Like many of you, I used a personal airplane over the Thanksgiving holiday to be with family. I flew from Florida to a spot in the Virginia mountains and back, over 700 nm one-way flown nonstop. The northbound portion featured decent weather and a tailwind. The southbound leg included a mix of everything, including stiff headwinds and moderate-to-severe turbulence.
I left a day earlier than planned, since the forecasts were calling for ceilings well below the approach minima at my mountain-ringed destination, the Luray (Va.) Caverns Airport, KLUA. Advancing my timetable turned out to be a wise decision, as the weather forecast proved accurate for my scheduled arrival the following day. Plan B fixed that problem but created another: renting a car at a small-town airport.
