While considering ProfJ's question, maybe it would be a good idea to read or re-read the excellent "Into the Bowels of Darkness" by Kempton Izuno as a way to become fully enlightened on the subject of flying into or near rain clouds. Check it out starting on page 12 of the 12/2005 edition of the PASCO newsletter. https://www.pacificsoaring.org/westw...2_WestWind.pdf

Robert

On Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 1:19:22 PM UTC-5, ProfJ wrote:
Typing this with my fireproof suit on...last weekend I tried to duck between two rainy cumulus clouds on my glide back to home base. As I went through the gap it became filled with virga and I was sucked rapidly upwards, probably would have been about 10m/s if I had not had the nose well down. This was not tranquil, but not terrifying either (I was about 3000 ft below cloudbase) and added some useful height and speed.

So here's the question: would you (do you?) deliberately head into virga if you needed the boost, or is this a truly dumb thing to do? Same for rain clouds (assuming you are in updraft not downdraft zone), how close would you get?

Not looking for legal technicalities here, this was good VFR at all times - just trying to calibrate risk.