Scope for diverting mid air

yomchi

Hi all,

Just back from a trip to Bulgaria, on the way back the sky was pretty clogged up with thunder storms. Out the window I could see a massive black cloud that just stuck up into the middle of the sky, way above the others and it was throwing out some sparks. The pilot made an obvious attempt to go around it, which he did. Which lead me to this question, can the pilot make his own decisions about mid air diversions or does he have to get the go ahead from ATC? And if ATC said no diversion is possible would he have to go through the storm?

Krusty

Very doubtfull they just avoided it without clearance. Normally they ask the ATC can they go around the worst of it. I've often heard ATC on the scanner telling pilots to re-route around thunderstorm cells - it's only by a few miles so it's no major deal.

One of the biggest dangers to any aircraft is a thunderstorm. It has immense power in updrafts/downdrafts, not to mention hail etc. Some of the photos on the web of flights that went through some bad storms are quite frikkin scary. - Shattered windscreens, busted radomes, dents on the leading edge.

pclancy

Yeah he/she would have been routed around it by ATC.

Steyr

Hail Damage::eek:

yomchi

Holy moly!

pclancy

Wow! Im guessing they lost cabin pressure with damage that bad as well? or did they?