As a professional pilot, Ive often flown over 600 hours a year, and up to 80 hours or so in a month. With all that flying, I log less than 10 approaches to near minimums in a year and probably only one or two are all the way down to actual minimums. This suggests weather is usually reasonably good (Or you know someone at crew scheduling! -Ed.). That, in turn, suggests observing weather patterns and briefly waiting out the worst of it, or leaving a few hours early may be a very 288
Dont Like The Weather? Wait An Hour
If you take a big look at the general weather patterns across the entire contiguous U.S., youll see a rather marked difference. The eastern U.S. from about the Mississippi River to the Atlantic has a pattern that is often the least flexible, with adverse weather that can be frustratingly stable. Weather not very friendly to airplanes can persist there for days. Still, though, the worst weather-i.e., convective activity-is usually transient. Next is the area from the Mississippi to the Rockies. This area can get some rather severe weather, too, but the worst of it usually doesnt last long. While you may have to avoid the thunderstorms, tornadoes, ice storms, etc., an early start or short delay will usually make the difference between "dont-go-there" weather and reasonable VMC. Of course, like anywhere, it can still have its periods of low IMC that just hang there with no hope of a quick reprieve. The next area that we can generalize is from the Rockies all the way to the Pacific coast. Here, other than predictable isolated cells or cell clusters, severe weather is far less common. Indeed, other than the infamous coastal fog layers that can last for weeks, the weather in the West is seldom even IMC for more than a few hours at a time.
Key Takeaways:
- Pilots can often avoid severe or marginal weather conditions by adjusting their departure time by a few hours, as the worst of the weather is typically transient.
- Effective use of area and terminal forecasts (TAFs) is crucial for identifying weather trends (worsening, static, or improving) to make informed timing adjustments.
- This strategy applies to both VFR and IFR pilots, though VFR pilots must be more cautious and understand that extreme IMC conditions may not improve sufficiently with minor delays.
- This time-based planning augments thorough flight planning and sound go/no-go decisions, rather than replacing them, emphasizing understanding weather types and personal limits.
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