Sad to say, that didn't last more than part of the way. I popped in and
out of clouds but then I went solid. Then it got REALLY dark. Then all
hell broke loose. I'm glad I was alone because it wasn't pretty.
Anyway, as I'm here to write this story you know how it turned out. I
went in and out of heavy rain numerous times. The airspeed indicator
began to become erratic.

What a hair-raising story!

One thing I've had beaten into my head is to never, ever mess with
thunderstorms. Unless they are widely scattered (the norm around here in
summer) we'll stay on the ground.

There's a good article in Plane & Pilot this month about flying near
thunderstorms, and one line (and I paraphrase) stuck in my craw: "Whether
you're an airline pilot, a weekend warrior, or Bob Hoover himself,
thunderstorms are the 'great equalizer' of pilots. They will kill everyone,
regardless of piloting skill."
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"