Can You Handle It?

Winter means tighter limits on weather, fuel, and time. But this doesn’t eliminate all the risks, even with a solid alternate—so be prepared, which often means proficient.

Elaine Kauh

Monday, January 22, 2024 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot encountered challenging winter IFR conditions, including extreme cold, strong crosswinds, and turbulence, necessitating meticulous pre-flight planning and in-flight adjustments.
The approach to the primary destination was complicated by a significant offset final course, severe crosswinds, and mandatory cold-temperature altitude corrections, ultimately leading to a go-around.
The pilot successfully diverted to an alternate airport, making further cold-temperature adjustments and leveraging prior experience to land safely, highlighting the critical importance of preparation and robust contingency plans.

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Winter hazards in some areas don’t peak until around Valentine’s Day, and could last a couple more months before ceilings, winds, and cold start letting up. So, those accustomed to the season take more care planning their trips, accepting more risk of cancelling them. And when a flight does depart, that preparation surely gets put to the test.

Yeah, It’s Cold

Flying from southern Ohio to Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, in February wasn’t your first choice for a 300-mile cross country, but family obligations required an early-afternoon departure for the two-hour flight. That gets you to KSEG well before sunset, but the northeast headwinds added some extra time pressure. Plus, winds are gusting up to 35 knots at the surface.