Moderate Rain

In my opinion, flying through rain is much more exciting than driving through rain. A good pilot is constantly keeping track of the weather he is about to fly through, and the simple fact that it’s raining means quite a bit more than one might think. It can be a steady drizzle coming from thick stratus clouds, or it can be supercooled droplets that freeze to the plane and quickly render it unflyable, or it can be a showery, unsteady, unpredictable mix of warm convective activity. Summer rain showers can range from light to severe precipitation, depending on the stability of the atmosphere, but it always results in magnificent views.

Like driving through rain, flying through light or moderate rain is strangely tranquilizing. The sound of the drops and the subdued lighting cleanse the mind. And it makes the distant sunlight on the horizon all the more glorious. Before people started flying 120 year ago, this part of God’s creation was unexperienced by man, and I am grateful for the privilege to fly through it, take pictures of it, and paint it.