May get home a little later than I planned?

SCCutler

SCCutler

Administrator
Management Council Member
PoA Supporter
Joined
Feb 27, 2005
Messages
17,271
Location
Dallas
Display Name
Display name:
Spike Cutler
So we flew to Santa Fe (SAF) for a coupla three days, planning on getting home (Dallas, ADS) tomorrow.

But I have looked at the weather, and I am not so certain I'll be getting home until, maybe, Sunday? Yesterday, it looked as if the wx would be modestly challenging on Saturday; latest update seems to show
that I'll have substantial chance of convective activity along the route, and low ceilings when I get there! No bueno.


Any of you high-IFR-time guys have advice (besides, "run out and buy you a GPS396 with XM)?

Monday looks OK, Tuesday looks clear and a million all the way.

Oof.
 
Santa Fe? And you're complaining about spending the weekend?

For the price of a 396, you can spend a couple of nights at La Posada, have sunset drinks at La Fonda on the Plaza, and have some great meals in town. Canyon Road is great...

If it's cheap eats, but very good, try Tomasita's near the old Santa Fe rail station.

On the other hand, if you're determined to get home, yes, I'd recommend a Stormscope and a 396. Or go around the mess - or go high above it where you can see the thunderheads.

What I usually do is to get on top, use the stormscope and XM-WX to avoid the big stuff. BTW, that may simply not be enough, especially around Dallas. I had a rather uncomfortable situation coming out of DAL last summer when ATC was vectoring me right into a cell, with nowhere else to put me. Finally got around it, but it was a lot closer than I like.
 
Spike, good you sat it out. ADDS (http://adds.aviationweather.gov) looks like no ice at 6000 and the current doppler looks like an early morning run on down toward Houston with a hockey stick north turn might work....but you'll have to see in the AM.

Edited. Thanks Adam.
 
Last edited:
Spike:

It's easier to excercise sound flying judgement when your feet are firmly planted on the ground in a place you really don't want to leave, isn't it?

That looks like a heck of a big system coming in from the west tomorrow and Sunday. I probably wouldn't be pushing my luck in a non-turbo, single with no real weather avoidance gear. Even if you can do it, it'll probably be a rough ride for the family!

Dave
 
wsuffa said:
Santa Fe? And you're complaining about spending the weekend?

For the price of a 396, you can spend a couple of nights at La Posada, have sunset drinks at La Fonda on the Plaza, and have some great meals in town. Canyon Road is great...

If it's cheap eats, but very good, try Tomasita's near the old Santa Fe rail station.

On the other hand, if you're determined to get home, yes, I'd recommend a Stormscope and a 396. Or go around the mess - or go high above it where you can see the thunderheads.

What I usually do is to get on top, use the stormscope and XM-WX to avoid the big stuff. BTW, that may simply not be enough, especially around Dallas. I had a rather uncomfortable situation coming out of DAL last summer when ATC was vectoring me right into a cell, with nowhere else to put me. Finally got around it, but it was a lot closer than I like.
Click to expand...
I wonder if I can get there before the weather moves in?
 
Spike - thought of you when I was in the area this aft, good luck tomorrow. (fwiw we didn't get a speck, half an hour in the clouds - in and out of saf today and temps ran the gamut from 0 to well below zero)
If you run up against it tomorrow you know what to do - dial in kmrf on the gps, and call me on the cell, I'll start the bbq!
 
wsuffa said:
Santa Fe? And you're complaining about spending the weekend?
Click to expand...

Not really, but there are things needing doing in Dallas. But I absolutely refuse to do anything overtly stupid...

wsuffa said:
If it's cheap eats, but very good, try Tomasita's near the old Santa Fe rail station.
Click to expand...

...where we ate an entirely satisfactory meal last night, with my cousin Steve, an artist who lives here (funny thing, everywhere you go in NM, you see his family name... I guess they used to own a good chunk of the state...).

wsuffa said:
On the other hand, if you're determined to get home, yes, I'd recommend a Stormscope and a 396. Or go around the mess - or go high above it where you can see the thunderheads.
Click to expand...

Stormscope, we got, XM WX, we ain't.

wsuffa said:
What I usually do is to get on top, use the stormscope and XM-WX to avoid the big stuff.
Click to expand...
"On top." No O2, no turbo. This time of year, 11,000 may well be enough, but not at all certain. We'll just see what the morning brings, if it is less than solid, then we likely just stay put.

let'sgoflyiing said:
If you run up against it tomorrow you know what to do - dial in kmrf on the gps, and call me on the cell, I'll start the bbq!
Click to expand...

Sounds mighty appealing...

Thanks, all, for your wise counsel. Time, time, she shall tell. I promised Celia I would not look again at the weather tonight, and that is likely the best course.
 
sure - here's my advice - call me. You're less than an hour's drive away from me! Maybe we can do lunch or something.

Oh yeah - its (505)715-7392. I'm club hopping tonight, and you're more than welcome to join if you want, or if you want we can meet up for lunch sometime this weekend.
 
Last edited:
Well, it certainly does not look like I am launching anytime soon...

...we shall (as they say) see.
 
and its only going to get worse convective-wise for 12 hours. Ah well, there's worse places to be stuck, Spike!
 
Spike:

Looks like you have access to good weather forecasts and info. The convective outlook isn't good for the next siz hours according to ADDS. It is pretty calm on the ground with a farily high ceiling. Sure looks like you'd bump around pretty good if you came in, and all that stuff seems to be moving more toward Dallas from the West.

Sorry!

Dave
 
Doesn't look great, especially for a straight shot.

