You wake up at 6 a.m. for your morning flight and discover a very large area of unforecast embedded thunderstorms between you and your destination, only two hundred miles distant.
How do you handle the challenge?
That was my dilemma on a return flight from Houston to Dallas the week before Christmas. The flight down the day before was simple, under clear skies and light Sunday traffic. But a low-pressure system was developing in south Texas, necessitating an early morning Monday return to beat potential afternoon thunderstorms. Unfortunately, the actual departure day weather was much angrier than forecast.
PLAN A Just go through it.
The 6 a.m. picture at left was just the tip of the iceberg. Within 2 hours of this photo, a line developed just north of Houston, Hobby (KHOU), with tops to FL500. On FlightAware, the only aircraft flying the route shown were Southwest flights. An urgent PIREP of severe turbulence from a regional jet made my decision much easier. General tops were above FL 350, and on a 240 nm trip, there was no way I would get over this weather system.
PLAN B Just go around it.
The picture at right depicts what it would take to go around the system. Fly west to San Antonio, then north to Dallas. Several jets were doing this at FL400, adding half an hour to the trip. But by the time I had this idea figured out, numerous cells were developing to the west of Hobby, blocking my departure route. Over coffee, I consulted with our host, Randy Broiles, CJP Safety Foundation Chairman. He invited Patty and me to stay another night if I would pay for dinner. But Randy has expensive wine habits. I pondered the offer. It was the wisest choice. We made dinner reservations.
PLAN C Just take a nap.
After a nice lunch punctuated by a loud clap of thunder and moderate rain, it was time for a short nap. An hour later, I checked my iPhone. To my surprise, the thunderstorms had moved just east of Hobby, creating a less threatening path to Dallas. I woke Patty up. “If you can get packed in five minutes, we can get home to feed Peaches,” I said. Patty loves our thirteen-year-old dog, Peaches. You should have seen her pack. She even packed my stuff. We hugged the Broiles and jumped in an Uber, filing the flight plan on the way to Hobby. Galaxy FBO had the Mustang ready in minutes.
Hobby Ground told us to expect a twenty-minute delay for in-trail spacing to Dallas due to weather. But thirty seconds later, the tower cleared us to depart. The picture above shows the tops at ten thousand feet just after takeoff. An hour later, after a descent in light icing and light turbulence, we shot the ILS 16 approach to Addison to a setting sun.
Sometimes, all you need is a nap.
Fly safe.
