What steps would you take if you encounter severe weather such as a thunderstorm while aloft?

What steps would you take if you encounter severe weather such as a thunderstorm while aloft?

• A. Re-route away from the cell, maintain safe altitude, communicate, and divert to a pre-planned alternate field if necessary
• B. Maintain safe distance and monitor weather, then plan diversion
• C. Descend to lower altitude out of the cell and continue as planned
• D. Fly through the cell to test the limits

Answer: (A)

Encountering a thunderstorm aloft calls for immediate avoidance and a clear plan to get to safe air. The best approach is to steer away from the storm, keep a safe altitude relative to the weather, and communicate your situation while having a ready diversion to a pre-planned alternate field if needed. Re-routing away from the cell reduces exposure to dangerous updrafts, severe turbulence, wind shear, hail, and lightning. Maintaining a safe altitude helps you stay out of the most violent air and keeps you in better control, rather than drifting into the storm’s core. Clear communication with other pilots and any applicable authorities, plus a pre-planned alternate field, ensures you have a reliable option if conditions worsen or your route becomes blocked. Other options fall short because simply monitoring and planning a diversion can leave you still in or near the storm, descending into lower air can put you into the storm’s hazardous layers, and flying through the cell to “test limits” is unsafe and not an acceptable choice in glider operations.

Encountering a thunderstorm aloft calls for immediate avoidance and a clear plan to get to safe air. The best approach is to steer away from the storm, keep a safe altitude relative to the weather, and communicate your situation while having a ready diversion to a pre-planned alternate field if needed. Re-routing away from the cell reduces exposure to dangerous updrafts, severe turbulence, wind shear, hail, and lightning. Maintaining a safe altitude helps you stay out of the most violent air and keeps you in better control, rather than drifting into the storm’s core. Clear communication with other pilots and any applicable authorities, plus a pre-planned alternate field, ensures you have a reliable option if conditions worsen or your route becomes blocked.

Other options fall short because simply monitoring and planning a diversion can leave you still in or near the storm, descending into lower air can put you into the storm’s hazardous layers, and flying through the cell to “test limits” is unsafe and not an acceptable choice in glider operations.