Convective Outlook question

[MtnMarcus]

How do you guys/gals treat an area with a Convective Outlook? Do you avoid altogether? Only enter if there are nearby airports to land at if need be? Seems like most Convective Outlooks never turn into actual convective activity. Till now I have been ultra conservative and avoided altogether but am re-thinking.

 

[kyleb]

How do you guys/gals treat an area with a Convective Outlook? Do you avoid altogether? Only enter if there are nearby airports to land at if need be? Seems like most Convective Outlooks never turn into actual convective activity. Till now I have been ultra conservative and avoided altogether but am re-thinking.

I keep my eyes open and fly anyway. In addition, I pay attention to my onboard weather. If things start building, there is no shame in a 180 or landing at a nearby airport.

 

[BillTIZ]

Depends on the severity of the outlook. Area of cells, or a frontal line?
What are bases AGL, projected tops? Just how big will it get.

Always keep a way out. Underneath you can avoid the downdraft rain showers, watch for microbursts gusts fronts. Be ready to go elsewhere if your access to the destination airport is blocked. It's a long way between airports/cities out here. But there are 5 airports in the immediate valley.

 

[Velocity173]

If I avoided it all together, I'd never be able to fly in the SE during the summer. I fly through convective sigmets for work and personal flying. Stay VMC and give yourself a wide berth (20 miles ish) from storms.

 

[NoHeat]

Convective outlook areas are often bigger my home state of Iowa. There's not much specificity in that forecast. It's often impractical to avoidsuch a huge area, in a multistate cross country trip.

I'f my route takes me through one, and cells are isolated, I deal with it by staying in VMC, below any clouds, so that I can see and avoid heavy rain.

Convective sigmets are another story altogether - very specifically defined threats that are real.

 

[MAKG1]

Yes, it does happen in California....

Convective outlook is enough to keep me out of IMC, at least without a stormscope. But VFR is fine. If you can see the cells, you can avoid them. And the can be rather widely scattered.

A convective sigmet is different. That will keep me on the ground.

 

[James331]

Meh, just keep a eye on the pressure, temp and clouds, also radar if you got it.

Airmets/outlooks don't make a go into a no go for me, often I'll have skyvector on the screen, I'll populate it with sigmets, pireps and wx radar, normally leave airmets off.