Airplane agony

[TexasAviation]

Ever have long stretches where Mother Nature and the maintenance gods have conspired against you?

I'm a newly minted pilot who got my ticket a few months ago. I want to fly every freakin' day. But here in Northeast Texas, it's felt like monsoon season all spring. We had a two-week stretch of nothing but rain, which was great for filling up our lakes to the brim ... but not so good for VFR pilots.

The club plane was down for its annual for nearly a month in March because the mechanic works on the side, nights and weekends, and the club assists with it as members have the time. It's awesome for keeping costs in check but frustrating when you want to be up in the sky.

Then on the rare chance I had to fly in April, the alternator quit on a sightseeing flight with my daughter and her friends. That cut the flight short, of course, and meant the plane had to sit in the hangar waiting on a new alternator during the only week of pretty weather we've had in forever.

Now that the new alternator is almost in, the 10-day forecast shows rain, rain and more rain.

Sorry! I know it's just life in GA, but I had to vent.

Guess I should be spending this time starting to study for my IFR ticket.

 

[Apache123]

When I bought my Apache, weather/schedule kept me on the ground for 3 months. It was horrible. That was before that big-ass blizzard and set of storms we had in ... 2011?

 

[Matthew]

Flying taught me patience.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Flying taught me patience.

Amen, brother.

We moved to Texas five years ago, at the height of the drought. It was perfect VFR flying weather every day, for YEARS. Boy, did we get spoiled.

Now? It's been raining every few days since the first of the year. EVERYTHING is blooming, and beautiful, but few people are flying to the island because the weather has been so unpredictable. We FINALLY got a decent day to fly last week, and flew to Galveston, but those days are incredibly rare this spring.

We are supposed to fly to Lockhart for BBQ tomorrow. Odds are not good that this flight will happen, thanks to the weather forecast.

 

[RyanShort1]

We've been out flying quite a lot in the last month. Over 40 hours...

 

[Jay Honeck]

We've been out flying quite a lot in the last month. Over 40 hours...

It's been weird. We could do a local flight nearly every day, but we wouldn't leave the pattern for fear of the next line of storms.

 

[deftone]

Slighty different but same pain.... right before my checkride I got laid off unexpectedly, its now been 5 months since I could spare the money to get in the air. Going to have to take a whole bunch of lessons just to get back into the same position I was in before

 

[Yeti Niner Five]

I hear you. To make it worse, work has been busy. The few times I get a window to get up in the air, it's raining.

I'm in Dallas, and shouldn't complain about the rain. But I'm itching to fly.

 

[OkieAviator]

I'm in Dallas, and shouldn't complain about the rain. But I'm itching to fly.

Should of got out flying last weekend. Was ridiculously nice, I flew over Dallas on Friday and then again on Sunday.

 

[JCranford]

I feel your pain. I keep getting shut down on my checkride due to weather!

Scheduled again for Tuesday, which incidentally looks good so far!

 

[Yeti Niner Five]

Last weekend was gorgeous, OkieAviator. I was on a campout with my daughter in Arkansas. It was a great weekend on the Caddo River, but I still caught myself looking skyward.

TexasAviation, where in East TX?

 

[AuntPeggy]

Ever have long stretches where Mother Nature and the maintenance gods have conspired against you?

I'm a newly minted pilot who got my ticket a few months ago. I want to fly every freakin' day. But here in Northeast Texas, it's felt like monsoon season all spring. We had a two-week stretch of nothing but rain, which was great for filling up our lakes to the brim ... but not so good for VFR pilots.

The club plane was down for its annual for nearly a month in March because the mechanic works on the side, nights and weekends, and the club assists with it as members have the time. It's awesome for keeping costs in check but frustrating when you want to be up in the sky.

Then on the rare chance I had to fly in April, the alternator quit on a sightseeing flight with my daughter and her friends. That cut the flight short, of course, and meant the plane had to sit in the hangar waiting on a new alternator during the only week of pretty weather we've had in forever.

Now that the new alternator is almost in, the 10-day forecast shows rain, rain and more rain.

Sorry! I know it's just life in GA, but I had to vent.

Guess I should be spending this time starting to study for my IFR ticket.

Weather happens. It is one of the joys of flight, congratulating yourself for not flying.

Let me one-up you for a moment. I had an appointment for my Private Pilot checkride on September 12, 2001. My airplane was on an airport where all non-IFR flights stayed grounded.

 

[mkosmo]

We are supposed to fly to Lockhart for BBQ tomorrow. Odds are not good that this flight will happen, thanks to the weather forecast.

Leave soon and track a little to the east and you might make it today

 

[murphey]

This past 10 days along the Front Range in Colorado. Rain, fog, mist all day, high winds but only in the late afternoon and evenings. And this weekend? Possible snow in Denver.

Weeds in the backyard are growing nicely.

It's May, for crying out loud!!!

The ski areas that are still open are loving it.

 

[Everskyward]

This past 10 days along the Front Range in Colorado. Rain, fog, mist all day, high winds but only in the late afternoon and evenings. And this weekend? Possible snow in Denver.

Weeds in the backyard are growing nicely.

It's May, for crying out loud!!!

The ski areas that are still open are loving it.

I dug out my septic covers a week and a half ago but they can't come and pump because they said the truck would leave indentations in my "pasture". I call it my back yard...

But the rain is good for us. I hope it's like last year when we had a cool wet summer following a warm dry winter.

 

[Timmer]

Good quote and flying teaching patience. It's also affected my driving and I'm a much more cautions and patient driver after having learning about momentum and reaction delays from flying.

