I have a question especially for the CX guys.
In the last couple of days a severe typhoon passed just south of Taiwan and across the Taiwan Straits into China.
It wreaked havoc in parts of Taiwan, and again in coastal south China. It is being reported as a record breaker, and certainly the strongest typhoon of 2016.
Fortunately for me I wasn't flying during it, but I did have a look at what was going on in the airspace around Taiwan during the height of the storm.
Here's an image I took of the weather radar returns shown on the Taiwan Government Met website;
As you can see the eye is centred right in the middle of the Strait at the time the image was taken. Effectively blocking the airways from HKG toward TPE and beyond. Deviating west of it into China airspace is of course impossible, and the weather to the east of the eye is even worse by the look of it (RCKH had 500M in heavy rain and gusts of 99kts).
The Sigmet Chart for Meranti shows 'embedded TS up to FL520'.
You don't overfly that.
I then took a look at the Flight Radar App.
Much to my amazement there was a pretty steady stream of aircraft passing straight up the Taiwan Strait, right into the storm. A majority of these aircraft were CX flights. Wow. I was really surprised.
I later got a hold of the PIREPs for the route over this period. There were 13 listed PIREPS from 0930Z on the 13th to 1210Z on the 14th with reports of MOD TURB, MOD ICING, and one SEV TURB report. The PIREPS came from EVA Air, United, China Airlines, FEDEX, AHK, JAL and the SEV TURB was reported by Air Busan. Not a pipsqueak from a CX flight.
Anyhow, my question is this; why were all these aircraft (including CX) flying through a tracked and mapped severe typhoon? What did they expect to happen? Do pilots in this region treat typhoons with disdain? Why fly into something which you really should know is going to risk the safety of your aircraft and passengers (and - more so - the cabin crew)?
I keep reading how CX guys are p'd off with the company, and on a 'work to rule' at present. Does CX not have a rule forbidding flight into severe weather?
I'm not trying to get at you guys - I'd put my life in the hands of CX crews any day - but I'm just trying to get my head around this behaviour. Is it 'big brass balls syndrome' or what?
Why do it?
Will your employer back you up if things go pear shaped?