Flight to Florida -- The Cure for Winter

"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:nsWHj.45808$TT4.14344@attbi_s22:

I will save your post for our future Florida trips.

The secret to doing long, multi-day VFR cross country flights is to be
relaxed and flexible about your ultimate destination. Remember, we
always have three destinations flight-planned, and choose the one with
the best long-range weather prognosis on our day of departure. Thus,
even though we once again hoped to go to the Hangar Hotel in Texas,
for the third spring in a row we scrubbed the idea and headed direct
to Florida, thanks to nasty-looking predicted weather in the Texas
panhandle.

The other "secret" (although it's hardly rare) is to have XM weather.
With that incredible tool on board, we know what we're flying toward
hours in advance, and can make adjustments accordingly.

For example, we left Pensacola (heading South to St. Pete) with
conditions marginal VFR and deteriorating. However, with XM weather
(and a thorough pre-flight weather briefing), we knew that flying
North (away from the gulf, which was pumping the moisture on-shore,
causing the lowering visibility/ceiling) would get us quickly into
nice VFR, and then (at Tallahassee) we could hang a right and head
straight south in good (if incredibly turbulent) VFR. From
Tallahassee South, ceilings were 3500 scattered-to-broken, and the
view of the gulf was fantastic.

I would NEVER have attempted that flight "pre-XM", simply because I'd
be trying to paint a picture of weather in my head from a radio
briefing (IF you could even get ahold of Flight Service), and you'd
have no idea of the "big picture" that live XM paints so wonderfully
for you.

Good God, where is aviation heading?

Bertie

On Mar 30, 8:42 pm, "Jay Honeck" wrote:

I would NEVER have attempted that flight "pre-XM", simply because I'd be
trying to paint a picture of weather in my head from a radio briefing (IF
you could even get ahold of Flight Service), and you'd have no idea of the
"big picture" that live XM paints so wonderfully for you.

Wait -- are you serious?

While in flight weather provides localized details of the changes in
weather after the preflight briefing, ANY pilot should have the big
and little pictures in his/her head before launching anytime, period.

In Flight wx data should simply confirm what you expect to happen, or
help educate you on how your interpretation/prognostics were wrong.

XM doesn't provide the depth of information available he
http://aviationweather.gov/

And if you're relying on XM in lieu of a Standard wx brief, you're in
violation of the CFRs.


Dan Mc

I would NEVER have attempted that flight "pre-XM", simply because I'd be
trying to paint a picture of weather in my head from a radio briefing (IF
you could even get ahold of Flight Service), and you'd have no idea of
the
"big picture" that live XM paints so wonderfully for you.

Wait -- are you serious?

Completely. XM weather gives you a weather picture that is absolutely
unparalleled in GA aircraft. Before we had it, we would have stayed in
Pensacola. After we had it, the flight from Pensacola to St. Pete was
completely routine.

XM doesn't provide the depth of information available he
http://aviationweather.gov/

No one said it did. But it provides more than enough in-flight information
to make flying MUCH safer and more relaxing.

In my time, three things have utterly changed flying for the better:

1. GPS
2. ANR technology
3. XM weather

And if you're relying on XM in lieu of a Standard wx brief, you're in
violation of the CFRs.

As stated in my post, we obtained a standard weather briefing, as we do
before any flight.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Mar 30, 9:51 pm, "Jay Honeck" wrote:


XM weather gives you a weather picture that is absolutely
unparalleled in GA aircraft.

Yes, but...

You -- as a pilot -- should have that "picture" in your mind, and be
able to predict the changes, rates of changes, and the impact of those
changes on your flight.

XM will help you adjust that picture, and should help you acquire that
skill more rapidly IF you take the approach that YOU have to know, and
not rely on the XM.

The XM -- as GPS -- should simply confirm what you already know.

Curmudgeon lament follows:

I guess it's here -- a whole generation of pilots following magenta
lines who will now be looking to fly through green and avoid the red
and yellow.

We should call them Crayola-viators.

Dan Mc

"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:WsXHj.45877$TT4.30055@attbi_s22:

I would NEVER have attempted that flight "pre-XM", simply because
I'd be trying to paint a picture of weather in my head from a radio
briefing (IF you could even get ahold of Flight Service), and you'd
have no idea of the
"big picture" that live XM paints so wonderfully for you.

