The Last 15 Minutes into Wichita Were the Most Exciting

The NEXRAD weather shows us all the colors as we are just 35 miles out of Jabara Airport in Wichita. There were reports of heavy rain showers over Wichita and the commercial airport had stopped operations. As I was planning a turn to my alternate, Approach came on and told me to expect a visual at Jabara. I checked AWOS again and it had gone from 2 miles visibility in rain showers to 7 miles. I landed and was just pulling the last bag out of the Bonanza as the rain returned.

Thus began my 2 1/2 days at FlightSafety....

This year I was paired with an excellent pilot from Southern California flying a Bonanza exactly like my 2003 A36. He also flys on business and we both fly about 200 hours a year. We had a great time going through engine failures, fires, equipment failures, etc....while we, of course, never left the ground.

The return flight required flying through moderate rain for about 40 minutes. The NEXRAD allowed me to avoid places where the bumps were located. So, N836CF got a great wash and rinse and headed into clear air for the balance of the trip home to Leesburg.

As always, I felt more capable and more respectful of the Bonanza....and grateful to be back in my own plane.