Thunderstorms

[dmccormack]

Today I had to fly out and back for some transponder work. ON the way up I stayed low to stay out of Class B. It was typical summer day with scattered CU and bumpiness. I was tempted to fly even lower but the nice lady at PIT was providing traffic advisories.

After lunch -- and finding out the part hadn't arrived -- I launched VFR to return home. The XM showed some scattered activity along the route of flight, and the Stormscope looked like a firefly convention.

It was still a beautiful summer VFR day, so I headed south and bumped along at 3500, listening to approach chatter and enjoying the view.

Cleared through the Bravo airspace, I took up the assigned heading to stay away from the approach into PIT. I could see that I'd eventually end up between two cells, each about 10 miles apart.

I waited a bit and then as I was about to key the mike, PIT App said, "Fly heading 230 for weather avoidance."

I had a front row seat to quite a display. The precip was intense as far as I could see, and based on the shades of red displayed on the XM. I hit CLR on the Stormscope every few minutes and the tale was told -- I was flying in the midst of several cells. The closest was about 10 miles away, and despite some light showers, the ride was smooth. To the west about 20 miles away I saw lightning, but nothing close enough for worry.

I usually file IFR, but it was a VFR day and the transponder was shot, so I enjoyed the VFR freedom, informing ATC of my intentions, and watching the tremendous show.

Every so often I could look straight up and see the enormous CB lofting high into the clear blue sky above.

Soon I popped out of the precip into scattered CU, and announced airport in sight.

The downwind and landing were automatic. I slowed it down to short field approach speed and dropped all 40 degrees of flaps.

In the 7 knot wind I was down and stopped long before the first taxiway -- always a good feeling.

Thunderstorms are scary and should be avoided, but they sure are neat to watch -- at a respectful distance, of course.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Good writeup! That's cool that PIT let you in the Class B without a working transponder with weather in the area. No way you'd get that in some other B's. Good service on their part.

 

[AirBaker]

A year ago on the Friday before Labor Day, I was cutting through the Edwards complex. I'd catch something out the corner of my eye. Cloud-Ground lightning was everywhere. I was very VFR, but dodging the cells that were showing up on the 396. Sure enough, about 2 mins later a little lightning bolt would appear on the screen.

Definitely falls under 'neat'

 

[ScottM]

Thunderstorms are scary and should be avoided, but they sure are neat to watch -- at a respectful distance, of course.

Yes they are but you have to be careful.


I have gotten quite used to flying around them from all my Florida flights. Last summer I was coming back into Il form a Michigan trip. I could see the cell ont eh storm scope about 40 miles away and I could actually see a line of rain marching towards me from my left. But straight ahead was clear and in about 10 minutes I would be past that cell.

I kept going but when the cell was about 10-15 miles away I got caught in a really good downdraft. I started having to raise the nose to maintain my altitude, then I was adding power, after getting to full throttle and an airspeed of 70knots I was barely able to maintain my altitude. I had already let ATC know I was having a ahrd time with altitude and was looking to perhaps land at the nearest airport which was 1 mile a way. Just then I broke past the down draft and was alright again. But it made me respect jsut how bad those downdraft can be.

 

[dmccormack]

A year ago on the Friday before Labor Day, I was cutting through the Edwards complex. I'd catch something out the corner of my eye. Cloud-Ground lightning was everywhere. I was very VFR, but dodging the cells that were showing up on the 396. Sure enough, about 2 mins later a little lightning bolt would appear on the screen.

Definitely falls under 'neat'

That's one nice Stormscope feature -- the lighting is shown instantaneously.

 

[dmccormack]

Yes they are but you have to be careful.


I have gotten quite used to flying around them from all my Florida flights. Last summer I was coming back into Il form a Michigan trip. I could see the cell ont eh storm scope about 40 miles away and I could actually see a line of rain marching towards me from my left. But straight ahead was clear and in about 10 minutes I would be past that cell.

I kept going but when the cell was about 10-15 miles away I got caught in a really good downdraft. I started having to raise the nose to maintain my altitude, then I was adding power, after getting to full throttle and an airspeed of 70knots I was barely able to maintain my altitude. I had already let ATC know I was having a ahrd time with altitude and was looking to perhaps land at the nearest airport which was 1 mile a way. Just then I broke past the down draft and was alright again. But it made me respect jsut how bad those downdraft can be.

Yes they can! Though I've had that experience more often flying around towering cumulus (baby-not-quite-a-thunderstorm types).

To regain altitude all you need to do is pop back into the cloud!

 

[dmccormack]

Good writeup! That's cool that PIT let you in the Class B without a working transponder with weather in the area. No way you'd get that in some other B's. Good service on their part.

Thanks, Troy.

Pittsburgh has become very GA friendly -- especially during off hours.

The volume of traffic is nowhere near what it was in the days of US Air hub, and we little guys help keep the traffic count up -- which helps maintain jobs!

The only Class B I've ever found to be off putting is BWI when VFR.

IFR I've had no problems anywhere.

 

[ntbjounin]

i was just about to ask about the class b w/ no xponder

i've done that in DFW bravo and they were VERY friendly and helpful to me (which isnt always the case from what i hear on the radios)... but they've always been cordial with me...

 

[gprellwitz]

The only Class B I've ever found to be off putting is BWI when VFR.

IFR I've had no problems anywhere.

Well, I'll beat Bruce, Mike, and the others to the punch and make the bet that you've never tried ORD while VFR. Probably not IFR, either. Once had a King Air 135 flight denied when he went to pick up his IFR clearance airborne. (Yeah, they'll sometimes work with you VFR, but it's very infrequent.)

 

[gprellwitz]

Yes they can! Though I've had that experience more often flying around towering cumulus (baby-not-quite-a-thunderstorm types).

To regain altitude all you need to do is pop back into the cloud!

Popping into the cloud isn't likely to be a good move if you're out there VFR! And I'd just as soon avoid popping into one of those TCU IFR, too.

 

[dmccormack]

Popping into the cloud isn't likely to be a good move if you're out there VFR! And I'd just as soon avoid popping into one of those TCU IFR, too.

Tongue firmly planted in cheek.

IFR those Towering CU are No Fun.

 

[gprellwitz]

Tongue firmly planted in cheek.

IFR those Towering CU are No Fun.

I suspected that. Unfortunately, we don't have that smilie! (And there are a few on the board who've heard that you can get up to 6000fpm lift out of a developing TS which, while true, isn't something I have any desire to experience!)

 

[ScottM]

Timely that this thread is going on.

Yesterday, Saturday 21 June, I had to fly to Fort Wayne and back.

I woke up and looked at the WX and the forecast was for isol t-storms 30% chance for severe later in the day. Outlook was for VFR and current conditions were fine except for a line of rain showers just to the north of my departure airport and a convective SIGMET south of my route of flight. The storm in the SIGMET area were moving due east and not into any of the areas I was to fly too.

So off I went to the airport. As I got there the light shows moved in, as expected. I had already decided to go IFR. So I filed, preflighted and took off VFR, got my clearance. No surprise that Chi-TRACON was going to have me go to Peotone.

The shows were scattered throughout the area but the ride was smooth and I was in and out of light IMC. Nothing was on the storm scope for 100NMs.

At around Peotone I finally got my turn to the left. I could hear lots of planes deviating for WX further to the south. But to the east it looked all clear and the isol showers were behind me.

As I approached the Warsaw, IN area I started to see some cumulus clouds. No big deals at all. I have flown through similar in Florida and elsewhere. One was growing and I thought to myself that it was going to be a t-storms later in the day. As I passed under it a few little bumps but no big deal at all.

A few miles later I started noticing lightening strikes on the storm scope about 10-15 miles behind me. I figured that it was that one building cumulus behind me starting to show the first sighs of being a thunderstorm.

When I landed I thought to myself best to tie down for the couple of hours I was going to be there just in case that building potential t-storm came into the area. I went into the FBO and glanced at the radar to see what was happening. To my surprise that little cumulus cloud had turned into a line of thunderstorms from South Bend to about Lafayette.

It had only been about 30 minutes since I went through that area. In about another 30 minutes we were in the midst of heavy rain with lots of lightening!!

It all cleared out in about an hour and was clear blue skies back home.

Amazing how fast that popped up!!

I am glad I had the storm scope. Had I been a bit later I would have seen that ahead of me and been able to divert to a safe place to sit it out.

 

[SockPuppet]

"full throttle and an airspeed of 70knots I was barely able to maintain my altitude" -- I don't know about your Piper (if that is what you were in) but at 70 knots in climb in Cessna's it's about 500 fpm cliimb.

I guess that was about what the downdraft was.

I have to admit I'd have been looking to get away from it in a hurry; especially remembering the numbers I've read in the Aviation Weather text and other places. Yikes.

 

[dmccormack]

A few miles later I started noticing lightening strikes on the storm scope about 10-15 miles behind me. I figured that it was that one building cumulus behind me starting to show the first sighs of being a thunderstorm.

Gotta love the Stormscope, but whenever I'm flying in good conditions and those little dots appear, my first reaction is, "No way.." and hit CLR.

If they pop back up again, it's time to hit the NEXRAD page on the 496, then call Flight Watch....

 

[ScottM]

Gotta love the Stormscope, but whenever I'm flying in good conditions and those little dots appear, my first reaction is, "No way.." and hit CLR.

If they pop back up again, it's time to hit the NEXRAD page on the 496, then call Flight Watch....

One or two dots and I pretty much ignore it. You get those sometime in stratus clouds or just when there is static electricity around the plane. If my wing tip lights are on and flashing I will get some interference as well. So just like you I hit clear and watch. When I start getting blobs of the strikes in a single area that is when I know something is up and then it is off to Flight Watch to find out what is going on.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Well, I'll beat Bruce, Mike, and the others to the punch and make the bet that you've never tried ORD while VFR. Probably not IFR, either. Once had a King Air 135 flight denied when he went to pick up his IFR clearance airborne. (Yeah, they'll sometimes work with you VFR, but it's very infrequent.)

Haha! I was gonna say that. VFR? Go away. IFR? Go to KELSI, and then go away.

I suspected that. Unfortunately, we don't have that smilie! (And there are a few on the board who've heard that you can get up to 6000fpm lift out of a developing TS which, while true, isn't something I have any desire to experience!)

I dunno how much it was, but I flew into a cloud one day that decided to get a bit on the upwardly mobile side. Nary a bump, but all of a sudden my VSI just did a backflip and pegged at +2000FPM. After getting the heck out of there, I had a nice little discussion with GRB approach - They didn't paint it until after I'd passed it. After thinking about it, I realized that NO avoidance equipment (ATC or onboard radar, NEXRAD datalink, stormscope, etc.) will warn you of such things until the precip and lightning starts. A learning experience, for sure.

 

[dmccormack]

Haha! I was gonna say that. VFR? Go away. IFR? Go to KELSI, and then go away.



I dunno how much it was, but I flew into a cloud one day that decided to get a bit on the upwardly mobile side. Nary a bump, but all of a sudden my VSI just did a backflip and pegged at +2000FPM. After getting the heck out of there, I had a nice little discussion with GRB approach - They didn't paint it until after I'd passed it. After thinking about it, I realized that NO avoidance equipment (ATC or onboard radar, NEXRAD datalink, stormscope, etc.) will warn you of such things until the precip and lightning starts. A learning experience, for sure.

I found out the hard way how much "updraft stage" there really is. NY Center alerted me that I was "300 over assigned."

If I wasn't so busy trying the keep the Archer right-side up I would have been more witty. Instead I just requested a block altitude due to turbulence.

Since then I try to avoid going through those. I'm not the only one since I here plenty of requests for "deviations around some build-ups."

In the summer it's easier to avoid those by simply leaving earlier in the AM.