Soft Spot

The trip to the in-laws had gone about as well as those things can. We were airborne in a rented Piper Arrow II-the kind with the Hershey bar wings-headed back home. But first, we had to negotiate a line of thunderstorms. I knew they were there when I took off. But Ive always had pretty good luck in picking my way through them along this route without getting wet. So off we went.

Editorial Staff

Friday, March 20, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot attempted to fly through a line of thunderstorms in a Piper Arrow II, initially trying to navigate around them with air traffic control assistance.
As the storms progressed and blocked the path home, the pilot, advised by ATC, made the difficult decision to penetrate a "soft spot" within the severe weather.
Despite intense turbulence and rain that caused the aircraft's wings to visibly flex, they successfully traversed the storm line and reached clear skies.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The trip to the in-laws had gone about as well as those things can. We were airborne in a rented Piper Arrow II—the kind with the “Hershey bar” wings—headed back home. But first, we had to negotiate a line of thunderstorms. I knew they were there when I took off. But I’ve always had pretty good luck in picking my way through them along this route without getting wet. So off we went.