I have just completed a very exciting and challenging 2 day Navex from YPPF to YPLC.  Departure was for Thursday 13th Oct, Wx CAVOK, however Friday was looking pretty ordinary.  So I contacted the MET and spoke to a really nice guy, who gave me the heads up on the progress of the trough and thunderstorms.  So I made the decison to go and if necessary I would wait it out on the Friday.

 I departed YPPF at 10am with a direct track to Lincoln via Stansbury through Class Charlie airspace at 6500ft.  All went to plan, overhead Stansbury I was out of Class C and free to have  good look about.  The Wx was sensational!

Tracking along the peninsular until reaching the Spencer Gulf, I then onto Wedge Island and Thistle Island, a quick hop over to the mainland.  Decent and arrival all went to plan, with a beauty of a landing at YPLC onRWY 01! 

John the Mobil fuel guy was ready and waiting to refuel my aircraft, to the tune of $2.20 a litre for Avgas.  I taxied the aircraft over to the grassed tie down area and secured her for the night.

At 5am I was woken to gusting wind and thunder (as expected) so up I jump and check the NAIPS and BOM.  I decided that I would make a go for it and head north, away from the storms, tracking to YCWL and across the top of the gulf to Ceduna, then onto Bowmans and St Kilda, Parafield.  All areas with airstrips, just incase I needed to sit on the ground for a while. See below todays forecast :)

PORT LINCOLN (YPLC)
    TAF YPLC 140436Z 1406/1418
    27017KT 9999 LIGHT SHOWERS OF RAIN SCT025 BKN070
    FM141000 25014KT 9999 LIGHT SHOWERS OF RAIN BKN020
    FM141200 26013KT 9999 LIGHT SHOWERS OF RAIN SCT012 BKN020
    RMK
    T 18 15 14 12 Q 1008 1012 1013 1014
    TAF YPLC 132234Z 1400/1412
    VRB06KT 9999 LIGHT SHOWERS OF RAIN BKN090
    FM140200 27017KT 9999 LIGHT SHOWERS OF RAIN BKN040
    FM141000 25014KT 9999 LIGHT SHOWERS OF RAIN BKN018
    PROB30 INTER 1400/1406 VRB22G35KT 5000 THUNDERSTORMS WITH RAIN BKN030
    SCT080CB
    RMK
    T 17 19 18 14 Q 1008 1008 1009 1012
    METAR YPLC 140530Z AUTO 25015KT 9999 // SCT023 19/13 Q1008
    RMK RF00.0/000.4
PARAFIELD (YPPF)
    TAF AMD YPPF 140428Z 1406/1418
    VRB07KT 9999 LIGHT SHOWERS OF RAIN FEW045 BKN090
    FM140800 26014KT 9999 SCT025 SCT090
    FM141200 26012KT 9999 LIGHT DRIZZLE BKN013
    PROB40 INTER 1406/1409 28020G35KT 4000 THUNDERSTORMS WITH RAIN SCT030
    SCT070CB
    INTER 1412/1418 5000 DRIZZLE BKN008
    RMK
    T 18 18 15 14 Q 1008 1010 1012 1014
    TAF AMD YPPF 140308Z 1403/1412
    30012KT 9999 LIGHT SHOWERS OF RAIN FEW045 BKN090
    FM140900 26016KT 9999 SCT040 SCT090
    INTER 1405/1409 5000 SHOWERS OF RAIN SCT040 BKN070
    RMK
    T 17 18 17 15 Q 1009 1008 1010 1013
    METAR YPPF 140530Z AUTO 07004KT 9999 // BKN100 21/12 Q1007
    RMK RF00.0/002.6

After watching the Wx, I departed YPLC at 10am to very light rain and a cloud base of around 3000ft. Headed north along the coast, dodging cloud and rain along the way.  Sometimes as low as 800ft over the water. I had decided to wait some of the bad weather out and hope it had blown far enough south of YPLC that I could fly North and then south behind the storms.  I could not have flown the same route home due to the storms, and visibility was quite bad.  I also wanted to be back into Parafield before 13:00 as there was more weather coming through after that time.

The flight was very smooth, turbulance was minimal, visibilty was down to about 3 k in showers, so I just varied my height to suit.  Over the short water leg, I did rely on my instruments quite a bit, as visibility was blurred with the water and rain to almost hide the horrizon completely. I tried to keep at 2500ft over the water.(would have prefered higher).

Once into Ceduna, the Wx made a bit of  a turn for the worse and visibility dropped considerably.  I located the airstrip and decided I would probably get on the ground and wait it out for a while, so I did a couple of orbits and waited for the rain to ease. Which it did amazingly quickly. Visibility was a good 8k again, so I thought to myself, bugger it, I will keep heading east.  Traking direct to Bowmans, I did it at 1500ft., and followed the highway, then avoiding restricted areas until well into St Kilda.

The weather had done just as I had expected and hadnt fully reached Adelaide, I was very happy to see a full 10k visability.  Landing at Parafield was picture perfect, a nice xwind and I managed to get the airplane unloaded, tied down and my car loaded before the next load of rain came through.

Overall it was a great navex, I enjoyed the challenge and have no fear of flying in rain now.  So long as I can see the ground!