South East weather

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Electric

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Electric
Will be flying to Fort Walton Beach, FL in August, from Connecticut, VFR. I've never been to that part of the country before, even without an airplane. So just wanted to find out if there's anything I need to know before the trip.

As far as I know, thunderstorms are likely in the afternoon, but that's all the info I know... Are there any other weather patterns I should be aware of? Any issues with fog or low ceilings?

Also, since hurricane season starts in August, how strong should the wind be to become a threat to a tied down aircraft?

Is hail a common occurrence?

Thanks in advance!
 
Electric,

Check weather often, always leave yourself an out, fly as early in the day as possible, have onboard wx if possible, don't fly near or especially downwind(hail) of a thunderstorm, set yourself some safe minimums and stick to them, be flexible with your schedule, keep at least 1.5 hrs fuel on board if wx is deteriorating and get on with ATC. If your plane is in the path of a hurricane, move it to a safe place. I would not want my plane out in anything greater than 40 kts. Keep controls secure. Take a tiedown kit with you. Have a plan and know how to get in touch with fbo to move plane inside if needed. Take care and have fun.
 
As already mentioned, fly EARLY. If you can be on the ground by 10-11am, you will be a lot happier than waiting to finish up the leg around 1-2pm.

Are you going to Ft. Walton or Destin airport? Lots of military activity in the area, but there is a lot of GA in the area, so controllers know how to handle you. Look up the training course on the FAA website and read through it. There is a north-south corridor that will get you through the MOAs and plop you right on top of Destin.

The 'nice' thing about hurricanes is that you have several days notice before one knocks on your door. If one is headed toward you - get the heck out of Dodge. Even if the plane was able to be secured, there won't be anything worth staying in the area for after a hurricane blows the roof off of everything.
 
Yep, you're gonna have 2 lines of thunderstorms you'll have to penetrate by afternoon, North Georgia/ Carolina's and central Florida. My typical routing will take me on the beach line from approximately Charleston on down. The convective activity (this is all counting that there is no tropical storm or hurricane close, then the rules change to use rotation to advantage, but do not present insurmountable challenges) will remain over land as the sun heated land lifts the air and draws in the warm damp Gulfstream and Gulf of Mexico air where as just off the beach you'll be in good air. Typically the bases slope and the clouds will end at the Gulfstream, but that can be a significant distance depending where along the route you are so I prefer to just keep on the deck right off the beach for emergency landing availability.
 
I live 20 minutes up the road from Fort Walton :thumbsup:

The main things are early in the morning you can count on a low ceiling or fog that will burn off normally before 6 or 7 AM. Next is the seabreeze that will come into effect around noon-1o'clock and it can be a fairly stiff 10 knot breeze. Then the afternoon showers roll in.

Hail is not common (Ive seen hail maybe twice in 14 years.) What airport will you be keeping the airplane at?
 
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Thanks a lot for the information everyone.

Will be flying to Destin.

Also, I think I will take the route that will take me further inland - just North of DC and then East of the mountains. This should give me the most options in terms of going around the weather, and lass hassle with DC airspace.
 
You understand you will have to contact Eglin approach for clearance down to Destin?

Its not a big deal but can be a hassle when the area is really busy.

Its really neat flying around destin with Eglin right across the bay.
 
Electric said:
Yap, will be taking that FAA course.
Click to expand...

Course? I thought the issue was Eglin? Used to be you called in over Sikes (or thereabouts) and got vectored through the corridor to Destin. Is there a course for this now?
 
Electric said:
Thanks a lot for the information everyone.

Will be flying to Destin.

Also, I think I will take the route that will take me further inland - just North of DC and then East of the mountains. This should give me the most options in terms of going around the weather, and lass hassle with DC airspace.
Click to expand...

Pretty much what I do, up that end expect haze and glare with reduced visibility well up.
 
scottd said:
There's also a tendency for convection to develop over the water during the late evening and overnight hours and they tend to develop more over land during the day (especially in the afternoon and early evening).
Click to expand...

I have often observed this phenomenon while staying a week in Folly Beach, SC.

Why is this the case? Is it because the water temperature is warm but the air is cooling off? Land breeze convergence offshore?
 
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