Discuss the problems and solutions to all of the situations that Pilot X finds himself in.
#1581770
In the latest 'The Flying VLOG' we fly from Bournemouth to Stapleford in the final flight of 2017. The weather during this flight was by far the worst I've ever flown in. Lots of turbulence and lots of experience with that feeling I'd rather be on the ground than in the air.



Some will question why I departed in such strong winds and slow moving frontal weather. Well despite the plan, the self briefing and the forecast not showing as bad as it was. I got it wrong and once airborne wished I was on the ground.

Having to navigate around what appeared to be a line of small cb's and flying against a strong wind over the downs proved challenging and it shook me up a bit as the weather was very much hard work. Lessons learned.


Departed 0940z - Landed 1100z (Departed 20 mins later than planned)

TAF(s) in the AM
Code: Select allTAF EGLC 100802Z 1009/1018 31015KT 9999 SCT025 PROB40 TEMPO 1009/1015 31018G28KT=
TAF EGLL 101054Z 1012/1118 31012KT 9999 SCT040 BECMG 1018/1021 25008KT TEMPO 1100/1118 7000 -RADZ BKN012 PROB40 TEMPO 1102/1108 3000 RADZ BKN008=
TAF AMD EGSS 100844Z 1008/1112 31015KT 9999 BKN020 TEMPO 1008/1010 4000 RADZ BKN009 TEMPO 1009/1016 31018G28KT BECMG 1017/1020 24010KT BECMG 1100/1103 18005KT BECMG 1101/1104 7000 RA BKN009 PROB40 TEMPO 1103/1110 2500 RADZ BR BKN003 BECMG 1109/1112 36010KT 9999 NSW SCT010=



Here's the chart for the day:
Image

What could I have done better, what could I have done once airborne?
#1581797
1. Depart later
2. Turn back

Having three frontal lines lying over/near the area you want to fly over is going to be challenging at any time. The first cold front will eventually overtake the warm front and become an occlusion front which means Carp weather and probably not VFR either.

The TAF for Stansted is pretty carp and that is close to Stapleford.

Don't Forget that a TAF is a forecast only.

To get an idea of the validity of the TAF I always check back the METAR for airfields which have just had that front pass.
Paul_Sengupta, ConcordeBA, johnm and 1 others liked this
#1582309
If you compare the TEMPO and BECMG entries you can basically see the passage of the fronts.

In crude terms behind a warm front you can typically expect a lowering cloud base and drizzle then the cold front comes along and displaces the lower density warm moist air which then rises and can produce lively CBs, but between those you can expect good visibility but a potentially bumpy ride if it's windy (lots of isobars)

You can also see the change of wind direction in the isobars as the fronts pass.
ConcordeBA liked this
#1599042
johnm wrote:If you compare the TEMPO and BECMG entries you can basically see the passage of the fronts.

In crude terms behind a warm front you can typically expect a lowering cloud base and drizzle then the cold front comes along and displaces the lower density warm moist air which then rises and can produce lively CBs, but between those you can expect good visibility but a potentially bumpy ride if it's windy (lots of isobars)

You can also see the change of wind direction in the isobars as the fronts pass.


IIRC I remember the weather being a lot better on the journey down and most certainly flyable, but by the time I got airborne those cold fronts were passing through with two lots of CB's to navigate. Lots of weather over Chichester heading out towards france and another batch over Tonbridge that caught me out.

A pretty uncomfortable experience, but a lesson learned.
#1603511
Plenty of viz. climb higher if legal (not into cloud) especially crossing the S.Downs & N. Downs to reduce those bumps.

TBH apart from a couple of bum raisers it looked like pretty not quite bog standard light a/c bumping around in turbulence off the terrain. Usually ignore it or return to base if one feels it's not fun after all.

P.S. Loved the camera views of the outside world over an area I know well.

mike hallam.
ConcordeBA liked this
#1607870
A few thoughts...

The cold front catching up the warm one and becoming an occlusion was never going to be a problem, as the chart was timed at 06:00 that morning, by which time the warm front was already off the south coast.

An indication of how fast the fronts are moving can be obtained from the UK Low Level forecast map. This can help deciding when to depart, and sometimes, especially when the wind's strong, they can move pretty quickly and be out of the way, leaving only scattered showers behind.

As MikeHallam says, in the same situation, I'd have been inclined to climb in search of smoother air as soon as I emerged from under the thicker line of cloud. From the video, the cloudbase appeared to be much higher after that for the rest of the flight, and you seemed to be between 1300-1600' a lot of the time - it's always going to be rough in strong wind close to the ground.
ConcordeBA liked this
#1608326
Here's a video of similar conditions/setup but this time a little bit more widespread and easier to navigate.




jamespearce wrote:You had great vis and that always mitigates a bad forecast. When you can see the build up you have the option of flying around or returning home. It's the danger of IMC and embedded CB's that should be avoided at all costs.


I should have flown around it rather than take the shortest route. They was very small CBs but very punchy for that time of year - I'd hate to think how bad a strong Summer CB would have been. I try to fly below or above the layer on an embedded day. Generally below if the vis is great as you can see the showers or lower than normal cloud bases.

I took a route that takes me towards lowering LTMA and more or less of a chance of out-climbing any cloud tops or lower based CBs.

mikehallam wrote:Plenty of viz. climb higher if legal (not into cloud) especially crossing the S.Downs & N. Downs to reduce those bumps.

TBH apart from a couple of bum raisers it looked like pretty not quite bog standard light a/c bumping around in turbulence off the terrain. Usually ignore it or return to base if one feels it's not fun after all.

P.S. Loved the camera views of the outside world over an area I know well.

mike hallam.


I went up in similar wind conditions on my flight to France recently, with the extra weight I hardly left the seat. I find solo in the DA40 (Sub-1000kg) it's a bit hairy. I've done some reading and this is because of the big wing, but with more weight in the aircraft it doesn't shift as much.

I could fly through cloud, but not these lines of CBs so the best option was to avoid IMC for the duration of the flight. But yes I agree it was probably better I climbed up higher once I cleared the weak frontal stuff as then the bumps and lumps would have been better than what I experienced over the downs. (Although I am sure that big drop was outflow from the CB)

Which area was that? Glad you enjoyed it :)

TopCat wrote:A few thoughts...

The cold front catching up the warm one and becoming an occlusion was never going to be a problem, as the chart was timed at 06:00 that morning, by which time the warm front was already off the south coast.

An indication of how fast the fronts are moving can be obtained from the UK Low Level forecast map. This can help deciding when to depart, and sometimes, especially when the wind's strong, they can move pretty quickly and be out of the way, leaving only scattered showers behind.

As MikeHallam says, in the same situation, I'd have been inclined to climb in search of smoother air as soon as I emerged from under the thicker line of cloud. From the video, the cloudbase appeared to be much higher after that for the rest of the flight, and you seemed to be between 1300-1600' a lot of the time - it's always going to be rough in strong wind close to the ground.


I should have left a little sooner no doubt. I was however on the first train from London and so ended up getting hit by the cold front. All good feedback though - so I appreciate it.

Funny enough I just looked at the SkyDemon radar and it showed I was at 1300'-1600' right when the terrain was highest (But that's where the CB's in a line was) so it was all sort of self inflicted and yes in future situations I should climb up above the bumps and lumps for a smoother flight either for myself of passengers.

I guess if still in doubt? Divert!

neosphere wrote:Great Experience...!!!


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