From Prune Fan #1:
"I've seen little (what I call) "front-lets" in which there is scant direct evidence other than a sudden, 180 degree shift in wind direction and temperature. If you didn't catch the little burble of turbulence when you flew through it, you might not even notice. In fact, one morning, an Air Log pilot heading to a platform nearby to mine flew through one, missed the change of wind, and crashed as he tried to land in the direction he thought the wind was coming from. The wind on the beach was out of the north; the wind offshore was out of the south. That was an interesting day..."
I hope there was more to it than that. Not confirming wind at the platform by looking at the water, combined with no windsock on the platform, would be the height foolishness. So I assume the entire wasn't told?
---------------------------
This is one example from this post of many weather phenomenon that should be part of every pilot's basic weather education. This includes the over-water losses of visibility from smoke and haze. The same things happen over land too. The difference is the lack of places to land, just like there is in many other undeveloped parts of the world.
In so many other parts of the world the combined needs of the oil companies to respond imediately to operational requirements and the lack of options for aircraft in offshore flying have resulted in mandatory IFR capabilities for all operations, even if the primary role is day-VFR. Why is such a basic safety concept so foreign to the Gulf of Mexico?
Too often on here I have seen pilots state that the Gulf of Mexico is unique as an explanation of why things are the way they are. Bull, it is not unique. The mentailty in viewing it is the only unique thing I see...