AnthonyQ wrote:
Considering the tops appeared to be somewhere less than 16,000ft, and it is a long way to the ITCZ, how bad can it get really at Northern European latitudes ? (In terms of turbulence, icing, hail etc).
Bad enough to detach the wing of an airliner… NLM CityHopper Flight 431
AnthonyQ wrote:
Clearly the airlines always weave around anything painted on their scopes, but I understand that is mostly for passenger comfort than real safety concerns…. For me a stormscope is good enough (in Europe)…
I recently sold an ADL data link device to a DA42 pilot. He told me for about 10 years he was flyling along just fine and wondering what all the other people talked about with their weather avoidance etc. But then he realized he had just been lucky. He must have hit a cell right in the middle. Among very unpleasant turbulence etc. both of his engine apparently nacelles iced up so badly the DA42 could not hold altitude, Austrocontrol had to divert him from the Alps into flat terrain as an emergency and he was lucky as the ice then melted and the engines began making enough power to hold altitude and continue.
Austrocontrol was apparently extremely helpful but after the landing they asked for a report how such a mess could have happened…
lenthamen wrote:
Bad enough to detach the wing of an airliner… NLM CityHopper Flight 431
Add to that a TB20 that flew into a TCU, an Arrow that flew into an embedded CB.
That was pretty cool. But ATC doesn’t need your ground speed. They have that one already figured out.
@boscomantico wrote:
The weather was heavy (the camera doesn’t pick up the turbulence very much). I am sure it was very stressful. One of these days when cancelling IFR at the right moment (or diverting alltogether) would probably have been the better choice. Great work by that DFS approach controller…
Would you give us any comment or advice, when watching that educational / sporty approach ?
Anything should have been done differently ?
@Bizjet pilots
How do you comment the use of the onboard radar, and the tactical diversion he asks thanks to it ?
Mixing it up with heavy iron with a Va of 151 KTAS in TCUs and CBs (MAUW, solo and half fuel the Va is more like 130 KTAS) struck me as odd. Typically Frankfurt ATC are streaming Bizet traffic at 200KTAS up to 4 DME on the ILS, in addition to a lengthy SID where 220KTAS is appreciated.
A VFR to Eglesbach might have been a better choice of horses for courses, allowing a wider berth around cells.
Bad enough to detach the wing of an airliner… NLM CityHopper Flight 431
Fair enough…
Just saw this on BT:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/05/24/high-speed-camera-captures-amazing-lightning-flash/
looks like something to avoid 
But there must be some correlation between TS danger and the (predicted) CAPE or Lifted Index, presumably the LI was only slightly negative around Frankfurt during this approach (given the low tops)..or have I got it all wrong!?
All a bit odd in that video to be honest. I agree. Clear below so Egelsbach would have been a lot easier than flying the arrival/approach to Frankfurt in that aircraft. I went in there Monday in similar weather.
RADAR use could use some tilt management.
Why did he tell Langen his parking position?
I am surprised he relied on ATC RADAR. In Europe I never assume ATC pay attention to weather.
You can hear the stress in his voice. While it works out I think there is quite a bit of luck involved. Overall not a great advertisement for Single pilot IFR.
RADAR use could use some tilt management
You are absolutely right. The wx-radar picture is almost useless showing ground clutter (terrain) all the time. During descent and approach the antenna tilt has to be
moved up to approx. 5 degrees to see the storm cells.
Talking with ATC about the taxi routing on very short final is not appropriate … the tower controller’s answer " Keep your eyes on the runway " is astonishingly situational.
To be fair, he was no doubt painfully aware of the Korean Heavy bearing down on him and wanted to make sure he didn’t screw up the exit…