If I had WX equipment, I might be inclined to route up through Oklahoma, then south into the Metroplex. Looks like if you leave now, the bulk of it will get there about the time you do. Not good.

Icing doesn't look like an issue, just convective.

Then again, UT doesn't play again until tomorrow, so you might find a window in there somewhere.... :D
 
Spike get off the internet and come down for coffee its 7:30 already!
Youre not going anywhere for a little while:
KDFW 191324Z 08009KT 1 1/2SM BR OVC003
 
Relax. Personally if I were in your shoes, I'd commit to not flying today. (I've wasted more time with the family on hold as I watched bad weather hoping it would clear sufficiently.)

I haven't studied your weather situation but I don't think I would fly SAF to ADS today in my aircraft (TBM 700) with my family. I'm confident the aircraft is capable ...and probably the pilot but a bad scare for my wife would seriously reduce the value of the aircraft.

Good luck.
 
Current radar at D/FW;

Well, how in the heck do I save a .php file? It won't convert to html or jpg.

Dave
 
Well, y'all, I made the wise choice to get out of Santa Fe yesterday, and the also-wise choice not to try to get into ADS. I flew south, to Marfa, where the neighborly nature of Drs. Dave and Janet have given us the best port in a storm one could ask for.

Actually filed flight plan for today, keeping south and coming in that way, but difference in radar between when I filed, and when we got to the airport, cured me of that foolish notion.

Early tomorrow morning looks oh-so-much better.

Thanks, all, for the guidance! It's always better to recognize your mistakes from the ground.
 
Good choice Spike. Even if you would have gotten in, it would have been a handful and not much fun for your passengers.

Dave
 
Looked pretty ugly today, Spike, good choice.
 
SCCutler said:
Well, y'all, I made the wise choice to get out of Santa Fe yesterday, and the also-wise choice not to try to get into ADS. I flew south, to Marfa, where the neighborly nature of Drs. Dave and Janet have given us the best port in a storm one could ask for.
Click to expand...

Spike - glad it worked out for you! I got to meet Dr. Dave up here at BJC this afternoon as they dropped off their PAX and skedaddled for home.

Hey Dave - that 700' ceiling sure went away quickly as you guys got ready to leave! On takeoff, your lights disappeared from view well before midfield! Hope you had a safe and uneventful flight home. Really nice to meet you - next time we'll have to at least grab a coffee together.
 
gkainz said:
Hey Dave
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for taking the time to drive over just to shake hands and chat, Greg - it was great to finally meet you! You are a gentleman, and I sure hope we can get together either in Denver, or my home, sometime for a more extended visit.
Yes after rotation we did not see a thing until on top somewhere around 30k today, and I think we arrived at bjc not a moment too soon! It was a wild day all around, warm and 30kts xwind in el paso then all the goo at denver, a traffic alert with a heavy due to some misvectoring, then they couldn't squeeze us in on the first try & put us through the localizer for another try. Then on the way home, a mega-flashbulb show all across NM as we passed over dozens of cells during and after sunset. We don't get much night flight in the cj, so that too was a treat I was glad for vmc, I was probably too tired to be doing an real approach.
Spike never got out today, was waiting for me when I returned... I wished I had the energy to be a better host tonight but its beddybye for me!
 
Looks like Spike and family are enjoying a nice tailwind! 220kts, wow Spike.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N4416W

jeez its dropped to 200 & 1/2 at kads this hour. Waco looks like a good out. DFW is down to rvr too, but Love is OK:
KDAL 201353Z AUTO 27003KT 5SM BR OVC005
Good luck Spike.
 
Good luck indeed...

Looks like ATC's shoved him in a hold.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Thanks so much for taking the time to drive over just to shake hands and chat, Greg - it was great to finally meet you! You are a gentleman, and I sure hope we can get together either in Denver, or my home, sometime for a more extended visit.
Click to expand...
"blush" :redface: Thanks! Likewise, Dave...likewise!
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Thanks so much for taking the time to drive over just to shake hands and chat, Greg - it was great to finally meet you! You are a gentleman, and I sure hope we can get together either in Denver, or my home, sometime for a more extended visit.
Click to expand...
"blush" :redface: Thanks! Likewise, Dave...likewise!

Glad you got home alright... nice front office you have there - very nice!
 
Guess it's a good thing he got out when he did... there's now a Sigmet for low level turbulance (below 12,000 out in West Texas - based on PIREPS of severe turbulance near Pecos.

That can't be a pleasant ride... I was going to go up and do some instrument work today, but I think I'd as soon do it after the winds die down a bit.

KSAT 201728Z 201818 35017G27KT P6SM FEW150
FM0100 32012KT P6SM FEW250
 
Howdy from the office. It sucks to be back.

After a couple of pretty good bumps around Ft. Stockton, the air became smooth as glass, and the tailwind was a nice bonus.

Unfortunately, the wind that was pushin' me along was a little bit late in pushing the clouds and fog out from Dallas; that's why I ended up in a hold at JEN (in bright sunlight and cloudless skies). When ADS improved from 200 to 500, with DAL reporting 500 bkn and 1500 o/c, I headed on in, and by the time I got to ADS, it was something more like 1,100 +/-. NOw, it is clear-blue-beautiful.

Thus endeth the odyssey.

Post-mortem is, no post-mortem needed. Some speculation that I might coulda made it in Saturday or yesterday. Not a moment's regret at pulling the ripcord on those ideas, an dthat's before the remarkable west Texas hospitality. It does look like getting out of SAF, to the south, was also a successful choice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top