It often takes me a while to write, thanks to a combination of perfectionism and writer’s block (I have a couple half-finished pieces written right now). Right now, though, I’m about to head off to a simulator lesson for a multi-engine instrument flight. Flight in instrument conditions – clouds, low visibility, that sort of thing – is really one of my favorite parts of aviation. It’s often difficult, though riding the rails on an ILS approach or even entering a hold smoothly can be intensely rewarding. There’s a level of interaction between controllers and pilots that’s much more active, sometimes even personal. When you’re on approach to land in the soup and the controller hands you off to tower, you mean it when you say ‘thanks for the help tonight’. Autopilots have made life much easier in the cockpit, but weather can still create a nerve-wracking experience.

Beyond that, the ability to fly in the weather has changed the industry. Flights are still delayed because of weather, but imagine if we couldn’t even take off through the clouds! It’s safe to say that three things have revolutionized air transportation: pressurization, the jet engine, and precise instrument flight. Without these three, airline travel would never have become convenient and certainly not cheap.

So, the next time your flight takes off or lands in crummy weather, think about how truly impressive it is. A hundred years ago, we were barely able to control a machine in the air. Now we’re traveling thousands of kilometers and landing in conditions where you can barely see fifteen feet.