"Tom S." wrote in message
...

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
om...

Running into an afternoon thunderstorm in AZ is almost like hitting a
bus in an open field. They are pretty easy to stay away from. I"ve
never bothered trying to time my summer flights through AZ and NM.
Just turn if you start to head to a TS. If a TS is over the airport
when you are arriving, just throttle back to give yourself an extra 10
minutes. The storm will pass. They rarely stay in one place for long.

The last storm we had to "wait to pass" (going into Scottsdale) lasted
from
5PM until almost 10PM.

Follow up: That was certainly not the only time. Dust storms and anytime
after the monsoon season comes can have storms all evening. Yes, they can be
circumnavigated, but mostly it's picking your way through a minefield and
possibly diverting as much as 200 miles. Especially if you're coming from
the East / Northeast (our typical arrival was right over the Mogollon Rim).