App to (near) Mins at KCLT

dmccormack

dmccormack

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Dan Mc
Flew down to Charlotte for a meeting. On departure from FWQ weather at CLT was 400 Clg, 1/2 mile vis, with predicted clearing by 0900 LCL.

I filed ROA as an alternate -- it was reporting VFR.

We had a mildly sick Passenger so made an unscheduled stop at CKB, then after assurances that all was well, took off for CLT.

East of the higher mountains in WV we flew over continuous low-lying overcast. Tops were about 3500.

Once in CLT airspace we were requested and got the ILS 18L. The ATIS was issuing specials every 5 minutes, and by the time we hit the IAF the clg was 600, vis 1 1/2.

OK, not minimums, but a good use of the ILS.

We entered the layer at 3700 and we were asked to keep the speed up -- 120 knots brought forth no complaints. I asked my co-pilot (a student along for the ride) to keep looking and to let me know when he could see the ground or even the lights or runway.

Of course I was adding the windscreen to my scan as we descended through 1500', but it was nice to have a set of eyes dedicated to the task!

DH is 1022 for that IAP -- we broke out at 1300' MSL.

I kept the speed up, then pulled the power, slowed the airplane down to Vfe, dropped 40 degrees of flaps, and landed and hurried off to the "next available taxiway" with all possible dispatch as there were at least 10 jets lined up for a turn on the runway.

We taxied over to Wilson Air -- a very fine FBO -- the $15 ramp fee was waived with 10 gal or fuel -- nice!

Obama was supposed to be in Charlotte today, and his advance team was hanging around the WA facility. We borrowed a crew car and high tailed it out of there.

He never made it as he was diverted for "mechanical reasons"?
 
dmccormack said:
Obama was supposed to be in Charlotte today, and his advance team was hanging around the WA facility. We borrowed a crew car and high tailed it out of there.

He never made it as he was diverted for "mechanical reasons"?
Click to expand...

Apparently,in a thunderstorm the escape slide in his DC8 tailcone (chartered from Midwest Airlines?) deployed, and the pilots felt heavier than normal elevator forces and decided to divert. A wise choice, and the NTSB is investigating.
 
TMetzinger said:
Apparently,in a thunderstorm the escape slide in his DC8 tailcone (chartered from Midwest Airlines?) deployed, and the pilots felt heavier than normal elevator forces and decided to divert. A wise choice, and the NTSB is investigating.
Click to expand...

Interesting -- when we returned we used Stormscope, NEXRAD, and frequent calls to Flight Watch to divert around a huge line of thunderstorms along the eastern ridges of WV, and numerous scattered cells in WV.

It was an interesting ride back with a front row seat to some with tops in the 50s.
 
scottd said:
Dan,

Very interesting forecast today for Charlotte (KCLT). I was with an instrument student and we hoped to get some summertime "safe" IMC at one of the satellite airports. Seems like the CLT TAF kept hinting that the low overcast would mix away and we'd be playing with a meager scattered deck if we delayed.

The 12Z TAF for KCLT was trying to clear things out by 1500Z.

KCLT 071152Z 071212 18006KT 1SM BR OVC002
TEMPO 1214 1/2SM FG
FM1500 21006KT P6SM FEW020 SCT050
FM1700 18006KT P6SM VCTS SCT050CB SCT200
FM0300 17004KT P6SM SCT200=

They amended the TAF at 1300Z to tone down the prevailing conditions still looking for clear air to drop in at 1500Z.

KCLT 071258Z 071312 19006KT 4SM BR OVC004
FM1500 20006KT P6SM FEW015 SCT050
FM1700 18006KT P6SM VCTS SCT050CB SCT200
FM0300 17004KT P6SM SCT200=

By 1400Z the TAF gets amended again and now they've pushed back the clearing until 1530Z.

KCLT 071400Z 071412 18006KT 6SM BR OVC006
FM1500 19006KT 6SM HZ SCT008 BKN012
FM1530 20006KT P6SM FEW015 SCT050
FM1900 18006KT P6SM VCTS SCT050CB SCT200
FM0300 17004KT P6SM SCT200=

Well it did start to improve a little, but the new 18Z TAFs still hung onto broken skies through 1830Z where they now are finally starting to clear things out.

KCLT 071720Z 071818 18008KT P6SM BKN020
FM1830 18008KT P6SM SCT040
FM1900 18008KT P6SM VCTS SCT050CB
FM0200 17005KT P6SM FEW040 SCT200
FM0800 17004KT 5SM BR SCT005
FM1500 19006KT P6SM SCT040 BKN250=

Well, we got to do four or five approaches in low IFR conditions before the challenge disappeared. Very rare to get this kind of low overcast without battling deep convection.
Click to expand...

Yep -- we had an unplanned stop at CKB and while filing for the next leg, the briefer said, "It's still showing 1 mile vis in fog but that should pass by the time you get there..."

In the air with Flight Watch: "Well, it's still showing fog -- it's supposed to clear but still hasn't..."

I'm glad we pressed on because we had a VFR alternate within range, had plenty of fuel, and had already briefed the Pax that "you may not be in Charlotte today."

When we took off at 1400 Local, there was still a relatively low layer -- we were over it by 4000 and there was nothing on top until we reached the mountains of SW VA and NE TN, where the expected Towering CU formed a wall.

12000 topped most, and we deviated around the rest.

Heard this exchange between CTR and SWA:

"Go to Washington Center on 124.65, and let them know you are deviating."
"Going to Center on 124.65 and we'll let them know we're deviants...."
 
I was also surprised that the wind was 170@6 and yet the vis and clg were so low.

We don't get winds AND low clg/low vis here on the western edge of the Alleghenies.
 
scottd said:
Dan,

It's not as much as wind as it is turbulent mixing. This is largely related stability in the cloud/fog layer. The more stable the atmosphere, the less likely you are to get overturning or turbulent mixing. A favorable hydrolapse is also needed in the cloud/fog layer. I've seen cases where the wind was > 10 knots with fog as thick as pea soup. Of course the best place to observe this is using a Skew-T log (p) diagram.
Click to expand...

Yesterday's fog and low level clouds in southern NC provided a smooth ride, despite the steady (though light) winds below.

It was a strange combination -- my guess is southerly flow brought Gulf moisture and made inland NC more like a coastal area, where such combinations are more common.
 
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