A coworker and I needed to get to a reliever airport in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, leaving from the Washington, D.C., area. We were going to use my Piper Saratoga SP, which could make the trip without stopping.
It was late spring, and winter’s remnants included a fast-moving cold front lying across our preferred route. It featured everything cold fronts are known for, including strong surface winds, thunderstorms in lines and clusters reaching for the flight levels, some heavy rain, warnings for hail and other unpleasantness.
