Pilot Weather Wisdom

Captain D was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal.

Bad Atmosphere

As a captain for Air Canada, pilot Captain Doug Morris has gotten plenty of practice this summer (politely) delivering bad news to passengers. Very often the blame is assigned to the weather. “Mother Nature can throw a lot of curveballs. She can challenge us,” said Mr. Morris, who is also a meteorologist and co-author of the book, “Pilot Weather: From Solo to the Airlines.” Florida tops the list of states most prone to thunderstorms, he said, followed by Colorado. To avoid getting stuck waiting for the storm clouds to pass, Mr. Morris also suggests booking flights as early in the day as possible. “In the morning, things are starting off fresh as far as schedules go. Everyone’s getting going.” But if there are delays, they cause a “chain reaction throughout the day.”