Sidestepping Storms

Its a staple of instrument flying: the need to alter your route to avoid weather hazards. Often the obstacle in your path is a building cumulus cloud-a thunderstorm. The good news is that ATC is almost always willing and able to let you maneuver around clouds with extensive vertical development. All you have to do is ask (although sometimes weve seen ATC offer a different route in advance). Before you make the request, however, there are several things you need to consider to safely and successfully maneuver around the threat.

Key Takeaways:

• Pilots are responsible for proactively detecting weather hazards, planning detailed deviations, and requesting specific amended clearances (e.g., "direct to X, then as filed") from ATC, as general "left/right" requests are less efficient and controllers typically won't initiate deviations.
• Maintain a minimum safety distance of 20 miles from the *entire* storm complex, including areas of light precipitation surrounding heavier returns, as severe turbulence and hail can extend far beyond visible heavy radar returns and storms can develop rapidly.
• Employ comprehensive avoidance strategies such as keeping an escape route open, flying high, passing downwind of cells, slowing to Turbulent Air Penetration Speed (TAPS) *before* encountering turbulence, and recognizing that cockpit Nexrad data has significant latency.

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