Trouble Ahead - Day 2
June 20, 2018
Trouble Ahead
BIE - GBG
We had a late morning in Nebraska.
Everyone was waiting for ceilings to lift. Race Central made the decision to bypass the FBL (Faribault, MN) leg, have everyone ferry themselves to GBG (Galesburg, IL) and continue the race once there.
We were saddened that we wouldn't be making it to Minnesota, as the FBOs do lots of planning to host the event leg. Sometime in the future I will have to visit.
This decision by Race Cental started an adventure.
We waited for the line of thunderstorms to pass over GBG before we got in the plane again. Soon we filed an IFR flight plan again and took off.
There's something so amazing, terrifying, and intriguing about flying into clouds. Alyssa and I had one point where we were surrounded by clouds on all sides, but hadn't entered the looming one in front of us. No one was talking on the radios and it was silent.
It was a surreal feeling. I cannot explain it, only if you experience it will you truly understand. We were focused and ready for what we didn't know.
It's what I can relate to being out in the open ocean, other swimmers and surfers far enough away where you can't hear their chatter. It's you and the ebb of the waves. In this scenario you are subject to nature same as with flying into clouds. You can only expect so much, but outside of that you are traversing into the unknown, held at will by mother nature.
We navigated with the help of center controllers. Our Quad City controller was very helpful. He vectored us around heavy precipitation and with our go ahead, set us up for the RNAV GPS 21 into GBG. He was ready and willing to help us divert if we needed to. Luckily there was no turbulence in the lower clouds, only rain. We descended out of the clouds, had GBG in sight and landed. It was raining more than we thought and the poor volunteer who was showing us where to park in an open air golf cart was getting soaked. We too got nice and wet tying down the aircraft for the night.
We chatted with the other girls who made it in before us and headed to the hotel.
Weather seems to be moving with us, here's to hoping it dissipates soon!
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