY, THERE WERE ADVISORIES FOR ICING IN CLOUDS AND THE CEILING WAS APPROX 1700 FT OVCST. THE CFI MENTIONED DOING SOME INST WORK AND ADDED THAT WE WOULD 'BE IN THE CLR AT 2500 FT MSL.' I FIGURED HIS PLAN WAS TO STAY BELOW THE CEILING AND THE POTENTIAL ICING SINCE THE SEMINOLE HAS NO DEICING CAPABILITY. AFTER TKOF, HOWEVER, THE CFI CALLED APCH REQUESTING IFR CLRNC FOR APCHS AT LCL ARPTS. AN ALTERNATE WAS LEGALLY REQUIRED, BUT HE DID NOT DESIGNATE ONE. ATC THEN ASSIGNED AN ALT THAT PUT US IN THE CLOUDS JUST BELOW THE TOPS. OUTSIDE AIR TEMP WAS +3 DEGS C BUT THE ICE BEGAN TO FORM. LIGHT RIME ICE ACCUMULATED DURING OUR APCH TO MQJ ARPT AND EVENTUALLY THE PITOT MAST, WHICH ALSO HOUSES THE STATIC SOURCE, ICED OVER DUE TO INOP PITOT HEAT. I PULLED ON THE ALTERNATE STATIC SOURCE AND DISCOVERED WE WERE 200 FT LOW. ATC DID NOT COMPLAIN AND THE ALTDEV WAS PROMPTLY CORRECTED. AT THIS POINT I SPOKE UP AND SUGGESTED WE RETURN TO THE HOME ARPT VFR FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF THE CURRENT APCH RATHER THAN GO MISSED RIGHT BACK UP INTO THE ICE. THE CFI THOUGHT THAT 'SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA.' BY THE CFI'S APPROXIMATION, WE HAD ACCUMULATED 3/8 INCH ICE ON THE AIRPLANE. THE CFI THEN ORDERED A R-HAND CLBING TURNOUT FROM THE STANDARD L-HAND TFC PATTERN AT THE NON TWRED MQJ ARPT. THIS R TURN WAS TO ACCOMMODATE A KING AIR COMING HEAD-ON DOWN THE APCH FOR THE OPPOSITE RWY WHOM THE CFI REASONABLY ASSUMED WOULD BE CIRCLING INTO A L-HAND PATTERN FOR OUR RWY. THE KING AIR DECIDED TO ENTER R CIRCLING TFC FOR OUR RWY AND WE WOUND UP BEING HEAD-ON ANYHOW. THE FINAL STRAW WAS DURING OUR VFR RETURN TO HOME ARPT THAT LIES BENEATH THE SHELF OF CLASS C AND NECESSITATED FLT OVER A CONGESTED METRO AREA. BASE OF CLASS C WAS 2100 FT MSL AND IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD HAVE REMAINED LEGALLY CLR OF OBSTACLES OVER DOWNTOWN AND BELOW CLASS C BY FLYING AT 2000 FT MSL. OR, BETTER YET, WHY NOT TALK TO ATC. THIS CFI'S SOLUTION WAS TO REACH OVER AND TURN OFF OUR MODE C SO ATC COULDN'T TELL WHERE WE WERE (ALT). I WAS INSTRUCTED TO FLY AT 1900 FT MSL. WHEN I SHOWED DISAPPROVAL OF HIM DEACTIVATING MODE C, ALL HE SAID WAS, 'IF WE FOLLOWED ALL THE FARS, WE'D NEVER GET ANYTHING DONE.' I THINK THAT PRETTY WELL SUMMED UP HIS ATTITUDE TOWARD FLYING. WE NEVER FLEW TOGETHER AGAIN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.