Up In Upper Michigan

For those unfamiliar, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan boasts generous lengths of shoreline off Lake Superior, scenic byways, and lots of trees. While it can be a winter wonderland during the off-season, its not unusual to have many days of dreary gray skies and fog that wears away the most sanguine spirit. Its the kind of weather that gets us burning through a whole morning figuring out how to get out, around and back without getting stuck who-knows-where. Welcome to the UP.

Elaine Kauh

Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Piloting in challenging weather conditions, like the fog and low visibility of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, requires meticulous flight planning and thorough weather analysis.
The decision-making process involves a detailed assessment of METARs, forecasts, en-route conditions, and takeoff/landing minimums for all legs of a multi-stop flight.
Safety is paramount, leading to comprehensive contingency planning, including identifying suitable takeoff and destination alternates to mitigate risks such as icing or instrument failure, even when departing under marginal conditions.

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For those unfamiliar, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan boasts generous lengths of shoreline off Lake Superior, scenic byways, and lots of trees. While it can be a winter wonderland during the off-season, it’s not unusual to have many days of dreary gray skies and fog that wears away the most sanguine spirit. It’s the kind of weather that gets us burning through a whole morning figuring out how to get out, around and back without getting stuck who-knows-where. Welcome to the UP.

All In the Timing

Today’s flight plan starts from home base at Sawyer, Michigan (KSAW) with a quick turn at Iron Mountain, Michigan (KIMT) to pick up a passenger and take her to Appleton, Wisconsin. This flight is a short one, just 43 NM for the first leg down V341 to KIMT, then 95 NM (under an hour in your glass-pack piston) to go from there direct to KATW. Since it would take twice as long to drive from Iron Mountain to Appleton, flying is the first choice.