I can well remember ferrying an ex Indian registered Citation back from New Delhi after multiple delays we took off at night in the monsoon season.
There were multiple lightning flashes to the point that you could almost navigate around the buildups visually.
limited to below RVSM airspace we were flying at FL280 with the most spectacular firework display I have ever seen after weaving all over the place to find a way through we landed in Karachi in Pakistan and landed eventually in Dubai at 0300 the next morning.
On another occasion I was flying a Seneca twin to Shannon i experienced a lightning strike and severe turbulence by going for a hole which ended up as not being a hole at 12K
Everything went black then severe turbulence which knocked the autopilot out.
The radios went to a mass of crackle and then the blinding flash with a lightning bolt hitting the left wing two feet from my seat between the engine and fuselage.
Apart from everyone sporting Afro hair do s after the strike no harm was done
I was vectored onto the ILS into Dublin for a landing to sit it out.
strange thing was lighting chased us all the way down the approach to the point that I was convinced the aircraft was setting them off
that was a long time ago in my more bravado days now I avoid the things like the plague if for no other reason than to give the PAX as smooth a flight as possible and without Afro hairstyles
last september coming out of Italy there was a solid wall of CBS running right along the southern Alps this called for a request for a heading along the wall and a climb to FL360 to get over the top and radar and visual cues to find the most docile section to cross. The italian controllers were going mad over a refusal to turn back on track but better that than entering the wrong area.
Its only when you have the aircraft ability to fly high level that you think about the poor sods battling through and around weather way down in pistons and turboprops and take my word for it there are many who do
and that brings back many memories only one I have painted above
Pace