Register

There Would Be No Butterflies

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The article highlights the critical importance of continuous risk assessment and adapting flight plans in real-time as weather conditions evolve, emphasizing the idea that pilots must "change their mind" when the facts change.
  • The pilot successfully navigated a route through active summer storms by repeatedly re-evaluating the weather using XM Nexrad and Stormscope data, making several necessary deviations from the original flight plan.
  • A central theme is the pilot's exercise of Pilot-in-Command (PIC) authority, making independent tactical decisions based on onboard weather information to ensure safety, even when these decisions conflicted with Air Traffic Control (ATC) suggestions.
See a mistake? Contact us.

Once I’ve landed, my assessment of a flight switches from the “how-goz-it” while airborne to the “how-went-it” when I’m safely on the ground. When I did my self-debrief following the last leg of my flight home after attending AirVenture in Oshkosh in August, two quotes seemed apropos of my efforts to successfully negotiate my way around the summer storms.

John Maynard Keynes said, “When the facts change, I change my mind.” Some might call that “flip-flopping,” but it’s a sentiment that pilots who should constantly check the “facts” during a flight — and politicians — would do well to embrace.

Ready to Sell Your Aircraft?

List your airplane on AircraftForSale.com and reach qualified buyers.

List Your Aircraft
AircraftForSale Logo | FLYING Logo
Pilot in aircraft
Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!

Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox.

SUBSCRIBE