Deviant Behavior

Its been said that experience is what you get when you dont get what you wanted to get. Well, taking significant liberties, a pilot might then say that a deviation is where you go when you dont get to go where you planned to go. Got it? We pilots are typically a robust and determined bunch. We dont like to admit we cant travel our planned route. Once were on our way and it looks like Mother Nature doesnt want us on our planned route, the common technique is to simply go have a look before deciding on a different, longer route. To understand the fallacy in this, lets cover a little basic geometry to see that its better to deviate early for the shortest practical addition to your route while maintaining your sanity and keeping your blood pressure in check with a conservative deviation.

Friday, August 22, 2008 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Dr. Carlo Scalo and and a team at Purdue University developed a way to use supercomputers to efficiently simulate vortex flow phenomena inherent to wake turbulence encounters. Purdue University/Rebecca McElhoe

Key Takeaways:

Deviating early from a planned flight path due to weather is crucial, as geometric principles demonstrate it saves fuel and distance while significantly reducing pilot stress compared to waiting to assess the situation.
Effective weather deviations utilize four dimensions: lateral (left/right), vertical (climbing/descending), and temporal (waiting), all requiring a "big picture" understanding of weather movement and development through real-time data.
Pilots on IFR flights must obtain ATC clearance for deviations, which can vary in difficulty depending on airspace congestion, and should prioritize safety by making firm requests and considering fuel alternatives if necessary.

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We pilots are typically a robust and determined bunch. We dont like to admit we cant travel our planned route. Once were on our way and it looks like Mother Nature doesnt want us on our planned route, the common technique is to simply go have a look before deciding on a different, longer route. To understand the fallacy in this, lets cover a little basic geometry to see that its better to deviate early for the shortest practical addition to your route while maintaining your sanity and keeping your blood pressure in check with a conservative deviation.

Geometry Lesson

Imagine youre on a 400-mile leg from A to B. At 200 miles there is a developing line of thunderstorms. Undaunted, you press on to “take a look.” After about 150 miles, 50 miles from those cells, Nexrad still shows a 100-mile line bisected by your course. You deviate 50 miles to the left as you nervously compute your new