Kalamazoo
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| This cup is so wise |
On August 12, we set out on a weekend trip to visit Kent and his family in Kalamazoo. I debated about the weather in the days leading up to the trip because of a weak low pressure system forecast to be in the vicinity of Toronto with an associated cold front extending south near the Niagara River. Although thunderstorms were forecast in western New York later in the day, all data indicated that the morning was clear for a safe journey to our former home.
We flew IFR both ways, mostly in visual conditions. The route was familiar and routine, all of the expected things happened, there were no surprises, and even the Guard frequency was free of any especially puerile behavior. What stood out from this flight was the transition through the front. We found ourselves among some benign, yet fantastic cloudscapes. Images tell the story better than words ever could.
Outbound
| Date | Aircraft | Route of Flight | Time (hrs) | Total (hrs) |
| 12 Aug 2017 | N21481 | SDC (Sodus, NY) - AZO (Kalamazoo, MI) | 4.0 | 1679.7 |
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| Over the eastern suburbs of Rochester, NY. The large strip mall at lower right is Pittsford Plaza. |
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| Over Buffalo, NY |
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| These build-ups became a thunderstorm over Buffalo about an hour later |
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| Threading the needle |
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| Lake Erie from over Ontario, Canada |
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| Lake Erie was muddy from severe storms in the area the night before. |
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| A canal emptying into Lake St Clair...almost to Michigan! |
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| We were vectored directly over Detroit Metro to accommodate a commercial push. |
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ForeFlight depicted commercial aircraft queued up in pairs to land on parallel runways at Detroit Metro.
The green glide ring shows that we were turned directly into the wind as we crossed over Metro. |
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| The Jackson-Reynolds Airport (KJXN) got a new runway (7-25) and the former main runway, 6-24, was partly removed |
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| Descending toward Kalamazoo |
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| Duncan Aviation at AZO rolled out the red carpet for us! |
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Ground track from FlightAware showing vectors around Detroit and a few small deviations for build-ups near Buffalo.
That storm over Buffalo popped an hour after we passed through. We could see it building. |
The Return
| Date | Aircraft | Route of Flight | Time (hrs) | Total (hrs) |
| 13 Aug 2017 | N21481 | AZO (Kalamazoo, MI)- SDC (Sodus, NY) | 3.5 | 1683.2 |
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| Fenton, MI |
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| Lake St Clair from 9,000' |
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| Port Huron, MI |
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| Niagara Falls |
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| Lake Ontario outlet of the Welland Canal and St Catherine's Airport in Ontario, Canada |
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| Shy Bear |
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| Disheveled Bear |
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| Ground track from FlightAware showing vectors around Detroit (again) and a weather deviation near Niagara Falls |
