Any tips for summer (thunderstorm) VFR flying?

F

FL410

New Member
Let me start off by saying that with just under 100 hours, I haven't had a whole lot of PIC weather related decision making which may have something to do with it, and not a lot of experience with thunderstorms.

Today I was going to fly to another airport 50nm away to do a few circuits before coming back.

About two hours before ETD there were some popup cells here and there (thunderstorms were PROB30 today). I was still considering going, until a PIREP from a C402 said that there was MDT-SVR turb right around 5000' over my destination. At this point I was really having second thoughts, and once a line formed just west of the airport, I cancelled.

Right now they are getting thunderstorms, and there's a decent line brewing, so I'm glad I didn't go.


Anyways, I was wondering if anyone had any tips on flying VFR now in the stormy summer. When things are changing practically by the minute the go/no go decision is a little tricky sometimes.

Cheers
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Any other Floridian's or Southerner's can chime in, but I'd have to say that the dirty south has some pretty darn unpredictable and stormy weather over the summer months.

There was a post about this a while back; but in Florida, around 1-5pm (almost) every day you can bet a thunderstorm will pop up. The thing about it is, is that you never know where they're popping up, and when or how the squall lines (or cells) will develop and dissapate. I'm not saying its like Alaska-bush flying or something of that nature, but checking the weather,etc. can only help so much with all the mid-day heating.

Since the mid-day storms usually consist of isolated cells (around here), I just plan a flight where I see a reduction of a cells radar signature, or the best looking weather trend.

However, there are just some days where its just not safe to fly. Someone said the best quote a while back that I have to say again for this situation (forgive me if its not verbatim):

It's better to be on the ground wishing you were flying, rather then flying and wishing you were on the ground.

In conclusion, if you are gonna venture into the fray, then tune to flight watch, and they'll keep an eye out for ya. They've saved my butt a few times.
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Don't mess around with this stuff at night, especially IFR.

The closest call of my flying career probably came on a night flight last summer in central Texas....before I got to the airport I could see lightning off in the distance, but I gave the FSS a call just before I tookoff to double check the flight conditions along my route. "Looks good if you leave now they said". Being eager to get back home, I took their advice, against a nagging feeling in the back of my head that said that lightning looked too close.

It sure didn't feel good once we got in the air....lightning everywhere but we were in and out of the clouds so I had no way to make out which cell was where. Continuous moderate tuburlence with what occasional impacts coming close to severe here and there.....I was doing good just to hold my altitude within 200 ft and wings level. I never truly realized how ineffective the stormscope in that Baron was until then.....when everything around you is red and orange the info is not too useful!

The radios were full of static and I lost comms with center for a few minutes....I think I missed a frequency handoff because of all the static but luckily I was able to re-establish communication, descend into VMC cancel IFR and make a B line for the closest airport I knew would be away from the weather.

We ended up sitting on the ground for about 3 hours at a small uncontrolled field, while making routine calls to the FSS for updates on the storm....eventually we got home, but that encounter was enough to drive home a healthy respect for what even getting close to this type of weather can do. We would've been spending the night on the front porch of the FBO at that airport had it not been for our cellphones.
 
Your typical airmass (single cell) thunderstorm forms in the afternoon as all-day surface heating causes a significant uplifting force. In FL, you can just about predict when a storm will hit every summer afternoon with your watch.

My suggestion is that you fly early in the morning, not only is the air usually calm, but you can avoid most weather that way. While it's not a cure-all fix, it should help you out.
 
If it's real hazy and there's embedded storms hiding around (i.e. in the midwest) you gotta be real careful. Do your preflight homework and find out where the stuff is hiding and where it is moving since you might not be able to see it until you're pretty close. Plan on stuff popping up even if it is not showing up on radar at the time. Use all your onboard tools (radar, stormscope). Don't hesitate to call flightwatch and ask them what's going on along your route of flight when you're enroute. If you're on flight following, ask ATC about any weather ahead of you - plan on flying around storms if needed (By that I mean staying well clear, and that may mean planning on packing some extra fuel). Know about airports along your route that you can use to divert/land.
 
If you don't have to fly in a thunderstorm don't! If you do go flying and there are storms in the area (almost every day here in the summer) the best weather radar is your eyes. Your best bet is to stay VFR so you can use them to spot storms. If you get into the clouds especially without radar, you're just asking for a butt whoopin'.

