AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2023 - 16

ON COURSE
Choosing the
best course
Leveraging ATC pays off
BY KOLLIN STAGNITO / Editor in Chief
AOPA Foundation Legacy Society member
SHOULD WE FLY through an area of rain 70 miles wide and
hundreds of miles long that contained scattered embedded
storms, fly around it, or land short to wait it out? That was the
question co-pilot AOPA Digital Media Production Manager
Josh Cochran, AOPA Director of Photography Chris Rose, and
I pondered as we flew AOPA's Beechcraft Bonanza home from
a media assignment.
Our IFR flight plan was simple: Purdue University Airport
(LAF) in Indiana, east-bound to Frederick Municipal Airport
(FDK) in Maryland, at an altitude of 7,000 feet. Our only obstacle
was a typical summer afternoon line of storms moving south to
north over the Appalachian Mountains.
Most days, in-cockpit datalink weather radar imagery from
SiriusXM or ADS-B would present an obvious path to take
through the rain to avoid the storms, but today was not that
simple. Higher intensity cells were popping up and dissipating
within 30 minutes. A path that looked innocuous would
suddenly become blocked by yellow and red intensity cells (as
viewed on datalink radar) that quickly spent themselves and
became light green again. If we flew through the rain at 7,000
feet, we would most likely be in instrument conditions-making
it impossible to see the higher intensity pop-up storm cells and
adjust course to avoid them. And since datalink weather is
not real-time, we could not use it to pick our way through the
dynamic weather.
We weighed our options. We could fly north about 100 miles
to make an end run in front of the approaching weather system.
That seemed like a safe choice, although it would add a lot of
time to our flight. The Bonanza cruises at 165 knots and could
easily outrun the menacingly red leading edge of the system.
Our destination was 100 miles east, but with over 500 miles
of range remaining, we'd have plenty of fuel to circumnavigate
the weather.
We could remain on a direct course to Frederick though the
middle of the system. We'd be through in 25 minutes and the
radar imagery was mostly green. But what if one of those red
cells formed just as we were flying under it? I didn't want to be
directly below a developing cumulus cloud the second it became
a mature storm.
16
AOPA PILOT / November 2023
We could fly south to an area where the system was
narrower-about 15 miles wide-to find a quicker route through.
But, that 15-mile stretch showed more yellow and red on radar
than other areas. Finally, we could land at an airport west of the
Appalachians and wait for the weather to improve. None of us had
to be home that night.
We decided we didn't have all the information we needed to
make a fully informed choice, so we used a Phone a Friend (to
borrow a famous TV series catch phrase) and called ATC. Most
en route ATC facilities have access to real-time radar, so we asked
which part of the system looked like it had the least intense radar
returns. Our controller at Clarksburg Approach said we would
encounter no rain if we deviated north and warned of numerous
areas of heavy to extreme rain at our 12 o'clock and 50 miles.
He then offered that if we were willing to fly about 50 miles
southeast, over the Elkins VOR, there was an area of moderate rain
that appeared to be only three miles wide and we'd be through
the worst of the system. That was not evident to us based on the
datalink radar imagery we were seeing, so we decided to fly the
suggested course. With the amazing technology available to us in
our aircraft, it's easier than ever to be self-sufficient when making
weather decisions-but don't forget to leverage the folks at ATC
who have access to information we may not.
We got tossed around by light turbulence and doused by moderate
rain for a few minutes, then we popped out of the clouds
into a surreal scene I'll never forget. A thin layer of fog was tucked
deep into the lush green valleys of the West Virginia mountains,
and brilliant white clouds rose vertically above the mountain
tops, towering out of sight. Right in front of us-inside this wall
of clouds-was an improbable and spectacular double rainbow,
which we flew directly through.
This was a great example of pilots and controller using
all available resources. Together, we devised a safe and efficient
course home and
Josh, Chris, and I were
rewarded with a visual
treat best viewed from a
general aviation aircraft.
kollin.stagnito@aopa.org
KOLLIN STAGNITO, AOPA
senior vice president of media
and marketing, is a commercial
pilot and an advanced and
instrument ground instructor.
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2023
