Airwork—There Would Be No Butterflies

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at 01:17 AM ET

Verified

Having decided I couldn't go direct (along the airway) I opted to skirt the storm to the north by going to RKA VOR and then direct. Photos By Tom Benenson

Key Takeaways:

The pilot encountered unexpected severe weather during an IFR flight, requiring continuous monitoring of real-time weather data (XM Weather, Garmin systems) to assess and adapt to the changing conditions.
Air Traffic Control played a key role, providing guidance and ultimately granting the pilot "deviate as necessary" clearance to navigate around or through a narrow, turbulent storm line.
The flight demonstrates that effective flight planning and risk assessment are dynamic, ongoing processes throughout a flight, emphasizing the need for pilots to continuously evaluate and adjust their plans in response to evolving situations.

See a mistake? Contact us.

As I headed for RKA it became obvious that the storm would beat me to the VOR.

From the XM Weather Nexrad and the animation on the Garmin 496, it appeared a turn to the southeast would let the storm move northeast and give me a clear path.

**The controller suggested I fly direct to DNY (Delancy) VOR and then amended the clearance to Direct HNK (Hancock) direct DNY, which really didn’t mean a change in heading. For the moment, according to the 496, the course looked reasonable?

**While heading toward DNY, the XM display on the GMX 200 showed lightning strikes at the VOR. A course of about 095 looked better since the storm was moving to the northeast. The controller told me to turn to the northeast. I looked at the?

The controller said, “Let’s do it this way. You’re cleared direct Columbia County. Deviate as necessary. Have a safe flight!” As I penetrated the narrow storm line there was heavy rain and moderate turbulence.

**The map of my flight on Flightaware.com showed the changes I made as the flight progressed in response to the changing situation. Flight planning — and risk assessment — doesn’t end at takeoff, but continues throughout a flight.

FLYING Magazine is a one-stop resource for everything aviation, including news, training, aircraft, gear, careers, photos, videos, and more.