Are You Ready For This?

The days mission was a relatively simple out and back to a Class C airport, a couple of hours on the ground, and back to home plate. It was about 45 minutes of flying time each way. Although it was spring in Texas, the same weather would be a nice but humid peak summer day in many locations. White puffies with bases around 3500 feet msl and extending to at least 10,000 were everywhere.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The pilot experienced significant turbulence during both an IFR outbound flight at 7000 ft and a VFR return flight at 2700 ft, describing the rides as uncomfortable and frustrating.
Despite the short duration of the flights, the pilot felt unusually fatigued and realized their flying was not as sharp as it could have been, almost missing a critical pre-landing check.
Upon reflection, the pilot attributed their less-than-optimal performance and fatigue to a lack of mental preparedness and investment in the trip, caused by external business and personal distractions.

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The day’s mission was a relatively simple out and back to a Class C airport, a couple of hours on the ground, and back to home plate. It was about 45 minutes of flying time each way. Although it was spring in Texas, the same weather would be a nice but humid peak summer day in many locations. White puffies with bases around 3500 feet msl and extending to at least 10,000 were everywhere.

I filed IFR at 7000 for the outbound leg, which gave me the choice of a lot twists and turns to avoid building cumulus clouds and their bumps, or boring through them and accept the uncomfortable ride. The worst turbulence was only moderate for my lightly loaded Skylane, but I needed to slow way down to remain at or below VA. I ended up splitting the difference: If a particular cloud looked too gnarly, I went around it. But even the clear air was angry.