Strategy for crossing a front

[aaronk25]

ok, as a VFR pilot who wants to become instrument rated someday, I hear a lot of experience talking. For everyone who said wait it out, I'm sure there are personal experiences and stories......how do you know?

I crossed from the back of a cold front to the front through some small red, but a lot of yellow and the rain was so thick it was rolling back on the windshield 1" thick, the turbulence was so bad my coffee thermos was a weapon in the cockpit and I was praying to god that the turbulence wouldn't break the attitude indicator (as it obviously was solid IMC) I made a decision to slow even more from 125kts indicated to 110kts as to help ease the jarring of the bumps in hopes the AI wouldn't break . If the AI would have broke, which it didn't, I would most likely would have been dead as it was everything I could do to keep the wings level.

The problem with slowing up was I already was using full aileron deflection for 1-2 seconds at a time and slowing up helped improve the ride but it also means less control due to less leverage from the ailerons.

Does this sound like something you want to fly through? I cooled my jets after this and found my limit and I am going no where near it ever again.

This encounter popped 2 wing rivets too!

[DrBill]

I was in a similar situation from Fla to NC.  I flew up to the front and sat down (KSSI).  Watched it for 1 hr on radar.  THen called flight service. , they suggested I fly North and call them  North of Savanah,  Followed their directions, They turned me west through a gap they saw and then once on the other side N to Charlotte.  Had a smooth flight ! Thanked them profusely.   USE ALL RESOURCES AVAILABLE...

BILL

[Jeff_S]

The front in question blew through here (Atlanta) during the morning today (Nov 1) and now it's clear and beautiful. As powerful fronts go, I wouldn't consider this one of them. It was obviously low overcast and rain, but not much else.  But you would have definitely had to fly through the clouds, as you couldn't safely run under them.

[Shadrach]

We had pretty strong winds early this AM as things blew though. We have about .3 mile driveway with hay fields on each side. To my surprise, there was an empty hay trailer blocking the drive. A call to the farmer that rents the land revealed that it was not left there the night before. It turns out it was blown off the flat land where it was parked and down a very slight decline to our drive about 100yds away. A ditch is what stopped it from moving further. I'm glad my bird was in doors...

[Hank]

Here in WV, we had 70 mph winds last night. Our home and airport are fine, but the plant and some schools were powerless and closed. The main hhighway was closed where trees knocked power lines down and an 18-wheeler hit it in the dark. Flying would have been really bad.

[bnicolette]

This was the result of the front at my house.  Only good news is the insurance is up to date and the shed was about to need a new roof.  Of course I was out of town and my wife had to deal with everything this morning.

[Marauder]

This was the result of the front at my house.  Only good news is the insurance is up to date and the shed was about to need a new roof.  Of course I was out of town and my wife had to deal with everything this morning.

 

Wow Brett! Came close to your car too! She okay otherwise?

[bnicolette]

Wow Brett! Came close to your car too! She okay otherwise?

 

The car or my wife (CJ)?  

 

The car came away unsaved (of course that is CJ's point of view)

And CJ is used to dealing with situations, as they always seem to happen when I am on the road.  So she is good too.  Just glad nothing fell on the house!!!

[JohnL]

My philosophy crossing fronts:

Assuming you have a turbo, which you do Chris...

The way to cross is up as high as you can go in clear air (daytime only). Then pick your way through.

If you have red or yellow ahead and can't get above in clear air, then keep traversing until you find a hole.

Don't be tempted to enter the clouds in bad weather because you lose your visibility and are left with only NexRad and/or stormscope.

I will never (intentionally) fly through the red, only over or away from, and I have never popped a rivet! (wow!).

Yellow generally scares me too.

I have flown over tornado watch areas at FL250 with no white knuckles (except when thinking about losing an engine).

PIREPS are your best information about tops and are very valuable when crossing fronts. Ask ATC for latest.

Also, ATC will relay ride smoothness from other pilots, so ask as much as you need to until you are confident.

I always try to follow someone else through if possible. Ask ATC about the routes others are taking.

If the weather is bad at my destination I wait it out because I can't go over it and terminal operations in convective activity are too much for me.

I used to be willing to go low under weather, but it's generally much harder both mentally and physically.

Crossing fronts is always stressful for me, but I can generally be confident for the short time it takes to cross if I follow my own advice above.

[Marauder]

The car or my wife (CJ)?  

 

The car came away unsaved (of course that is CJ's point of view)

And CJ is used to dealing with situations, as they always seem to happen when I am on the road.  So she is good too.  Just glad nothing fell on the house!!!

 

Your wife silly! The last time something like this happened to mine (huge snowstorm), I heard it for weeks afterwards!

[Hank]

Your wife silly! The last time something like this happened to mine (huge snowstorm), I heard it for weeks afterwards!

Count your blessings! A little hurricane hit while I was on a business trip. I was supposed to be home but we had problems and extended the trip. Had to call my girlfriend to get stuff from around the pool and put in the screen porch and take down the umbrella from the table. We got married the next spring, and I only occasionally hear about it any more (14 years later . . . ). At least this front passed quickly, I was awake only about 15 minutes (~0230) from the rain drumming on the wall above my head.

It still would have been ugly to hit in the air. I'm also surprised that it seems to have been less severe in the South.

[WardHolbrook]

I've got a trip from Austin TX to Florida in 2 weeks.  As part of my pre-flight planning I start looking at the weather a week or two in advance to get a feel for things...

 

OK, so here's what I've learned about pre-flight planning after 47 years and a couple of thousand coast-to-coast trips as PIC, my two most recent were last week... In spite of all of the futzing one does in the weeks and days leading up to the flight, it all boils down to what Ma Nature decides to put in place on the day of departure. In other words, when you wake up and check the weather, it's either going to be good enough to go or it's not. What constitutes being "good enough to go" is purely a function of two things - the pilot flying the trip and the airplane s/he's flying. For one, it's ratings, experience, heath and rest status, etc. For the other it's performance capabilities, certification, maintenance status etc. All good pilots will have alternatives in place just in case their 'Plan A" can't be successfully accomplished. For some pilots, an acceptable alternate is an approach at a different airport where the weather's better. For other pilots the best alternate is an airline ticket.

[chrisk]

All,

Thanks for the advice, stories and general arm chair quarterbacking.  It's been fun and a learning experience.