Page 50 - Volume 18 Number 3

by David Miller IndecisionsIhave previously admitted to being a little anal. Not quite obsessive, just anal. At least when it comes to weather. So, a December ice storm in Dallas had me spending way too much time fretting about Mother Nature.It started on Thursday, with a pretty big deposit of frozen stuff over the entire metroplex. No problem; I didn’t have a flight until the following Monday morning, to take Patty to an important meeting in San Antonio. As the next days passed, it became evident that the drive to the airport would be the most challenging part of the trip. The city was shut down. More than 275,000 people without power. Temperatures in the teens. Normally, this kind of weather moves in and is gone in three days. Not this time. Cars and trucks were ice skating everywhere in one to three inches of ice. Truckers spent two days stranded on the interstate. For those of you who live in the northern climes, you call this winter. In Dallas, we simply shut down the schools, the city, and everything in between.Patty absolutely, positively, had to be there on Monday at 10AM. I made a reservation for her on Southwest, just in case. On Sunday, I drove to KADS (Addison, Texas), to see if the ramps were passable and, to my surprise, they were clear. Kudos to the ground crews at the airport.The KSAT forecast on Sunday night looked good, with visibilities greater than 6 miles and VFR ceilings.I cancelled the Southwest ticket.At my first check of the weather at 0630 local on Monday morning, Addison looked good but KSAT didn’t:KSAT 091151Z 05004KT 1/2SM R12R/P6000ft –DZ (light drizzle) BR OVC003 07/06And my alternate, KAUS (Austin, Texas) was even worse:KAUS 091153Z 04009KT 1/4 SM R17L/P6000 –DZ (light drizzle) BR OVC002 04/04Looks like I would need a new alternate, too. However, the terminal forecast was encouraging for a 1500Z arrival.With 5,000-plus hours in his logbook, David Miller has been flying for business and pleasure for more than 40 years. Having owned and flown a variety of aircraft types, from turboprops to midsize jets, Miller, along with his wife Patty, now own and fly a Citation CJ1+. You can contact David at davidmiller1@sbcglobal.net.FM091300 03007KT P6SM BKN025FM091800 02008KT P6SM OVC012I printed out the weather and pressed “send” for the flight plan. But, what if the forecast did not hold? Patty was sound asleep, thinking she was leaving on my CJ1+ at 0900. And, since the lousy weather wasn’t forecast a few hours ago, was the whole forecast now suspect? Did I mention that Patty was in charge of the meeting? I needed a back-up plan and re-booked another flight on Southwest. At least their 737 had a HUD and could probably get in. Now to wake up Patty and explain the situation. She doesn’t startle well. In short order, she placed her dangerous makeup in a baggie for the security check and I rushed to KDAL (Dallas Love) to make her flight.Would you have made this trip in your airplane? For me, the key to my decision was Patty’s need to be there at a certain time. Diverting to an alternate would not have allowed that.How many times have you second-guessed your no-go decision all the way home from the airport? I know, hindsight is 20/20, but don’t we all do it?In the end, the KSAT weather held at minimums until about noon, so I didn’t feel so bad.KSAT TEMPO 0908/0912 1SM BR OVC004Fly safe.ON FINAL48 • TWIN & TURBINE MARCH 2014