I Learned About Flying From That: A Memorable Day

Mark Owens

Friday, May 13, 2011 at 07:46 PM ET

Verified

One pilot's brush with bad weather shows
how crucial it is to be prepared for anything.

Key Takeaways:

During their return flight from Cape May, the pilot and his wife encountered a rapidly developing thunderstorm directly over Cincinnati's Lunken Airport, forcing an immediate aborted landing.
The pilot skillfully diverted to a nearby alternate airport (Clermont County), landing safely just as the severe storm hit, demonstrating the critical importance of situational awareness and having an "out" plan.
The experience highlighted the unpredictability of weather, the necessity for pilots to be constantly prepared with resources like approach plates, and the importance of maintaining composure under pressure.
Ultimately, a stalled weather front prevented further flight that day, requiring them to drive home and later retrieve the aircraft, underscoring weather's ultimate impact on flight plans.

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__My wife’s sister invited my wife and I to spend Memorial Day weekend with her and her husband in Cape May, New Jersey. An early summer visit to the Jersey shore sounded like fun, plus I could fly us there in our Cessna Skyhawk. Our plan was to fly out on Saturday, spend a couple of days and return on Tuesday. We had a time cushion on either side of the weekend, so I didn’t think weather would be a problem.

Saturday morning was hazy and overcast in Indianapolis, and the Weather Channel radar showed a line of precipitation in central Ohio just north of our route. Our IFR flight to Morgantown, West Virginia, was uneventful. We landed in marginal VFR conditions, stretched, refueled and headed on to Cape May in improving weather. As we flew directly over the Baltimore-Washington International Airport at 7,000 feet, we could see the New Jersey coastline.