how to interpret a skew-t log-p diagram

[GeorgeC]

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Randall Munroe *must* be a pilot. And he's just telling us so in his own way. I like it.

 

[DJTorrente]

Randall Munroe *must* be a pilot. And he's just telling us so in his own way. I like it.

From time to time you see or read hints that someone must be a pilot who doesn't come right out and say it. Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit) is one of those.

 

[RussR]

Randall Munroe *must* be a pilot. And he's just telling us so in his own way. I like it.

I've wondered that myself too, especially with the few recent pilot related comics. But at least according to the FAA database, there are no Randall Munroe's listed. Of course that could be a middle name or something like that, but I didn't check all the possibilities.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Is that a humorous dig at how those charts flummox 90% of pilots?

 

[Sac Arrow]

My personal minimum for the probability of icing is zero.

 

[Bill]

View attachment 136749

Basically sums up my knowledge of sqew T, which is Jack squat.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I've wondered that myself too, especially with the few recent pilot related comics. But at least according to the FAA database, there are no Randall Munroe's listed. Of course that could be a middle name or something like that, but I didn't check all the possibilities.

I also found nothing, but if he opted out of releasing info, it won't show up in the online search.

My personal minimum for the probability of icing is zero.

Better stop flying then. It's never truly zero... And the worst time to get into icing is when you least expect it. Ask me how I know.

From time to time you see or read hints that someone must be a pilot who doesn't come right out and say it. Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit) is one of those.

This reminded me of the classic Robin Williams visit to Inside the Actors Studio where he saw James Lipton's AOPA pin and commented on how it looked upside down, and then proceeded to do this whole bit about "AA-OPA".

 

[Jim K]

Better stop flying then. It's never truly zero... And the worst time to get into icing is when you least expect it. Ask me how I know.

I've picked up ice three times. Two were in July.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I've picked up ice three times. Two were in July.

Yep. Scariest one for me was in August because it was completely unexpected and I had no real outs.

And while that was the only real hot summer months icing, I've also seen an OAT below freezing while flying over Texas in July in a normally aspirated piston single.

 

[Sac Arrow]

I've shared my icing horror story which could have ended very badly but didn't. This was at 10K in march in IMC roughly over the Grapevine to LA. And I got carburetor ice once in a Cherokee 140 over the lower Sierras. That was in June or July, no visible precip. Again up fairly high.

I have no problem flying up and down the Valley in solid IMC as long as I'm under 6K. Logged hella hours like that and never picked up ice. You people back east can keep your ice. I'll stick with my earthquakes, thank you.

 

[Rcmutz]

Is that a humorous dig at how those charts flummox 90% of pilots?

Actually, if you turn it upside down, it makes perfect sense.

 

[Ted]

Is that a humorous dig at how those charts flummox 90% of pilots?

They’re really not hard to decipher and exceedingly useful tools. That is, so long as you’re not trying to convince yourself it’s a good idea to fly an aircraft without de-icing equipment in conditions where icing can very obviously form, which some people on this forum have done and then been surprised when they got icing. That’s where the issue is: people trying to use them to believe what they want instead of what the tool is telling them.

But I used them extensively, especially with the 310, to both formulate a solid plan for travel and know where my outs were. It worked very well.

 

[bbchien]

Attend Scott Dennenstadt's seminars on "Parcel Theory".

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Randall Munroe *must* be a pilot. And he's just telling us so in his own way. I like it.

Or he is, or knows, a meteorologist. His comics cover a lot of science.

Better stop flying then. It's never truly zero... And the worst time to get into icing is when you least expect it. Ask me how I know.

Unless you count carburetor icing, shouldn't my flying VFR only avoid icing?

 

[RussR]

I also found nothing, but if he opted out of releasing info, it won't show up in the online search.

I'm pretty sure you can only prevent your address from showing up, not the fact that you are a pilot and what certificates you hold.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

shouldn't my flying VFR only avoid icing?

Light rain can be vfr and also freeze on the airframe. First thing I noticed was that the drops of water on the windscreen had stopped moving. (That was as bad as it got for me - I was in the pattern and just hung it up for the day.)

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Or he is, or knows, a meteorologist. His comics cover a lot of science.

Well, he's got a degree in Physics so the science stuff could be anything. But he's also been doing more and more very aviation-specific stuff. For example:

Unless you count carburetor icing, shouldn't my flying VFR only avoid icing?

As with so many things aviation, it depends. If it's clear and a million, yes. If you're scud running, not so much. Here's a shot after one trip around the pattern, 7SM OVC016, no precipitation indicated nor visible on the ground. Supercooled really really small droplet virga I guess:



But yes, there needs to be visible moisture *somewhere* near and/or above you to get icing.

I'm pretty sure you can only prevent your address from showing up, not the fact that you are a pilot and what certificates you hold.

Nope... I have looked up 135 coworkers (ie, definitely FAA certificated pilots, as I've also seen their credentials in the course of my work) and come up empty. I think checking the address box removes your entire record from the online search.

 

[Rene]

I've wondered that myself too, especially with the few recent pilot related comics. But at least according to the FAA database, there are no Randall Munroe's listed. Of course that could be a middle name or something like that, but I didn't check all the possibilities.

Well, he's got a degree in Physics so the science stuff could be anything. But he's also been doing more and more very aviation-specific stuff. For example:

View attachment 136831

I think checking the address box removes your entire record from the online search.

Physics humor, whats not to love?

Mr. Munroe must be in a different cohort than the guys I know. They definitely would put 9 ahead of 4, but probably not 5.

Either checking the box removes the whole record, or the FAA is really behind in posting it.

 

[RussR]

Nope... I have looked up 135 coworkers (ie, definitely FAA certificated pilots, as I've also seen their credentials in the course of my work) and come up empty. I think checking the address box removes your entire record from the online search.

Obviously I can't speak to why you can't find coworkers in there, but according to https://www.faa.gov/pilots/lic_cert/change/releasability

"Airmen may request to withhold address information from release; certificate information cannot be withheld from the public."

And you can easily find people that have their address hidden but not the certificate data, as the website says is possible.

What I definitely HAVE seen, though, is if the Airman has their address hidden, and in the search box you type any part of the address (like, most likely, the State), it will not return anything - because you searched for a state and that information is not available for that Airman.

Not saying that's necessarily why you can't find your coworkers, but I know it's caught me a few times. I've searched for someone with a reasonably common name, and it says there are more than 50 results (so it doesn't display any, and says to narrow the search terms). So I narrow down the search by selecting the state they live in, and then it does NOT return them, because they apparently have their address hidden (or they don't actually have a pilot certificate, although the former is more likely).

 

[TCABM]

…
What I definitely HAVE seen, though, is if the Airman has their address hidden, and in the search box you type any part of the address (like, most likely, the State), it will not return anything - because you searched for a state and that information is not available for that Airman...

I’ve found the same. When I really, really want to find info on an airmen, I download the database and start from there.

 

[nauga]

I think checking the address box removes your entire record from the online search.

I can state with absolute certainty that this is not the case.

Nauga,
exposed

 

[flyingcheesehead]

What I definitely HAVE seen, though, is if the Airman has their address hidden, and in the search box you type any part of the address (like, most likely, the State), it will not return anything - because you searched for a state and that information is not available for that Airman.

Hmmm... That could be it.