"Jay Honeck" wrote:

My initial comment:

Don't take this personally but it has the sound of a narrative that
could have ended in multiple fatalities.

I suppose -- but you can say that about every flight.

Jim truly won the "Iron Man" award for this flight. Through it all he
never skipped a beat, never missed a radio call -- and got us down safely in
a friggin' "inland hurricane". His professionalism and skill in the face
of truly awful conditions got us through a bad situation safely, and Mary
and I would fly that trip -- with our kids -- with him again tomorrow.
--
Jay Honeck

Jay, I will add that it was not my intent to flame you. All I could
do with one reading is look at it from my perspective and note that I
would not have made that flight. Several reasons: Not instrument
rated (signed off for exam but have not taken it); I have no interest
in rough as heck IMC conditions or anything that approaches bad
convective activity; I hate severe turbulence; None of the above are
worth it for Las Vegas (been there once).

This morning I was to go to Carlsbad NM to go to the caves. Someone
asked why I was going on a beautiful day instead of when it was worse
weather. My reply: "Because I am a wuss."

Cancelled the trip due to a rough running engine but the flight should
have been the opposite of yours: Clear skies, no projected turbulence
and light forecasted winds at the destination. I still plan on
getting there and make a PIREP.posting on it but it will neither be as
"interesting" a flight nor as eloquent prose.

Ron Lee