sargeanb
New Member
A little regional airline scenario for you all
You've just arrived in ROA (Roanoke, VA). On the way in from CVG (Cincinnati), you picked your way through a pretty significant line of T-storms about 50 miles long, moving east. The line was about 40 miles from the field when you landed. Upon landing in ROA, the sun is out, with high overcast, light winds. This is a quick turn, and you'll be heading back to CVG. While the pax are boarding, you notice it getting dark to the west, behind the mountains. You call dispatch and ask for an update on the wx, and they say the line of storms will be on the airport in about 20 minutes, but you should have enough time to get out, and they say if you deviate southwest you can get around the worst of it.
As soon as you start taxiing out, a dark line of clouds emerges from behind the mountains a few miles to the west. Lightning is flashing to the southwest with an obvious rain shaft, the sky is lighter gray to the north, immediately west it looks something like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10966049@N04/2542948709/. To the west coming towards the field, no lightning, but clouds with some obvious power in them, no rain to speak of yet.
As you taxi out, you taxi past another RJ that will be heading in the same direction, stopped on the taxiway, and the crew is asking tower what they're showing. They report windshear in all quadrants, significant precip to the southwest. You decide to continue to the end of the runway, and will assess the situation there. By the time you've reached the end of the runway (about 5 minutes), the line of clouds is over the field, rapidly moving east, and the wind picks up rapidly. You point the nose west, and take a look with the radar. A large area of red greets you on the screen, but taking a look at the 3000+ ft mountains just west of the field, the radar picture matches them perfectly, and you realize you're just looking at the terrain, and it's blocking you from looking at the weather. The FO asks tower for a wind check, and it's 35G40, variable, and still windshear in all quads. The wind is buffeting the airplane a bit, and the pax are probably pretty concerned. You make a PA and explain the situation. Obviously you wont be going anywhere for a while. You call dispatch again, and they dont help much this time. They report the same weather as last time, and say if tower says it looks OK, go for it.
Both engines are running (you had planned on getting out before the storms came), you've got about a half hour to your min departure fuel. To the west, and north, the sky is light gray. To the east, the darkest clouds still push east at high speed. Still lightning and rain to the south. Do you go back to the gate? What would you do? I'll tell you what we did a bit later.
You've just arrived in ROA (Roanoke, VA). On the way in from CVG (Cincinnati), you picked your way through a pretty significant line of T-storms about 50 miles long, moving east. The line was about 40 miles from the field when you landed. Upon landing in ROA, the sun is out, with high overcast, light winds. This is a quick turn, and you'll be heading back to CVG. While the pax are boarding, you notice it getting dark to the west, behind the mountains. You call dispatch and ask for an update on the wx, and they say the line of storms will be on the airport in about 20 minutes, but you should have enough time to get out, and they say if you deviate southwest you can get around the worst of it. As soon as you start taxiing out, a dark line of clouds emerges from behind the mountains a few miles to the west. Lightning is flashing to the southwest with an obvious rain shaft, the sky is lighter gray to the north, immediately west it looks something like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10966049@N04/2542948709/. To the west coming towards the field, no lightning, but clouds with some obvious power in them, no rain to speak of yet.
As you taxi out, you taxi past another RJ that will be heading in the same direction, stopped on the taxiway, and the crew is asking tower what they're showing. They report windshear in all quadrants, significant precip to the southwest. You decide to continue to the end of the runway, and will assess the situation there. By the time you've reached the end of the runway (about 5 minutes), the line of clouds is over the field, rapidly moving east, and the wind picks up rapidly. You point the nose west, and take a look with the radar. A large area of red greets you on the screen, but taking a look at the 3000+ ft mountains just west of the field, the radar picture matches them perfectly, and you realize you're just looking at the terrain, and it's blocking you from looking at the weather. The FO asks tower for a wind check, and it's 35G40, variable, and still windshear in all quads. The wind is buffeting the airplane a bit, and the pax are probably pretty concerned. You make a PA and explain the situation. Obviously you wont be going anywhere for a while. You call dispatch again, and they dont help much this time. They report the same weather as last time, and say if tower says it looks OK, go for it.
Both engines are running (you had planned on getting out before the storms came), you've got about a half hour to your min departure fuel. To the west, and north, the sky is light gray. To the east, the darkest clouds still push east at high speed. Still lightning and rain to the south. Do you go back to the gate? What would you do? I'll tell you what we did a bit later.
...continue discussion...
