What's Your Favourite Weather to Fly in?
 

The title says it all. What's your favourite weather to fly in?

Are you a warm sunny day pilot or a cool crisp winter night pilot.

It would be great to see what the general consensus is.

JAJW

Well, since we don't get to pick and choose, normally, I'd say anything VMC is fine. A bit better than marginal VMC for aerobatics.

But the best memories I have are from those crystal clear winter days just as a cold front has passed through and dumped a lot of snow on the ground. Magic.

(And extra sweet since flying is also a reward for spending an hour outside in bitter cold trying to get the plane clear from all snow and frost.)

I am not a great lover of cloudless skies as the whole scene becomes a bit bland!
I prefer cloud to add its own scenery to the stuff on the ground!
Flying around huge mountains of dramatic CBs can be amazing as can dropping down through multiple layers of sunset tinged clouds can also be amazing.
Flying over a solid deck close too gives a sense of speed.
For me the scenery of clouds holds equal importance to what is on the ground.
Ground scenery as you climb flattens and even mountains like the Alps which are so spectacular close too diminish to a flat insignificance when I fly over them in the jet at FL380.
Then we go to the challenge of weather flying? Breaking out at minima? Icing and storm avoidance? Finding smooth air for PAX.
In the jet the challenge of minimising the effect of headwinds and jetstreams ?
I must admit to quite liking the unusual buffeting you get around jetstreams.
The challenge of weather and reading it as well as dealing with it brings its own thrill factor :E

Pace

I like flying in all kinds of conditions, this year I've been enjoying flying round CBs and through wee gaps in clouds to avoid rough air.

When I'm flying for me I like a tailwind for going places and nil wind for bimbling.

Depends what I'm doing.

Long trips in IMC are demanding but a lot of satisfying fun.

Bumbling around in perfect cloudless VMC on a warm sunny weekend, is aso tremendous fun, especially in an open cockpit.

I don't like icing!

G

G

If there are no clouds then low and slow in a light aircraft :E The lower and slower the better or maybe low and fast? The ex car racer in me :ok:
Always remember flying an RV6A which belonged to a friend over the Welsh mountains literally flying over deserted country and forests at tree top and then flying low over lakes and banking around rock faces with the wings a few feet away magic. :E :E :E
Sorry delete all the above do not do it!!! 2200 feet VFR only :ugh: yawn :rolleyes:

Pace

Of course, if you really want to get somewhere VFR, the more clear the better.

However, my favorite weather to fly in just around home is just when the winds begin to calm and the rain has stopped, after the passing of a thunderstorm. The mists, clouds, and character in the sky is amazing to appreciate. Similarly, I enjoy flying in the mists of the crack of dawn....

http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/o...t/IMG_8183.jpg

Picking through the morning fog in the mountains of British Columbia (turning back was always an option...)

http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/o...t/DSC_4733.jpg

And, my wake in the fog, parallel to my runway....

http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/o...c/IMG_6525.jpg

Crisp clear moonlit night with snow on the ground.:ok:

D.O.

as I don't have my Night Qualification yet I love flying first thing in the morning. lovely, clear and calm and a bit cooler.

Best has to be flying an open cockpit when it is nice and clear plus warm enough to fly in shorts and tshirt (and Idealy from a field that is non radio so you can leave the hat on the ground) :ok:

Depends what I'm flying.....

Cassutt - Warm summer day since I have no heater, no wind or maybe 5-10kts down the strip, sunny and lots of scattered puffy clouds to play in.

TriPacer - Windy, bumpy and Gusty crosswinds so I can give myself a bit of challenge....

C172 - Cool crisp winter night, climb up to 10k, turn the radio down and admire the view!

UA

A night full of stars. Smooth. Alone. Pure magic. :ok:

Great Pictures Pilot DAR.

I am still learning, so limited weather wise hehehe :O but I do tend to book all my lessons as early as possible in the morning, I like that cool, calm environment coupled with some, but not too many clouds and the green fields of England. :ok:

Some great pics on here. I like the idea of lying above the morning mist, although no IMC or IR would limit me a bit!

Unfortunately my instructor didn't do early mornings so I never had the joy of a crisp, calm and quiet morning. Now I have my license I will definitely get up just before sunrise and give it a go.

JAJW

Actually a layer of morning mist might be one of the trickiest conditions to fly in, if you don't have an IMC or IR.

The mist might look doable from ground level because you can see blue-ish sky and a watery sun above. So you take off and find that the only thing you can see is mist, with virtually no ground features (apart from the occasional high mast or other high feature) visible.

Furthermore, as the sun comes up and starts heating up the ground, that mist layer may rise a bit and become an OVC002 layer for half an hour or so, later becoming BKN005, then SCT010, then FEW020. But do you have the patience and fuel to wait that out?

