AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2019 - 104

NEWS & NOTES

AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE

Should I stay, or should I go?
Adapting to changing in-flight conditions
BY ALICIA HERRON

ASI NEWS

|

SURVIVING AN ENGINE
FAILURE AFTER TAKEOFF

THUNDERSTORMS ARE ONE OF NATURE'S most powerful forces and one of the weather phenomena most
dangerous to pilots. Flying too close to a thunderstorm's lightning, hail, heavy rain, and powerful lifting
forces and downdrafts can end poorly. Flying into
them can end in disaster.
Thunderstorms are a part of summer flying,
however, and canceling a flight at the first sign of convection could keep a pilot grounded for weeks. We're
rightly taught to fear and respect thunderstorms, but
convective activity in the forecast doesn't necessarily
have to cancel a flight. Flying around some light convective activity isn't necessarily dangerous.
Reports of supercells and squall lines will surely lead
to a day in the hangar, but a convective outlook or a few
isolated storms may still be flyable. The key to safely
making the most out of a stormy day is flexibility.
Consider the time of day you typically fly. Do you
plan to be in the air around 2 p.m.? A hot, humid, unstable afternoon is prime time for a pop-up thunderstorm.
Planning to fly in the relatively cooler, less-humid air
in the morning may be a better option.
If a storm is small and isolated enough, you may
be able to safely fly around it. Before you take off,
determine if you have enough fuel on board to circumnavigate a small cell or two along your route. Even a
short departure from your planned route can eat up an
hour or more of fuel, and on a cross-country that could
mean planning a new fuel stop. Fuel gives you time, and
time can give you more options. Always keep your eyes
on the storm and divert if conditions change.
Rarely are we thrilled to abandon our flight plan, but
the ability to adapt to changing in-flight conditions is the
mark of a good pilot, and diverting is a skill worth developing. Consider how fast the storm is moving. In some
cases, the nearest airport is toward the weather, and the
storm might beat you to it. Also, consider the headwinds

104 | AOPA PILOT July 2019

On a hot Sunday afternoon in
Alabama, 25-year general aviation pilot Jim Johnson set out
in his Cessna 177RG to practice
approaches. Just after takeoff
he experienced an engine failure. Listen to his story and a
discussion about the impossible turn in the latest episode of
the Air Safety Institute's podcast
There I Was... available online and
through Spotify.
airsafetyinstitute.org/
thereiwas_jimjohnsonn

from fast-moving weather-your
new groundspeed from a fastapproaching storm might be
much slower than the groundspeed you're used to.
No one can control the
weather, but with a little preparation and planning you can still
make the best of stormy days.
Test your thunderstorm
decision-making skills with the
Air Safety Institute's Weather
or Not Thunderstorm Challenge
course, the first in a new interactive, video-based format. Course
sponsored by SiriusXM Aviation.

ASI'S NEW SCALABLE
SAFETY FRAMEWORK

The AOPA Air Safety Institute
recently released a Scalable Safety
Framework. A PowerPoint presentation with a supporting PDF,
the Scalable Safety Framework
can be downloaded by aviation
organizations such as flying clubs,
public benefit groups, and more to
help them formulate, implement,
and sustain a safety culture that is
geared and scaled to their specific
organization.
airsafetyinstitute.org/
safetytogo

EMAIL alicia.herron@aopa.org

airsafetyinstitute.org/
thunderstormchallenge

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2019
