On my AirVenture pilgrimage from New Jersey to Oshkosh many summers ago, I was watching a couple of small but darkening red splotches showing up ahead on the Nexrad screen of my handheld GPS navigator. This was in the early days of having weather radar displays available on portables, and I was glad I had it.
I had a similar experience many summers ago (possibly 2018?) flying back to Texas from Oshkosh. Making our way south through Missouri, there was weather, and I decided to fly west around it, using a local VOR’s location as a convent way to explain my plan to ATC. After I made this decision, I heard a number of other airplanes execute the same plan. Everybody was flying home from Oshkosh to somewhere south (feels like they’re all going to Texas, but it can’t be).
Yes, I’ve seen this many times–pilots accepting the routing–until someone asks for a better route.
Even better, sometimes it works in reverse. At an airport located in the midwest, a number of private, corporate, and airline flights launched into increasingly darkening skies. Finally, one of the pilots waiting declined the clearance, and requested a return to the ramp. ATC cleared the next aircraft in waiting–who also declined. Perhaps 7 or 8 aircraft followed suit, until the next aircraft in line responded (In an Oriental accent)–“WE WILL GO!” The aircraft departed into the weather, and the controller asked the next aircraft in line “Nx xxxx–do YOU want to go?” The aircraft accepted the clearance and departed, but the next aircraft in line declined.
Chalk it up to “peer pressure”–pilots don’t like to be the first to decline–but once they see aircraft in front of them accept it, they often accept it as well.
Make up your OWN mind.
On a dark moonless night many decades ago, before XM and ADSb weather in the cockpit, I was flying a Falcon 20 back to Illinois from Maine. Having recently attended an Archie Trammel Weather Radar Seminar I couldn’t wait to put my new found knowledge of Tilt and Gain adjustments to work. Sure enough while in cruise I “found” a weather area out in front of us and, according to Archie, needed to give it a 40 mile berth. Asking center for a deviation for weather brought a “well, whatever you want” reply. As we were ending the deviation and turning back on course the sky opened up and everything was illuminated from below. It was then that I realized we had just deviated around Cleveland!
I’ve been a “lead” pilot on routes or departures many times, but I had functioning onboard weather radar to guide me through. Got to be careful with XM or other weather services because there may be a delay as much as 15 minutes from what shows up on the display to what is actually out there. Even ATC has limits with their displays, but can be very helpful especially with seeing what other planes are doing.
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