Some 20 years ago, as SLF, I landed in Copenhagen with a colleague , to transfer by road for a single engine light plane flight to an airfield in West Denmark. Car journey was in torrential rain, and at the domestic airport were greet by the light aircraft pilot to say that we would be delayed for several hours.
We retired to the bar, but some 30 mins later he re-appeared to say that he thought that the front would soon pass over, and we could get going. Being trusting types, we walked out to the aircraft leaning against the wind and rain, then took off with hail hitting the windscreen, straight into cloud.
It was very bumpy indeed at 3000 feet, going up and down as if in an elevator, but the pilot seemed calm and confident, He then began a conversation with ATC, and requesting permission to descend.. At that moment a tree top passed the left wingtip. It seems that he may have had to ask for retrospective permission, and we were lucky that Denmark is not a very hilly country. The pilot then dodged trees at the base of the cloud for some time, until, as forecast, we passed through the front into crystal clear still air. We were VERY glad to land.