Catching up, I am.
The Main Part - Monday
The previous mention of the challenge of Great Lakes spring weather manifested itself on Monday. Sunday night I went to bed, having checked all the forecasts for locations along my intended route (destination Batavia, NY - KGVQ), very uncertain I'd even get off the ground. Rain, low ceilings, thunderstorms - they were all in there, at various times for various locations. The next morning revealed the futility of my weather planning. Sunshine and blue skies were forecast for Port Clinton (KPCW), and it looked as though those skies could move up the coast. I just had to wait a couple of hours for the clouds to break from their rain-laden overnight dump. Indeed, by 10:00 a.m. the skies opened up and a clear path lay before me as far as half way up to Buffalo. On its current course, it even looked like the system could move fast enough to make the farthest eastward destination, Watertown, NY (KART), a possibility. But I would have been very happy just making it to Batavia, where I could then assess my chances of making it around Ontario, or just taking the short cut over Niagara Falls to Huron and Georgian Bay.
Off I went, only to find when in the air that the progress of the weather system had slowed and that waypoints on the back half of Lake Erie remained ensconced in conditions unfavorable to senior VFR-only pilots. So I diverted after about 77 miles to Lake County Executive airport, just outside Willoughby and Mentor Ohio - a 30 minute flight.
On the ground at the very pleasant but modest FBO I could see the system making steady progress, looking like it would clear Batavia some time between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m.. The only problem was I was picking up thunderstorms building in the Detroit area, on the other side of the lake, with tracks aimed in our direction. For the rest of that afternoon, I watched the system in front of me slowly make its way, while the one behind me, filled with lightening and dark red markings on the radar, marched on over the lake. The gap was closing.
By 6:00 p.m. the thunderstorms cut across my flight path just next to the airfield. Flight students shortened their lessons after reports of strange-looking skies over the lake. By 7:00, even though the up-ahead system had cleared Buffalo, the remnants were still over my flight path and I gave up. Off to the hotel I went, thanks to the crew car I was loaned for the night by the FBO. Very accommodating people.
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| Reminded me of home during my walk waiting for an opening in the weather. |
The Main Part - Tuesday
The forecast Monday night for Tuesday was more encouraging, though only up to the Buffalo area. Low level clouds and higher winds were forecast for the Lake Ontario area, so I set my sights on Batavia (just loved the name, as the Reyers kids might remember a town and ship by the same name in Holland). Only wrinkle was that a TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) was put in place in Buffalo in anticipation of President Biden's visit, starting at 9:15 a.m.. That meant I had to be on my way by 7:30 a.m. to get through the TFR airspace in time. Then I would be stuck there until at least 3:00 p.m., but who knows what the options would be by that time.
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| The strong winds of about 35 mph pushed us along at 193 mph (168 knots) |
The weather forecast roller coaster continued. By the time I could see the end of Lake Erie, the clouds had moved south over land, leaving what looked like a clear shot over Lake Ontario. Contacting ATC (air traffic control), I changed my destination to Watertown, NY. The weather at that time showed some clouds, but with 4500 foot ceilings, more than enough, and the winds blowing right down the runway. Good thing, because the wind was 19 - 35 mph.
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| Picturesque eastern Lake Ontario with a cloud deck moving in from the north. |
After a landing where it felt like we were just hovering over the runway, I pulled up to the very fancy FBO by 9:30 a.m., and my flying day was done. Weather forecasts suggest we should have clear skies and good conditions for our venture into Canada the next day, but who knows.
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| Lots of county employees help vagabond pilots care for their aircraft. |
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