This is an excellent program that every pilot should complete, multiple times.  Unfortunately the lancair is popular with AOPA.  The version of this training for controllers has another example of a pilot flying into a thunderstorm in a Legacy, even after controllers told the pilot multiple times about a solid line of weather and suggested turning around.  I really think the speed of this plane and lack of an on board weather radar leads to a lot of these accidents.  Try to find a king air or citation pilot that will fly at 250 knots at 12,000 feet without the radar working and no ice protection around solid lines of thunderstorms, yet, at the center I see people do this everyday, and not just Lancair’s.  Columbia’s, cirrus’s, mooney’s, barons, etc.  Weather creeps up fast at 3 to 4 miles a minute.  To quote Richard Collins advice, never go IFR around any thunderstorm activity.  Sounds great in theory, but I watch pilots do it all of the time in the south.  Most are successful, some are not.  We had 2 Mu-2 crashes, a Cessna 337 and an A36, with in about 2 years, same scenario, weather radar OTS or non existent and they flew into thunderstorms, breaking up in flight.  The quote from the A36 pilot 3 minutes before he broke up, “I have a storm scope, we are fine,” while the controller is telling the pilot about the weather and suggesting a heading about 40 degrees to go around it.  The 2 accidents in the Mu2 lead to the SFAR for MU-2’s.  XM is not to be used for going around storms IFR.  I see pilots use it for that everyday and it is only a matter of time.  I’ve heard controllers respond to “I am XM equipped”, with “Are you windshield equipped?”  I heard some one say that they would not fly without an XM WX receiver.  Granted it is a great tool for going long distance cross country and helping to plan routes around changing weather, but basic airmanship and decision making is much more important than staring at the XM.  A student of mine learned that the hard way.  Bought a 396, flew to the Bahamas and on his way back ran into a large line of storm moving across the state.  Of course, his XM did not work.  Only good thing is he followed my advice and never got IFR, even though on an IFR flight plan, and ended up flying about 200 miles around the line before going VFR under it as it broke up.  Not the best course of action to take, but definitely a great learning experience.  I’ve found a lot of people feel that technology is a warm blanket and become “all weather pilots” when they have technology.  Take that away and they will not go into a cloud.  Understanding of weather, proper briefing and planning and decision making are far more important.  Every time I used to fly a Seneca II near weather, the onboard radar would always fail.  Only time it would turn on, was when it was VFR.

To add to the controller aspect, if you get into a jam and are betting on the controller to help you out, please execute a 180 degree turn and land elsewhere.  Some controllers provide great service and some just do not understand small aircraft.  Also due to recent focus on calling weather to every single aircraft because of litigation against the FAA, enroute controllers find themselves busy calling weather to every single airliner and sometimes forget about the low little guy.  I have watched it many times, not to mention our equipment in the center is worse than XM and usually delayed more.  Go through the ASF course and you will see.  Be safe and Blue skys.

 

Luke Alcorn

Air Traffic Control Specialist

NATCA Safety Rep

Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center