Mammatus, and a free car wash.

I enjoyed my lone day off, and while it wasn't nearly as long of a day as I'd hoped for, it was decent enough.

I headed down to Boston, got some lunch, watched some planes at Logan, and then got some good views of some thunderstorms as they headed southeast out to sea. The strong sea breeze blew in the ocean air, and it was very relaxing from atop the central parking garage. The drive home offered some quiet time in traffic as a storm passed over, offering the free car wash.

I have done some storm chasing back when I lived in Denver, and even though there isn't much to chase around here in the northeast, I still get to soak up some towering cumulus clouds now and again. And this got me thinkin':

I don't really know who my readership is for certain, though a few comments here and there are cluing me in (thanks for them all). I hope there are a bunch of pilots out there who read occasionally, and I invite them to read this post and consider this blogger's request for more cumulonimbus satisfaction.

Note above that I said I storm chased, as opposed to tornado chased. I've seen a tornado or two, but semantics aside, huge thunderstorms are amongst the most awe-inspiring events nature can conjure up. The only thing that beats a thunderstorm from the ground is a thunderstorm from a safe distance when airborne. This is where you, the pilot, comes in. I often read a blog called FL390. The posts often include a picture or two from the flight deck looking out at something interesting (often times, weather related), and the blog reflects upon the moment and how it was handled from a flight crew perspective. I really can't get enough of the thunderstorm pics.

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I invite all pilots out there, when possible (I certainly don't expect safety to be compromised!), to snap a shot or two of thunderstorms next time you're deviating around one, and then send them in to Nas-Confusion. If I can get a bunch of good ones, I'll post them periodically here, and add some color and light to this dim blog. Pics can be submitted in .gif, .jpeg, or .png form, zipped preferably, and emailed to deltamike172@Hotmail.com. Hopefully we can spread the beauty of mother nature at her finest this summer. I look forward to any and all you can find.

P.S. This invitation is open to passengers as well! Please include location, date, time, and any other info about the flight you want (Airline, Aircraft, route of flight, etc).

P.P.S The subject line of the email should be "Blog Thunderstorm Pics". Thanks!
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DM