Turbulence and potential storms during training

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muleywannabe

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Dec 30, 2013
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331
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Independence, Kansas
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Cherokee235
We flew saturday for our first cross country. We did an extensive pre-flight for Wx and fuel. local weather showed nothing. our destination KSGF showed late afternoon thunderstorms. We were off and gone by 10:30 am. 1 hour flight time. We were practicing using the VOR's, pilotage etc. As we approached Joplin area, the clouds started to build up and updrafting was starting. We decided to turn around and head back to our home airport. Lesson learned, fly really early in the am during the summer, be at your destination before noon and expect slight turbulence.

This was all at 5,500 MSL and to go below the storms we had to fly at 3,300 ft. interesting experience, nothing wrong with turning around....the afternoon storms dissipated and the evening was nice...but you never know.
 
Welcome to summer flying!
 
Great training and with the comfort of a on board CFI would be perfect.
 
muleywannabe said:
We flew saturday for our first cross country. We did an extensive pre-flight for Wx and fuel. local weather showed nothing. our destination KSGF showed late afternoon thunderstorms. We were off and gone by 10:30 am. 1 hour flight time. We were practicing using the VOR's, pilotage etc. As we approached Joplin area, the clouds started to build up and updrafting was starting. We decided to turn around and head back to our home airport. Lesson learned, fly really early in the am during the summer, be at your destination before noon and expect slight turbulence.

This was all at 5,500 MSL and to go below the storms we had to fly at 3,300 ft. interesting experience, nothing wrong with turning around....the afternoon storms dissipated and the evening was nice...but you never know.
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On board radar will tell you which storms are building and which ones are dissipating. As you become more experienced you will be able to tell the difference and avoid being in front of the front. Flying around storms is a good option, just use the radar to look for trends and direction of storms. Remember you are traveling faster than the storm....in most airplanes. :lol:
 
Independence KS... Try the Dodge City area with a 25KTS gusting to 30KTS. Flying the pattern is like driving across the washboard dirt roads in the area!

I'm still getting used to those bumps myself...
 
Night flying is ultimately the best if no airmets or sigmets are in the area. Cool weather, no one else around, oceans of blinking lights on the ground.
 
brian];1518538 said:
Independence KS... Try the Dodge City area with a 25KTS gusting to 30KTS. Flying the pattern is like driving across the washboard dirt roads in the area!

I'm still getting used to those bumps myself...
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Plus the stench of cow manure and methane laced air....:goofy:
 
muleywannabe said:
Plus the stench of cow manure and methane laced air....:goofy:
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NONONONO - you get that wrong. That was put there by the FAA...

See in other parts of the country those poor pilots are limited to VOR-A, ILS-4, and LPV (RNAV) approaches. In SW Kansas, you have SMELL-1 approaches as well.

:wink2:
 
brian];1518562 said:
NONONONO - you get that wrong. That was put there by the FAA...

See in other parts of the country those poor pilots are limited to VOR-A, ILS-4, and LPV (RNAV) approaches. In SW Kansas, you have SMELL-1 approaches as well.

:wink2:
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hahahaaa
 
brian];1518562 said:
NONONONO - you get that wrong. That was put there by the FAA...

See in other parts of the country those poor pilots are limited to VOR-A, ILS-4, and LPV (RNAV) approaches. In SW Kansas, you have SMELL-1 approaches as well.

:wink2:
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We need to verify with Andrew (ARFlyer) but I think there is an RNAV approach in western Arkansas near the Pilgrim Chicken farms that has waypoints ISMEL, CHIKN, SHTTT
 
AggieMike88 said:
We need to verify with Andrew (ARFlyer) but I think there is an RNAV approach in western Arkansas near the Pilgrim Chicken farms that has waypoints ISMEL, CHIKN, SHTTT
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I would NOT be surprised. I grew up just outside Liberal. That can be a smelly place. However, if you want an EXCELLENT steak - you have to go there. Seriously. They know how to do it right :)

But you better double up on Crestor...
 
Good to know about Liberal. That's one of the handoff points for sending PnP dogs from DFW to Denver. Any particular eatery that's the best?
 
AggieMike88 said:
Good to know about Liberal. That's one of the handoff points for sending PnP dogs from DFW to Denver. Any particular eatery that's the best?
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Nothing on field. Lyddon's has been good to work with. Not cheap, but good $ for the service. (They do have the museum at the old Beech factory - that's about all there is to do on-field).

I think Lyddon's has a crew car (I have family in Liberal, so no comment there). There are also rentals (hertz, not sure about the others).

For breakfast: the Pancake House. This is not the chain. It is a greasy spoon with some of the best buttermilk pancakes I've had... mmm good! Coffee is perfect.

The steak house is next door (to the north). It used to be the petroleum club, but I can't remember the name of the place now. I had dinner there over the 4th of July holiday and the food was excellent - if you are a beef eater. Sides were well "spiced". Don't bring any vegetarian friends - they will starve.

There are a couple of other places downtown, plus Applebees and a couple of other chains. Might call Lyddon's (they are on AirNav) and see if the crew car works. The food is good - then again, I'm biased.
 
Geico266 said:
On board radar will tell you which storms are building and which ones are dissipating. As you become more experienced you will be able to tell the difference and avoid being in front of the front. Flying around storms is a good option, just use the radar to look for trends and direction of storms. Remember you are traveling faster than the storm....in most airplanes. :lol:
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I can tell you put a lot into this post Geico, but can the OP leverage the info?
 
muleywannabe said:
What if you dont have radar in your plane? or XM weather?
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122.2 or FF
I prefer the latter.

Was on a flight a couple months ago and Stratus had no towers for about 25 min and they lost radar contact w/ us just as crap started developing.

They started giving us weather reports like:
"You have moderate precipitation 2 miles south of X VOR 4 miles in diameter"

There were three or 4 of those and it worked very well for us.
 
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Yea one time I was flying from KGKY to 1f0 and there were a few cells showing moderate to severe along our route and I told my stepson whom I was taking home that I'd never flown and gotten information like this but the information was not really helpful because I could see what they were referring to and this one time they told me it was a moderate to severe 8 miles wide.... I laughed out loud and told my stepson they weren't seeing what we were because it was what I'd call "SEVERE TO TURN MY A.SS AROUND" lol but it was isolated over gainsville and diverted slightly to miss it. It was very pretty though.
 
Yeah summer flying is AM flying especially if your passenger is my wife! :D

I did my instrument in the late spring flying lots of afternoons (March thru May). Bumpy but not too bumpy (except a few days). Plenty of virga to avoid but it was before Tstorm season mostly.

Good decision making.
 
5,500? Why so high? Learning to fly in FAA designated mtn terrain in CA I hardly went above 2,000 msl. The only reason was to get a solid horizon and that was no higher than 4,000 to get above thick advection fog. My cross countries, day or night, were 2.5 or 4.5 agl.

During a stage check for my PPL while flying with a secondary CFI I voluntarily cancelled the ground maneuvers blo 1,000 because of too numerous traffic. If it don't feel right, it ain't.
 
Richard said:
5,500? Why so high?
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Better reception of navigational aids
More advantageous winds aloft
To avoid convective turbulence
Increased engine out options
Better ability to see landmarks for pilotage
Radar coverage better for flight following
Reduced fuel consumption

Just to name a few reasons.
 
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