Flying tomorrow back to heathrow

[shayna84]

Hi! I am currently a UK resident who travels back home to visit my family near New York several times a year. I always manage to fly when there is some big storm, noreaster or in this case hurricane on the loose in the north atlantic. I am a classic fearful flyer, I don't let it stop me from flying but I do obsess over weather, severe turbulence, all of the above. Now, I know tomorrow night Hurricane Bill will be situated off the coast of Nova Scotia. I know flights to the UK from JFK go northeasterly directly over this region. Are pilots likely to avoid it by going slightly west, up through new England, over Quebec and then out? I think flying over a hurricane can be a bit daunting. Any advice or facts about this sort of thing might help me to remain a bit calmer tomorrow evening.
Thank you!

[Barb-SAN]

Any advice or facts about this sort of thing might help me to remain a bit calmer tomorrow evening.
Thank you!
Hi Shayna,
:welcome2:
While waiting for a response from Capt. Hutch...have you read the thread directly below this one, "Flying through a line of thunderstorms"? http://www.takingflight.us/forums/showthread.php?t=8300 You can see how planes flew (or didn't fly) in the vicinity of a hurricane in the southern U.S., as well as around thunderstorms in various parts of the U.S. I found it very reassuring to observe via flight tracking that planes stay well away from thunderstorms and hurricanes (with the exception of special planes that fly INTO hurricanes to study them). The last two posts on that thread show the pilot's view of a thunderstorm both out the window, and on the radar screen.

Do you know if the plane you will be flying on has those seat back screens where you can track your flight? Also, do you ever meet the pilots before your flight? This would be a great opportunity to do so, and ask them your questions about where they will be flying to avoid "Bill". I'll bet if you brought along a map, they would even show you their proposed route. Rest assured that they have good radar to help them see thunderstorms up ahead.
Have a great flight tomorrow!

[Gates]

So how was the flight? I am doing the same thing tomorrow... flying from JFK to Pisa in the middle of a hurricane. Needless to say, I'm anxious about it! I'd love a report!

[MathFox]

So how was the flight? I am doing the same thing tomorrow... flying from JFK to Pisa in the middle of a hurricane. Needless to say, I'm anxious about it! I'd love a report!
A plane can (and pilots will) fly around bad weather; hurricanes are pretty easy as they are tracked by the meteorologists and dispatchers can plan a route around them. What most likely will happen is that you'll have a view of the hurricane clouds; from a safe distance. (BTW, the normal route to Europe is along the coats towards Newfoundland, crossing the Ocean south of Greenland)
There is a problem with airports; they can't move fast enough to evade the hurricanes. If the weather becomes too bad for safe operation, they'll be closed and planes in the air will be diverted; planes on the ground remain at the airport. Try to remain friendly to airport and airline employees that have to handle the mess and work with them to find a solution in case your flight gets delayed/cancelled/diverted.

[shayna84]

Sorry it as taken me awhile to respond!
Yes, everyone was right about the flight path, we did hurricane Bill by flying sligtly west and over Labrador as opposed to Newfoundland. In addition to that, we had to change our flight path anyway because of severe thunderstorms over Hartford CT. They shut down the airspace over central CT and redirected us out over Long Island, then over the coast of MA before turning in over Maine (but more inland Maine). It was quite the route, but kept us safe. Okay, it was bumpy, had to grip my seat a few times, but at least I knew why the air was a bit rough. Once out over the Atlantic it calmed down for most of the journey. Still not a keen flyer, and storms make me nervous, but after that experience, I felt assured that pilots and air traffic control do regularly change flight paths to avoid ominous weather :) Role-on hurricane season! :)

[Captain Hutch]

Shayna 84,

Glad to see that you made it okay. Your report was a nice testimony to the fact that the system really works and everyone (pilots, controllers, meteorological folks) works together so the flying public can have a safe journey. A few years ago I flew over a hurricane that was sitting off the coast of Florida. There wasn't much left of it and even though most of the clouds were well below us the eye was very visible just like in the photos that you see of the swirling clouds covering a very large area.

Thanks for the report!

Hutch :tiphat: