tonycondon
Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
Its the most wonderful time of the year...
Mission: Pick up 1 and return to Ames, IA
Aircraft: Cessna 182RG with WAAS 430, 496, STEC autopilot.
Time: Leave Ames at 3:30 (2130Z) local for about a 5 hr round trip.
TAF for Des Moines is as follows:
FM082100 13014KT 6SM -DZ BR SCT009 BKN020
FM082300 11015KT 4SM -RA BR BKN009 OVC012
FM090400 05015KT 2SM RA SCT003 OVC006
Liquid precip is good. Clouds are lowish but still enough for the ILS.
Also good enough to file DSM as an alternate.
Champaign has much better weather:
FM081500 16015KT P6SM SCT050 OVC120
FM090400 17015KT P6SM VCSH OVC050
My first thought when i got the call was no way in hell, has to be
really icy up there. Checked out the forecast though, and it appears
not.
For the trip there:
and trip back:
So far so good, winds favor about 7000 on the way out and 4000 on the way back. My main concern at this point is that the freezing line is really not that far northwest of home for the return trip. If that front moves a little faster than forecast it would really screw things up. The sounding for Ames on return:
And thats where things get interesting. I thought I saw something about freezing rain in the NWS forecast, but it didnt really show up in the Terminals or Area Forecast. But that right there looks to me like a classic freezing rain profile, with temp/dewpoint > 0 aloft and freezing at the surface. That right there is no good batman. So I look back at the FIP forecast. Field elevation at home is 955 ft, btw.
There it is. that pretty much makes it an easy decision. This isnt even a FIKI trip.
Mission: Pick up 1 and return to Ames, IA
Aircraft: Cessna 182RG with WAAS 430, 496, STEC autopilot.
Time: Leave Ames at 3:30 (2130Z) local for about a 5 hr round trip.
TAF for Des Moines is as follows:
FM082100 13014KT 6SM -DZ BR SCT009 BKN020
FM082300 11015KT 4SM -RA BR BKN009 OVC012
FM090400 05015KT 2SM RA SCT003 OVC006
Liquid precip is good. Clouds are lowish but still enough for the ILS.
Also good enough to file DSM as an alternate.
Champaign has much better weather:
FM081500 16015KT P6SM SCT050 OVC120
FM090400 17015KT P6SM VCSH OVC050
My first thought when i got the call was no way in hell, has to be
really icy up there. Checked out the forecast though, and it appears
not.
For the trip there:
and trip back:
So far so good, winds favor about 7000 on the way out and 4000 on the way back. My main concern at this point is that the freezing line is really not that far northwest of home for the return trip. If that front moves a little faster than forecast it would really screw things up. The sounding for Ames on return:
And thats where things get interesting. I thought I saw something about freezing rain in the NWS forecast, but it didnt really show up in the Terminals or Area Forecast. But that right there looks to me like a classic freezing rain profile, with temp/dewpoint > 0 aloft and freezing at the surface. That right there is no good batman. So I look back at the FIP forecast. Field elevation at home is 955 ft, btw.
There it is. that pretty much makes it an easy decision. This isnt even a FIKI trip.