Fun Flight from KOLV to KDWH

[Earl]

Flew from the Memphis area to Houston yesterday and it was a fine example of flying in the IFR system using all the various weather tools and getting excellent service from ATC.  As I got in the northern Louisiana area I got into the weather.  Tried to climb to 16,000' to stay above the cloud deck with no luck.  Ended up moving down to 14,000' because the temps were too close to icing conditions.

 

Ended up deviating to the west to miss the worst of the weather and there was very little to no lightning in the high precip areas.  Tops looked to be around 18,000' and did not have that much energy but lots of rain and would have been very turbulent.  Kudos to ATC for their help.  They were very accommodating and let me take some pretty significant deviations.  Kuods also to XM Weather because it matched very nicely what I saw outside the window and what ATC saw as well on their screens.  Works great strategically but I did not try to slip though the two major areas because I would have been in IMC.

 

Attached the Flightaware track.  I would note that while it shows me transitioning through some heavy precip just north of Houston.  I actually worked around the western side of that weather and did not experience anything more than some rain and some occasional bumps.  Then shot the localizer approach into Hooks through a layer around 4,000' with bases around 2,000'.

[Bob_Belville]

Get a stormscope. I recently navigated through a front with several cells. Nexrad showed a good bit more color on the GTN 750 than was really much concern looking out the window. OTOH, where the stormscope had clusters was black as sin out the window.

[Jeev]

Get a stormscope. I recently navigated through a front with several cells. Nexrad showed a good bit more color on the GTN 750 than was really much concern looking out the window. OTOH, where the stormscope had clusters was black as sin out the window.

 

Agreed... I have my XM data with Nexrad and as you stated it is great planning tool especially when the weather is not moving fast.  I will echo Bob in that I have often seen yellow on Nexrad (in an area of convection) and no lightning on my MX10 storm scope pushed through to get only moderate precip, these two tools work great together.  I am also in your same boat and try my hardest to stay VMC around convective activity and if I am IMC I am very conservative on what I will fly through.  Sounds like an awesome flight and reminds me of one I had from san Diego to Vegas a few weeks ago.  Its an awesome feeling when everything goes right, piloting, plane, ATC !  Thanks for your story and fly safe!!!

[carusoam]

Earl,

The radar picture indicates 11:00 am. Is that the end time of your flight? Or maybe the beginning?

How does flight aware select the weather picture to save?

Best regards,

-a-

[thinwing]

I also vote the stormscope/xm data combination....I looked at your track and if tops were at 18k (for the most part)I would have asked for flight level 220 and than deviated as necessary around the higher cells.But I have known icing potential so no second guessing there...any way it all worked out...I remember last summer ,ifr to Cranbrook BC at 22k basically on top with cells arround me over a broken to scattered layer...an airliner was on approach so I get a hold that would have me holding in the middle of a monster cell visable 10 miles away.The same time I was setting up for the hold entry I was pleading with Vanvouver approach for a different plan....slowing down/holding at my present position/descend me to below 18 k and cancel ifr and the hold...anyway the airliner came to the rescue and announced he was visual and canceled his ifr which let approach clear me direct and avoid the hold...I do know that would have been a really unpleasant hold entry..k

[Earl]

Get a stormscope. I recently navigated through a front with several cells. Nexrad showed a good bit more color on the GTN 750 than was really much concern looking out the window. OTOH, where the stormscope had clusters was black as sin out the window.

Sorry I didn't mention it but I have one.  That's how I knew there was no lightning associated with those areas (besides no seeing any and none showing up on XM).

[Earl]

Earl,

The radar picture indicates 11:00 am. Is that the end time of your flight? Or maybe the beginning?

How does flight aware select the weather picture to save?

Best regards,

-a-

In looking back at my track log I would say I transitioned that area around 11:15 to 11:30.  No idea why they picked that particular picture as it was definitely a little older than what it looked like when I made my turn to the south toward KDWH.

[Earl]

I also vote the stormscope/xm data combination....I looked at your track and if tops were at 18k (for the most part)I would have asked for flight level 220 and than deviated as necessary around the higher cells.But I have known icing potential so no second guessing there...any way it all worked out...I remember last summer ,ifr to Cranbrook BC at 22k basically on top with cells arround me over a broken to scattered layer...an airliner was on approach so I get a hold that would have me holding in the middle of a monster cell visable 10 miles away.The same time I was setting up for the hold entry I was pleading with Vanvouver approach for a different plan....slowing down/holding at my present position/descend me to below 18 k and cancel ifr and the hold...anyway the airliner came to the rescue and announced he was visual and canceled his ifr which let approach clear me direct and avoid the hold...I do know that would have been a really unpleasant hold entry..k

That was why I asked for 14,000 feet instead of trying to climb over the top so I would avoid icing conditions.  Also, I had cannulas and my O2 mask was all the way in the back.  Could have gotten it but at 14K I was in between layers for the most part so it seemed like a good choice.  Was also running low on O2 so I didn't want to get stuck on top of an icing layer at 20K or so and then run out of oxygen.

 

XM, Stormscope and helpful ATC make this kind of flying possible but my mantra with convective weather is if you can't see it stay away.

[Txbyker]

 

 

I am new to the WX and XM combo and see now how important it is.  I did a similar path in the same neck of the woods last weekend and my navigation changes were due to WX strikes mostly. 

 

Russ

[Earl]

NOLA.jpg

 

 

I am new to the WX and XM combo and see now how important it is.  I did a similar path in the same neck of the woods last weekend and my navigation changes were due to WX strikes mostly. 

 

Russ

Have done likewise many times but it is usually a combination of XM, Stormscope, ATC and my eyeballs.  Of all this when it comes to convective activity, the eyes are the most reliable, real time avoidance tool.  I know people do it all the time but I would not feel comfortable picking my way through embedded storms unless they were widely scattered.  I know a number of pilots that will actually fly lower in this kind of weather as they can see and avoid the shafts of heavy precip coming out of the storm.  Makes sense to me if you can't stay visual at higher altitudes.

 

From the looks of the weather my trip back will be mostly in the clear with an instrument approach to 1,500 foot ceilings and rain.  My kind of easy IFR......