When Ya Gotta Deviate

The King Air was descending out of 15,000 feet when he checked in with me. My radar scope was already peppered with growing blue and green areas of moderate and heavy precipitation, and I was buckling down for what was sure to be a crazy session. Storm season was here with a vengeance.

tkarmer

Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Air Traffic Control (ATC) is committed to helping pilots navigate around hazardous weather, which often requires complex coordination and approval requests (ApReqs) between different sectors and facilities.
Controllers must balance individual pilot deviation requests with overall air traffic flow and safety, sometimes offering alternative routes or, in rare cases, temporarily restricting deviations due to immediate traffic conflicts.
Effective weather navigation relies on clear communication, using both standard phraseology and plain English, while pilots retain the authority under FAR 91.123 to deviate from instructions in an emergency, provided they notify ATC immediately.

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“We’ve got some buildups ahead,” the King Air said. “We’re going to need to deviate right.” My scope showed nothing in his path, but, then again, our radars only show precipitation. Rain. Snow. Hail. We don’t depict clouds, turbulence, or wind shear. There was something developing in his path, and he wasn’t liking it. Whether I could see it or not was irrelevant. He needed a turn.