If you get in a bad storm ATC will usually be helpful to point out the weather. But remember their radar isn't always 100% accurate. Today I was on my way back from Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando insisted I deviate 20 left from the airway. I could see weather to my left and smooth sailing at 12 o'clock. I told him I was unable, but he kept telling me I really needed to turn to avoid some level 3-4 activity. I deviated and went through some level 2 cells. As I passed the weather I could see it was clear behind my right shoulder. I should have trusted my eyes and stayed on the airway.

If it's a line of storms, stay on the ground. There's nowhere to go run and hide. I've seen planes run off the end of the runway trying to beat a storm and I've seen King Air's and a 727 that were tossed on their tails in a bad storm. Better to sit it out to fly another day.
 
I have to agree with the comment on hazy conditions. When visibilities are low don't go trying to fly around the storms. You can fly unknowingly right into a cell.

Also, there is a big difference between a small summer cell in Florida and a severe thunderstorm. Do not play with the latter at all. The FAA recommendation is go give it 25 nm.

Also, don't challenge an approaching storm when landing. Remember that the storm will be preceded by a gust front and you are likely not to see it. The conditions can change rapidly and dramatically. Go somewhere else. And I like the idea of carrying extra fuel.

Pat
 
Always error on the side of caution and stay on the ground if you are really unsure. If you are on the fence you can always talk to a CFI on get his/her opinion but the final decision has to be yours. You may also want to consider taking a CFII with you a couple times. A good CFI will give you tips along the way and not let you get into any trouble. This will help you gain some experience and feel more comfortable with the pop up storms.

Just remember always leave yourself a way out and fuel.
 
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Always error on the side of caution and stay on the ground if you are really unsure. If you are on the fence you can always talk to a CFI on get his/her opinion but the final decision has to be yours. You may also want to consider taking a CFII with you a couple times. A good CFI will give you tips along the way and not let you get into any trouble. This will help you gain some experience and feel more comfortable with the pop up storms.

Just remember always leave yourself a way out and fuel.

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That is so true. I was on a long cross country (several days around the Southwest) with my father. We had stopped for fuel and lunch at Cedar City, UT and because the FSS was on the field, decided to take a tour and get a weather briefing in person. They were the friendliest bunch of people and I got to take a look at wx maps you have never seen. After getting the wx briefing, it seemed that there was not much to worry about between there and Salt Lake City, our destination, and that a front wouldn't be a factor until later that evening. So we went for it.

Shortly after takeoff at about 1500 AGL, there were a few small puffy cumulous type clouds that were forming around us, but well clear horizontally from us. Well, looks can be decieving because as soon as we entered that unstable air I experienced the worst turbulence of my life so far. There were times when we had 90+ degrees of bank! So I did one of the most important maneuvers you can perform in an aircraft... a 180 degree turn. By the time we landed, we had a 15-20 knot gusty crosswind, but staying up in that turbulence was not an option. Keeping the speed up, the landing was uneventful and we ended up staying in Cedar City for 2 days while the front went through.

Even standing inside the FSS with hundreds of NOAA maps and several expert briefers and your disposal, the weather can still be unpredictable and deceiving. In a 172, avoid puffy white clouds and the altitudes that they reside in, particularly when there is a front approaching (even if it is still hundreds of miles away).
 
I'd avoid it all together, particularly in an airplane not equipped with some kind of weather radar. The thing about thunderstoms is that they aren't really "predictable." You can predict somewhat how they will grow, where they will go, and when they will die, but not with total accuracy. You can have storms at any hour of the day if the conditions are right.

Thunderstorms really are geographic specific too. See a smaller cell over Arizona? Hmm, stay away! The air there is very dry, so if you see rain and a small cell, it's taking a dang lot of lifting to make that thing. Kansas? Storms get huge there, with the air from the Gulf swinging up and rising over the plains. Plenty of tornadoes in these guys. But Florida? Hot, moist, lots of lifting. Small cells won't be as dangerous as other areas, but still should be avoided.

Thunderstorms have lots of detrimental effects on airplanes: Lightning, turbulence, rain, hail, visibility, wind. All affect flying in major ways. So stay away.

I've been studying thunderstorms, and more particularly on-board aviation weather radar, with great detail. I've found that if there is anything out there pilots don't seem to understand, it's thunderstorms. I've flown with guys who avoid clouds all together (like stratus I'm saying) in thunderstorm season if they are "dark". Then others go barreling through towering cumulus without the radar on, saying "oh it was small." Even small CBs can be dangerous.

