I Learned About Flying From That: Beware of the Super Cell

Daniel Mack

Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 01:16 AM ET

Verified

** To see more of Barry Ross' aviation art, go
to barryrossart.com.**

Key Takeaways:

A young, inexperienced pilot embarked on a multi-leg flight in severe Gulf Coast summer weather with a known faulty onboard weather radar.
Despite observing rapidly building supercells and commercial airlines deviating, the pilot unwisely pressed on, following another aircraft's route into the path of an intensifying storm.
The aircraft was caught in a violent supercell, enduring extreme turbulence, rapid altitude changes, instrument failure, and structural damage before being miraculously ejected, allowing a shaken pilot to land safely.
The terrifying experience taught the pilot crucial lessons about trusting intuition, the risks of faulty equipment, the importance of diverting in severe weather, and never following others into developing storms.

See a mistake? Contact us.

It’s really weird how certain memories stick like fish in a hot iron skillet. So it is with a memory from my past, early in my flying career.

“Miserable” is the only description that fits for that Gulf Coast summer morning in July 1985. Don’t get me wrong: The sun was shining brightly, but the temperature and dew point were the same, and both were in the upper 70s. Anyone who is a pilot knows that, when those two numbers are in the 70s and low 80s, it is a recipe for boomers. I had a long day ahead, six legs and all single-pilot. I was to leave PNS (Pensacola, Florida) and fly to MSY (New Orleans, Louisiana) for the first leg, MSY to PFN (Panama City, Florida) for the second, then to TPA (Tampa, Florida) for the third, JAX (Jacksonville, Florida) for the fourth, back to PFN for the fifth and finally back to PNS.