by Joseph E. Burnside

It’s often easy to forego obtaining a full weather briefing before a flight. Looking at the weather as we drive to the airport, we assess the local conditions, noting the cloud cover and bases, check visibility by seeking out distant landmarks and note if any other airplanes are flying.

During a quick turn, we don’t take time to pick up a phone to call the local AFSS—after all, we just came in and experienced that weather, didn’t we? We should be telling them about it, not the other way around. …