Dave Cohen sent in this picture, with a note: “Dave and Carolyn Cohen encountered this impressive rain downdraft north of Orlando, on the return leg of a brunch trip to Williston (X60) from Apopka (X04).”
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Dave and Carolyn,
That is a neat shot! It reminds me of my annual pilgrimages in the Swift from Knoxville to Sun ‘n Fun. You spend a lot of time looking at NexRad and planning a route, but the old “Mark One Eyeball” is indispensable in storm avoidance. Fortunately not too much of a challenge when good visibility prevails.
Back in the “dark ages” (AKA the 80’s) I was a young Air Force Captain flying over JAX in a U-2 at operational altitude. You are always “VFR on top” at those heights, and this day the visibility below was good. I had a great view of the entire east coast of FL, from JAX almost all the way to the keys. That afternoon there was a string of broken TSTMS just offshore all the way down the coast; typical of afternoon heating interacting with moist offshore air.
It looked like little piles of cotton balls strung along the beaches.
This was well before digital cameras and i Phones, so the only photo I have is burned in my internal memory banks. Still a wonderful memory…and I think of that every year as the Swift and I make our way up and down the peninsula. The cruise altitude is much lower and slower, but at least in the Swift I can scratch where it itches!
Thanks for the comment, Jim! Florida in the summer can provide some impressive displays of nature.
Thanks for the great memories of your U-2 days. It must have been great being on the cusp of space, while looking down at the wonders of our atmosphere!
Be safe!