On the afternoon of this flight, there was a 30% probability of cumulonimbus clouds, thunderstorms and hail. For this reason, I stayed reasonably local, touring the Isle of Wight before heading back. However, the plan had to constantly adapt to avoid the developing bad weather.
My initial routing had been:
OCK – MID- RYDE – NEDUL – ROMSEY – SAM – UCKFIELD – TUNBRIDGE WELLS – SEVENOAKS – BIGGIN.
A cumulonimbus cloud over Southampton, and towering cumulous over mid Sussex lead me to route instead around the Isle of Wight, then more or less back the way I’d come.
Because of the forecast, I had made sure I’d checked NOTAMs for diversion options all along my route, including Shoreham, Lydd, Southend, Goodwood and Sandown in case I was caught out. I also had full fuel in my tanks, giving me about 5 hours endurance.
During this flight, I also share details of my day job, talk about my time reporting on NASA’s Space Shuttle Programme, and give viewers a quick in-flight tour of India Zulu’s cockpit.
Video: PA28 flight around the Isle of Wight