Tmb is on the money. Those full force buggers can be bloody
dangerous below 500ft while the dissipating ones look nasty
but are just lots of heavy rain with the odd thunderbolt, and
not much else.
If a cell lies ON the approach (but of sufficient distance away
from the MaPt) I delay gear and landing flap to cater for any
potential d/drought or m/burst or e/failure (esp if in a level
flight component) and enough performance fat for a possible
GA due to same.
Good indicator I've found (assuming you're in wx conditions
permissable to see it and allowing for the position of the Sun)
is the colour of the rain. If its dark blue be very careful, and if
its BLACK you don't go anywhere within a bull's roar of it - TO
& TO path, APP or LDG, or even GA!
If your radar goes up the **** (and it happened to me a few
times when I was in Nam during the Wet) get as much info
as you can, as well as visual observations if you're lucky to
break free of cloud on descent for a few secs. Get the FO to
monitor Tower for any missed apps. If there are any then it
might be good to plan to hold somewhere till no further MAs
occur.
Do respect that W/SHEAR AHEAD noise if you're fitted with
it. When its working properly it is quite accurate.
As for that F70 approach - from 1000ft down to the deck I'd
be looking for the first excuse to GA. Other words I keep the
mindset "I'm going to GA" unless each condition from second
to second continues to prove its safe to keep going - and I'm
talking right down to the deck, not just to the published min.
I'd also be bitching to the Tower for its instant wind readout
every 100ft from 500ft AGL down.
I mentioned in a prev post about Tornado Alley.As for Europe
and Central China (and probably good for all areas outside of
Tropic lats) best to just stay away till it clears.What looks like
a pissy 30,000 footer over LHR is like a humungous 60,000ft
thumper over Singapore. Boyle's (or is it Charles?) Law and
all that.