Flying High and Visual

The forecast said that deep, moist convection was likely for your afternoon flight. On your drive to the airport, you second-guess the 10,000-foot altitude you filed. Should you have filed for the low to mid teens? Perhaps you should have filed a much lower altitude to try and stay below the clouds?

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, November 26, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The primary directive in convective flying is to stay visual to avoid hazardous in-cloud turbulence, with the article advocating for higher altitudes to achieve smoother air and clearer forward visibility above haze and cloud tops.
Flying high offers benefits like enhanced visibility for hazard identification and terrain separation, but also presents risks such as structural icing, rapidly developing cells, and the need for proper equipment (oxygen, service ceiling).
Pilots should maintain continuous visual awareness, plan for ample fuel reserves, compare visual observations with NEXRAD, and consider VFR with flight following for greater flexibility to maneuver around convective weather, particularly when IFR deviations are challenging.

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The prime directive in convective flying is simple: Strive to stay visual at all times unless you have the equipment, training and experience to do otherwise. Staying in VMC goes a long way to keeping you out of the nastiest part of the thunderstorm, the in-cloud turbulence.