Pentrating Towering Cumulus Clouds

Blanche wrote in news:1115530461.148407
@irys.nyx.net:

Been following this thread and I'm unclear about something. Are
there *really* people out there who 1) have never seen a TCU/CB or
2) have never seen a tornado or 3) have never seen the films on
television about these things? I learned about clouds and how
they formed and about Tstorms in grade school science class.
In particular, hail from Tstorms and how damaging it can be.
And how fast the wind can whip a pencil thru 4inch lumber. Had
great demonstrations!

I've been on a number of commercial flights where the aircraft
deviates to avoid those big, white, fluffy, gorgeous clouds (do
love Ch9 on United. Just hate United).

Which leads me to wonder *WHY* would anyone even consider flying
thru CB or TCU? At least without a will and/or a deathwish.



You don't always see them.

If they don't have visible lightning, they don't necessarily show up at
night. Before getting our StrikeFinder, I got caught a few times. A
wild ride at times.

If you're in seemingly benign clouds, you may not know what lies ahead.
Lynda and I had a memorable encounter while enroute to Parents' Day for
our younger when he was in undergraduate school at Miami of Ohio. We had
been IMC for quite a while, with a smooth ride, when it all came loose
with no warning at all. The VSI was pegged in a vicious updraft. Slowed
to Va, extended gear, told ATC that a block altitude was required RIGHT
NOW. A Mooney in the vicinity was complaining about 2,000 ft per minute.
We had more, but I don't know how much more, as the VSI was off scale.

Ordered the StrikeFinder the next week. Have not had an encounter like
that since the device was installed -- it gives plenty of warning.

--L. R. Du Broff