-5 to -10deg CAVOK viz 50k calm winds.

Scottish mountains covered in snow.

If flying for myself

Work 15knt x wind cloud base 900ft into clear blue skys by 5000ft temp 15 degrees or lower, no rain or snow, viz 1.5k-3k but not LVP's.

For work.

An occassional 40G65 RVR 550m in snow with a couple of windshear levels with a rollercoaster down the ILS or NPA (increase the RVR mins though) is quite enjoyable. But everday for a week becomes more of a stamina test than anything else.

Thunderstorms can be fun :(

Watch your C150 climb at 2000 fpm shake around like you never did on the disco floor, duck the projectile vomiting from your PAX. All great fun!
The occasional lightning strike is great too! Means you get tranquil peace from the usual ATC chatter as all your radios go into crackle.
Lightning strikes are great for teeth whitening and giving your hair that extra body and lift as well making you look the part when you do take to the disco floor.
For you adrenaline junkies the icing buildup can be really amazing to watch and certainly adds a challenge to the handling qualities of the aircraft.
Above all when you come out of the CB you can always turn around and go back in for another go:D beats fairground rides hand down.

Pace

Don't forget the st elmo's fire playing all over the windscreen.

Pace, that reminds me of one weather type I have not encountered so far, but still like to experiment with (honestly).

The type of weather where it's bumpy as hell, and a great day for soaring. So great that you can soar in a SEP spamcan with the engine shut down and the prop stopped, hopping from one thermal to another.

(I do wonder about how the billing is going to work out though... 0.3 on the tacho but a flight time of two hours...)

Your not missing much Backpacker.

I would be quite happy to never go in one again.

You know when its been rough when you take off the harness and it pings off when released after you have pulled it in 20 odd times during the last flight.

Then when you try and put it on again the seat has expanded again and you have to slacken it off to get it fastened again. Shoulders are aching where the straps have dug in and elbows are black and blue banging off the back of the arm rest.

And I have had a gliding converstion student in a tommy gain 1000 ft and travel 20 odd miles while doing a PFL.

MJ

Or you have to remove your false teeth embedded in the aircraft ceiling :E

Pace

You are all frightening me!!!! :\:ooh::\

I never had it bad while learning (nor when flying as pax on holidays) probably because I tend to fly early mornings for lessons, it tends to be smoother, so I had just the odd bump or two. I do have that anxiety knowing that eventually it will happen, but when... :ouch:

And to make it better for the occasion the school where I fly managed a C172 and the owners just sold it, so I decided to give our DA20-A1 a try, so I will be lighter for the above event, when it happens... one day, until then... :\

:):ok:

Yep. In case of an engine failure, look for the nearest promising cloud, not the nearest promising field.:D

We have a few more ridges in scotland than you do and he got lift on one of them. I reckon if he could have got another 1000ft he would have been up to 10k in wave and then got the aircraft back to the departure airport.

Wasn't much of an instructor while he was doing this, just sat there and appreciated the skill that was being displayed.

No false teeth yet pace but have had to have use the odd tissue to mop the bleeding baldy patch. But to be fair that wasn't a CB that was an approach into Vagar in the Faroe's.

Very considerate, in case of a for-real engine failure. Since the engineers don't need to drive out to a muddy field to fix the engine, but can do it on their home base.

I like the challenge of IFR but if it's to be VFR it must be exceptional like this.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7066/6...ebb88319b4.jpg


Or this.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6...5485ce90c0.jpg


D.O.

MJ

The worst turbulence i had was not in a CB but in a Citation on a trip to Nice!
Starting a descent ATC warned of reported severe turbulence between FL200 and FL300.
I warned the PAX to belt up tightly and to expect turbulence. I reduced speed in the descent popping out the air brakes.
NOTHING !! As smooth as a babies bottom all the way to touchdown at Nice!
The PAX looked at me as if I was some sort of idiot!
We turned around and the co pilot and I took off empty back to the uk!
We took the northerly SID out of Nice and passing FL200 in the climb all hell let loose 45 degree wing drops the jet almost uncontrollable.
I urgently called for an immediate climb to FL320
Normally at 20 to 30000 feet the Citation climbs at 1000 fpm less nearer 30 K
The VSI indicated 3000 fpm all the way up cupboards flying open items hurling around the cabin !!! Then dead smooth and not a sign of a CB

Pace

Dont overfil

That top shot is stunning:D

I hope you had some skis in whatever you were flying as some of those slopes look real tasty!

Pace

Pace... After passage of the thunderstorm! Not around it, or into it!

I don't ski. I know it's a waste staying close to the best skiing in the UK. 80 miles vis that day!

I prefer just looking out with the heater turned up until I can smell burning pork.

D.O.