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Choosing quality, benign conditions where no significant changes are
forecast adds lots of safety. It's unavoidable that a desire to get
airtime will interfere with our smarter side. This should remind us of
what others have endured so that hopefully we won't have to. Call it
motivation. Convective
Sun heats earth, earth heats air, air rises quickly enough to cause
grief. Inject moisture and certain atmospheric conditions to really get
pissed off air. I've heard it said that if we could see the air, we wouldn't fly in it.
Thunderstorms, such as the one pictured at right, are nature's window
into the turmoil unleashed through convective activity. Problem is,
turmoil extends well beyond this little window. We watch many thunderstorms pass nearby and
never feel anything. That lures the some pilots into thinking it will
always be so.
Like every risk and weather phenomena, there are degrees. Some
storms, in some conditions, when they'll pass beside you by several
miles, won't be likely to cause carnage on your flying site. It's still
a gamble, mind you, but your odds are better. If a storm is heading
for you, though, the risk needle is bent. Trying to get a quick one in before
it hits has a track record of lousiness. Witness the video below.
Thanks to Don Andrews for sharing this.
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Some pilots get lulled into thinking they can fly near these because
frequently nothing happens when they do. But on those occasions when a
storm reaches out to touch, it won't have a happy ending. |