Wait -- are you serious?

Completely. XM weather gives y

Thanks be to God it will only be a Cherokee you destroy.



Bertie

Dan wrote in news:1777fa59-5a2d-4171-af7f-
:

On Mar 30, 9:51 pm, "Jay Honeck" wrote:


XM weather gives you a weather picture that is absolutely
unparalleled in GA aircraft.

Yes, but...

You -- as a pilot -- should have that "picture" in your mind, and be
able to predict the changes, rates of changes, and the impact of those
changes on your flight.

XM will help you adjust that picture, and should help you acquire that
skill more rapidly IF you take the approach that YOU have to know, and
not rely on the XM.

The XM -- as GPS -- should simply confirm what you already know.

Curmudgeon lament follows:

I guess it's here -- a whole generation of pilots following magenta
lines who will now be looking to fly through green and avoid the red
and yellow.

We should call them Crayola-viators.



I fly with lots of them nowadays. i have a differnt name for them.

Bertie

"Bertie the Bunyip" wrote in message
.. .
Dan wrote in news:1777fa59-5a2d-4171-af7f-
:

On Mar 30, 9:51 pm, "Jay Honeck" wrote:


XM weather gives you a weather picture that is absolutely
unparalleled in GA aircraft.

Yes, but...

You -- as a pilot -- should have that "picture" in your mind, and be
able to predict the changes, rates of changes, and the impact of those
changes on your flight.

XM will help you adjust that picture, and should help you acquire that
skill more rapidly IF you take the approach that YOU have to know, and
not rely on the XM.

The XM -- as GPS -- should simply confirm what you already know.

Curmudgeon lament follows:

I guess it's here -- a whole generation of pilots following magenta
lines who will now be looking to fly through green and avoid the red
and yellow.

We should call them Crayola-viators.



I fly with lots of them nowadays. i have a differnt name for them.


We have a name for lamers like guys too - dinosaurs.

I guess it's here -- a whole generation of pilots following magenta
lines who will now be looking to fly through green and avoid the red
and yellow.

We should call them Crayola-viators.

That's funny. I just flew my family transcontinentally 2500 miles in a
single-piston-engine spam-can, all VFR, over a six day period, during the
most weather-variable time of year, using the best technology available --
and you're saying that using this technology makes me a "crayola-viator"?

You're not a curmudgeon -- you're a Luddite.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Maxwell" luv^2^fly^99@^cox.^net wrote in news:faYHj.45315$f8.11862
@newsfe23.lga:


"Bertie the Bunyip" wrote in message
.. .
Dan wrote in news:1777fa59-5a2d-4171-af7f-
:

On Mar 30, 9:51 pm, "Jay Honeck" wrote:


XM weather gives you a weather picture that is absolutely
unparalleled in GA aircraft.

Yes, but...

You -- as a pilot -- should have that "picture" in your mind, and be
able to predict the changes, rates of changes, and the impact of
those
changes on your flight.

XM will help you adjust that picture, and should help you acquire
that
skill more rapidly IF you take the approach that YOU have to know,
and
not rely on the XM.

The XM -- as GPS -- should simply confirm what you already know.

Curmudgeon lament follows:

I guess it's here -- a whole generation of pilots following magenta
lines who will now be looking to fly through green and avoid the
red
and yellow.

We should call them Crayola-viators.



I fly with lots of them nowadays. i have a differnt name for them.


We have a name for lamers like guys too - dinosaurs.




So, you admit to being one of the lusers who cant fly without electronic
crutches?

good for you. Relaising this is the first step towards realising you'll
soon be a statistic.

BTW, When I was a young pilot, I didn't see any of the previous
generation as dinosaurs.


Bertie

"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:QaYHj.45927$TT4.12175@attbi_s22:

I guess it's here -- a whole generation of pilots following magenta
lines who will now be looking to fly through green and avoid the red
and yellow.

We should call them Crayola-viators.

That's funny. I just flew my family transcontinentally 2500 miles in
a single-piston-engine spam-can, all VFR, over a six day period,
during the most weather-variable time of year, using the best
technology available -- and you're saying that using this technology
makes me a "crayola-viator"?

You're not a curmudgeon -- you're a Luddite.

No, he's an aviator, and you are an idiot.


Bertie