"Kyle Boatright" wrote:

I don't have XM weather (wish I did), but the thing I've found which
really helps me circumnavigate convestive stuff is altitude. Like you, I
live in the South, where the haze layer often tops out at 8-10k ft. To
get a good look at the CB's from afar, I climb above the haze.

That's ok if the CBs are isolated. Often though, they're more numerous, and
hidden by towering CU that rise above the useful altitudes for my airplane.
On those days, I used to fly below the bases so I could spot the darker
areas and rain shafts. I spent a lot of time in sweaty, bumpy rides at
3,000 ft.

Since I fly an airplane which has the performance to get "up high"
relatively easily, SOP for me in the summer is to climb above the haze
layer, where I can see building weather from hundreds of miles away.

Must be nice. What airplane?

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM