I Learned About Flying From That: Beware of the Super Cell

Daniel Mack

Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 01:16 AM ET

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** To see more of Barry Ross' aviation art, go
to barryrossart.com.**

Key Takeaways:

A young, inexperienced single pilot recounts his harrowing 1985 encounter with a super cell after flying with broken weather radar and misjudging rapidly building Gulf Coast thunderstorms.
Despite clear warning signs like commercial aircraft deviating, the pilot pressed on, following another plane's path, which led to a violent loss of control within the storm, severely damaging the aircraft.
The pilot and passengers miraculously survived, leading to crucial lessons about trusting one's instincts, the importance of working equipment, and avoiding severe weather at all costs.

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It’s really weird how certain memories stick like fish in a hot iron skillet. So it is with a memory from my past, early in my flying career.

“Miserable” is the only description that fits for that Gulf Coast summer morning in July 1985. Don’t get me wrong: The sun was shining brightly, but the temperature and dew point were the same, and both were in the upper 70s. Anyone who is a pilot knows that, when those two numbers are in the 70s and low 80s, it is a recipe for boomers. I had a long day ahead, six legs and all single-pilot. I was to leave PNS (Pensacola, Florida) and fly to MSY (New Orleans, Louisiana) for the first leg, MSY to PFN (Panama City, Florida) for the second, then to TPA (Tampa, Florida) for the third, JAX (Jacksonville, Florida) for the fourth, back to PFN for the fifth and finally back to PNS.