I live in San Diego with its pretty mellow weather. My first scheduled introduction flight was called off at the airport due to the marine layer not lifting. I probably ended up canceling over 20 scheduled instruction flyings during my training. I swear I had a knack for scheduling lessons for the only two hour window of rain all season. Honestly, I need to start scheduling more flights, I think that would cure San Diego's drought.

By the end of my lessons, I understood and now have the attitude of planning a flight assuming it will not happen due to weather or plane issues and, if everything happens to line up, I'll get in the air.

 

[danhagan]

Ever have long stretches where Mother Nature and the maintenance gods have conspired against you?

Yes, living it now. My son is at UT Austin ... I think there's been 10 sunny days since Jan 1st. My plane has been in and out of maintenance all spring for one thing or another as well.

I'm a newly minted pilot who got my ticket a few months ago. I want to fly every freakin' day. But here in Northeast Texas, it's felt like monsoon season all spring. We had a two-week stretch of nothing but rain ...

See above.

Also remember forecasters blow calls too. I flew to Austin last weekend pretty much CAVU. Was supposed to be that way on the return with a 20% chance of showers only near Ft Stockton. That turned into thunderstorms for half the trip, moderate TB and changing course to Midland-Wink and near Carlsbad to get around them.

 

[James331]

Now that the new alternator is almost in, the 10-day forecast shows rain, rain and more rain.

What wrong with rain? Plane doesn't know it's raining.

You can fly when it's not CAVU ya know

 

[BigBadLou]

What wrong with rain? Plane doesn't know it's raining.

You can fly when it's not CAVU ya know

Here in Texas, "rain" in forecast usually means cumulonimbus, lightning, windshear and generally not pleasant weather.
Though some winters do bring mild drizzling rain but majority of rain here comes in the form of flooding downpour from storms.
Small localized cells, you can fly around. A squall line, however, normally grounds me.

EDIT: Love your avatar, btw.

 

[danhagan]

Ever have long stretches where Mother Nature and the maintenance gods have conspired against you?

Guess I should be spending this time starting to study for my IFR ticket.

Looks like you get another solid week of thunderstorms starting now

IR ticket isn't going to help a lot when TS activity in Texas gets rolling. I do have to say this is really unusual, this is one wet year. Even out here in El Paso we keep getting afternoon TS activity in the area.

 

[MBDiagMan]

Ever have long stretches where Mother Nature and the maintenance gods have conspired against you?

I'm a newly minted pilot who got my ticket a few months ago. I want to fly every freakin' day. But here in Northeast Texas, it's felt like monsoon season all spring. We had a two-week stretch of nothing but rain, which was great for filling up our lakes to the brim ... but not so good for VFR pilots.

The club plane was down for its annual for nearly a month in March because the mechanic works on the side, nights and weekends, and the club assists with it as members have the time. It's awesome for keeping costs in check but frustrating when you want to be up in the sky.

Then on the rare chance I had to fly in April, the alternator quit on a sightseeing flight with my daughter and her friends. That cut the flight short, of course, and meant the plane had to sit in the hangar waiting on a new alternator during the only week of pretty weather we've had in forever.

Now that the new alternator is almost in, the 10-day forecast shows rain, rain and more rain.

Sorry! I know it's just life in GA, but I had to vent.

Guess I should be spending this time starting to study for my IFR ticket.

If I have developed only one positive personal trait from flying, it is patience. I too am in Northeast Texas, technically Oklahoma, since I hangar just over the river in Oklahoma. I had my plane down for annual, then an ear infection and then weather problems, so I am in the same boat.

I would strongly suggest that at this point in your flying, when you are not in the air, keep your head into flying. Get your IR written behind you, read the Pulitzer Prize winning "The Spirit of St. Louis," "The Right Stuff," or maybe Bob Hoovers autobiography.

Hang in there and get in the air when you can. If I get really long out of the cockpit, I just catch a day that I think might be a fly day and make it to the airport an hour and a half or so before sundown and usually you can go up for a little while. Go do some maneuvers or some landings. Just keep that stick familiar in your hands.

Hope this helps.

 

[MBDiagMan]

What wrong with rain? Plane doesn't know it's raining.

You can fly when it's not CAVU ya know

Yes, if you are watching the weather closely, some of your best fly days are in the rain. With enough ceiling and very little wind, flying in a light steady rain is some really good flying.

 

[steingar]

We just went through our second horrible winter featuring slate gray skies every day with cold cold temperatures and lots of frozen precip. I am not in any way sympathetic. A week. Pah! Try a few months!

 

[cgrab]

I deployed in Mid-Feb and returned at the end of March. During that time both my physical and my annual expired. Easy to get the physical in April and then wait until after Easter to do the owner assisted annual. I finally got to fly last weekend for about two hours but I too was itching to fly before then.

 

[Gsxrpilot]

I fly my Mooney out of Smithville, TX (84R). With an Instrument Rating, I've logged 27.8 hours in the last 28 days. The IA makes the difference.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Yesterday we had low scud and high winds along the coast. I got up and did 3 T&Gs, sharing the pattern with a lovely Cessna 140 that was getting tossed around like a shuttlecock.

As usual, the AWOS said "1300 scattered, 1800 broken, 4000 overcast" -- and we were in the bases at 800'. lol

It was great fun, but it would sure be nice to have some wide-area good flying weather. Today's somewhat better over the island (the poor skydivers have at least been able to make a few trips), but still scuddy over the mainland.

At least it's stopped raining every day. I will call that progress.

 

[TexasAviation]

I live in Commerce, TX and fly out of Greenville.

This is my lovely forecast:

 

[RyanShort1]

I live in Commerce, TX and fly out of Greenville.

This is my lovely forecast:

At least three of those days will likely be flyable. Probably more depending on time of day. We flew from Odessa to Wichita Falls, Decatur, and back to Fort Worth Spinks today... and we are probably flying Monday.