When Ya Gotta Deviate

The King Air was descending out of 15,000 feet when he checked in with me. My radar scope was already peppered with growing blue and green areas of moderate and heavy precipitation, and I was buckling down for what was sure to be a crazy session. Storm season was here with a vengeance.

tkarmer

Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Air traffic controllers prioritize pilot safety by facilitating deviations around hazardous weather, often trusting pilot observations of conditions (e.g., turbulence, clouds) that may not appear on ATC radar.
Granting pilot-requested deviations frequently involves complex coordination and "approval requests" (ApReqs) between different ATC sectors and facilities, often requiring exceptions to established Letters of Agreement (LOAs).
Controllers must balance individual deviation requests with the broader air traffic picture, ensuring overall safety, maintaining separation standards, and sometimes proposing alternative routes or temporarily denying requests due to traffic conflicts.
Effective communication, employing both standard aviation phraseology and plain English, is crucial for pilots to articulate their weather-related needs and for controllers to provide timely and safe guidance.

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“We’ve got some buildups ahead,” the King Air said. “We’re going to need to deviate right.” My scope showed nothing in his path, but, then again, our radars only show precipitation. Rain. Snow. Hail. We don’t depict clouds, turbulence, or wind shear. There was something developing in his path, and he wasn’t liking it. Whether I could see it or not was irrelevant. He needed a turn.