astrodeb
08-08-2009, 07:41 PM
Hi folks,
I just returned from my promised trip to Rio de Janeiro. I flew Delta on 8/1 and missed the inaugural Continental IAD - GIG trip due to being shy about first flights on a notably difficult route (the return IAD - GIG on Aug. 2 was the one which diverted to Miami). The fun started on my way to ATL with active convection between Texas and Georgia. The pilots did an excellent job in avoiding the towering CB, weaving expertly around the cloud walls on our way east. As we approached Atlanta, the captain came on and warned that the flight attendants needed to be seated since we had to penetrate thunderstorms on our way to the airport. My heart was thudding rapidly as we dived screaming through the clouds with a sink rate like the Shuttle. However, due to luck or good radar choices, we avoided any bad turbulence on our way in despite experiencing substantial precipitation aloft. The next flight left at 10 pm for an all night appointment with tropical convection and the ITCZ over Venezuela. Lightning was spectacular from my window seat, especially over the Dominican Republic, where we spent 15 minutes flying through anvil tops. The crux of the trip occurred over Venezuela, where we diverted along the coast for a while before finding a route over the line of thunderstorms. Twice during our ITCZ penetration, we were forced into towering black thunderheads where the pilots turned on the landing lights to help in avoiding dense icy towers which do not show up on radar at altitude. The setting moon helped enormously in showing escape routes from these clouds. All the tricks (seemingly unnoticed by any passengers but myself) worked well as we experienced only light turbulence during that part of the trip through a "green cloud indicating isolated CB to 53,000 ft" as indicated by the turbulence forecast map. Somewhat further south, the cryptic Air Force turbulence forecast chart at the time was proven correct when we hit moderate clear air turbulence (which didn't scare me at all). It was actually fun to know that I timed my pit stop right using the online charts! On the return, the turbulence was moderate through the ITCZ, and we were forced to fly through fairly bumpy layers of a couple of storms. Ironically, the turbulence woke more than a few macho guys who immediately headed for the restroom despite the bumps and dire warnings from the seated flight attendants. I was unfortunately seated in the last row of the 767 on my return flight, and the guy in the window seat next to me closed the blinds. This caused me to suffer some spatial disorientation, which convinced me that we were circling endlessly over Venezuela, doubtlessly in an ever shrinking "eye" of clear air surrounded by storms :eek:. A couple of hours later, I was pleasantly surprised when the movie + TV shows + commercials ended to show us clearing Cuba on our way to Florida. All the left turns had actually been to help avoid Cuban airspace. The rest of the trip was uneventful, and I actually slept on the flight from ATL - LAX (my first sleep on a flight in many years). I think I have learned that worrying about flights in advance is just a waste of time. The time to worry is when one is actually flying through a bad cloud and then it is likely best to just trust your pilots :). They want to get home as much as you do!
Cheers,
Astrodeb
I just returned from my promised trip to Rio de Janeiro. I flew Delta on 8/1 and missed the inaugural Continental IAD - GIG trip due to being shy about first flights on a notably difficult route (the return IAD - GIG on Aug. 2 was the one which diverted to Miami). The fun started on my way to ATL with active convection between Texas and Georgia. The pilots did an excellent job in avoiding the towering CB, weaving expertly around the cloud walls on our way east. As we approached Atlanta, the captain came on and warned that the flight attendants needed to be seated since we had to penetrate thunderstorms on our way to the airport. My heart was thudding rapidly as we dived screaming through the clouds with a sink rate like the Shuttle. However, due to luck or good radar choices, we avoided any bad turbulence on our way in despite experiencing substantial precipitation aloft. The next flight left at 10 pm for an all night appointment with tropical convection and the ITCZ over Venezuela. Lightning was spectacular from my window seat, especially over the Dominican Republic, where we spent 15 minutes flying through anvil tops. The crux of the trip occurred over Venezuela, where we diverted along the coast for a while before finding a route over the line of thunderstorms. Twice during our ITCZ penetration, we were forced into towering black thunderheads where the pilots turned on the landing lights to help in avoiding dense icy towers which do not show up on radar at altitude. The setting moon helped enormously in showing escape routes from these clouds. All the tricks (seemingly unnoticed by any passengers but myself) worked well as we experienced only light turbulence during that part of the trip through a "green cloud indicating isolated CB to 53,000 ft" as indicated by the turbulence forecast map. Somewhat further south, the cryptic Air Force turbulence forecast chart at the time was proven correct when we hit moderate clear air turbulence (which didn't scare me at all). It was actually fun to know that I timed my pit stop right using the online charts! On the return, the turbulence was moderate through the ITCZ, and we were forced to fly through fairly bumpy layers of a couple of storms. Ironically, the turbulence woke more than a few macho guys who immediately headed for the restroom despite the bumps and dire warnings from the seated flight attendants. I was unfortunately seated in the last row of the 767 on my return flight, and the guy in the window seat next to me closed the blinds. This caused me to suffer some spatial disorientation, which convinced me that we were circling endlessly over Venezuela, doubtlessly in an ever shrinking "eye" of clear air surrounded by storms :eek:. A couple of hours later, I was pleasantly surprised when the movie + TV shows + commercials ended to show us clearing Cuba on our way to Florida. All the left turns had actually been to help avoid Cuban airspace. The rest of the trip was uneventful, and I actually slept on the flight from ATL - LAX (my first sleep on a flight in many years). I think I have learned that worrying about flights in advance is just a waste of time. The time to worry is when one is actually flying through a bad cloud and then it is likely best to just trust your pilots :). They want to get home as much as you do!
Cheers,
Astrodeb