I'd suggest getting a book called "Weather Flying" by Bob Buck. He's done weather flying all over the world, doing research in a B-17. Lots of good info there about thunderstorm flying. It would be more worth your while to go get info from the source, than for me or anyone else to regurgitate second-hand learning. Also, for those who have on-board weather radar, purchase the Sporty's CD "How Radar Works" by Dave Gwinn. It really helps you understand radar in a basic sense! I'm glad I got it. It will open your eyes to how much you didn't know about radar, and how much other's don't either! Dave Gwinn has day-long seminars on radar, and I'm desperately trying to find out when one is. I'll drop a trip to go!!

I love thunderstorms!!! But I sure as heck don't want to see the inside of one, except from the ground.
 
Excellent post! I agree with everything you said, except the part about not flying VFR at all when there are TRWs. On VFR days with isolated cells get out and fly. It's a good gradient to learning how to fly around them. Plus they're just pretty.

Bob Buck's book is great. I went to Dave Gwinn's seminar, it's super. Archie Trammell's stuff is great too.

Archie

The best book, by far, for beginners to learn about thunderstorms is Dennis Newton's Severe Weather Flying. I've known many seasoned pilots who could benefit by reading this book.

Severe Weather Flying

So read Dennis's book and then enjoy thunderstorms. Don't even think about flying radar equipped airplanes in thunderstorm areas without first taking a radar course. Radar will hurt you and even kill you if you don't know how to use it. And learning it on the line is inadequate imo, although unfortunately the industry standard.
 
A couple of tips.

If you observe the surface chart (or watch your local weatherman) and the thunderstorms are in advance of a front (cold front or otherwise), it would be best not to wonder too far from home. These thunderstorms can move rapidly and form into lines and clusters. As a VFR pilot, or any pilot for that matter...you don't need that grief.

If it is just a hot, humid day with lots of building cumulus and no defined weather system in your area...then go play around. Remember to observe your basic VFR cloud clearance and visibility criteria and use extra vigilance for traffic. Also, remember to never fly through a rain shower you cannot see through and if you should happen to come across a monster cell...stay well away....20-30 miles away...better yet....turn around and go home.

Otherwise...go fly your 50nm cross country. Experiment with the flight conditions as you circumnavigate the scattered cumulus and rain showers. You will also need to maintain a high level of situational awareness...as your diversions away from your planned course for weather will take you off of your planned route. Always maintain the ability to turn around to home base or to be able to fly in the clear to an alternate airport.

Don't violate your personal "comfort zone". If you are not 100% certain of the outcome of the route ahead of you...then you shouldn't be going there.

Be careful...plan well...have fun.
 
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So read Dennis's book and then enjoy thunderstorms. Don't even think about flying radar equipped airplanes in thunderstorm areas without first taking a radar course. Radar will hurt you and even kill you if you don't know how to use it. And learning it on the line is inadequate imo, although unfortunately the industry standard.

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I'll pick it up. Thanks for the recommendation.

What you said about not understanding radar and learning on the line is WELL SAID. There is so much myth surrounding weather radar. I think it's such an important system on board the aircraft; I'm upset that there isn't more training on it.

How did you find out about the Dave Gwinn seminar? I'm trying desperately to find out when one is, but I'm coming up short.
 
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What you said about not understanding radar and learning on the line is WELL SAID. There is so much myth surrounding weather radar. I think it's such an important system on board the aircraft; I'm upset that there isn't more training on it.

How did you find out about the Dave Gwinn seminar? I'm trying desperately to find out when one is, but I'm coming up short.

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I went many, many years ago. I see Dave has a website about his seminars, but I'm guessing most pilots (the few that are interested) just get the CDs from him or Archie. (I recommend both.)

Dave Gwinn

I went to both Archie and Dave's seminars. I was trying to learn it for myself, but I ended up doing a lot of technical writing and course development at my company. We tried our best to give our pilot group both clear guidance and good training, but it didn't always take. It was dissapointing to fly with pilots, after the months of work I did, who would say, "I wish they would tell us more about this radar." !!!!!!!

I got raked over the coals when I first joined this forum, for saying that many pilots, but particuarly regional pilots, were displaying a lack of knowledge and skill in the area of radar operation and thunderstorm avoidance, but it's true.

The last fatal crash that I can think of that you could sure attribute to poor thunderstorm judgment and poor radar skills was American at LIT.
 
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