Additional Event Information & Acknowledgement of Industry Sponsor(s):
For additional and background information, please visit the Orlando Executive Airport FAASTeam Library web site: https://www.fsr-inc.org/FAAST/Seminar/Notice.aspx
Background
Traditional thunderstorm training focuses on towering cumulus, anvil shapes, and “20 mile rules.” But Central Florida’s convective hazards rarely begin with textbook visuals. Instead, they emerge from boundaries, collisions, and latency gaps—phenomena that modern digital tools often fail to show in time.
EFB radar mosaics can be 5–15 minutes old. ADS B weather is stitched from multiple sources and smoothed, hiding the violent edges of developing cells. Sea breeze fronts collide inland every afternoon, creating storms that form faster than radar scan cycles. Outflow boundaries from distant storms can produce 40 knot gust fronts at ORL long before the parent storm appears threatening. Haze layers routinely hide vertical development until buildups are already mature.
This seminar reframes thunderstorm avoidance around modern traps, not classic theory—giving pilots tools to detect hazards before the data catches up. We will examine how sea breeze collisions, outflow boundaries, and fast forming cells routinely outrun the data pilots depend on. Using Central Florida weather patterns, operational examples, and convective geometry, pilots will learn how to detect pre radar cues, interpret boundary signatures, and make timely diversion decisions before the storm becomes visible or the EFB catches up.
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Relevant ACS Elements
Private Pilot ACS
• PA.I.D — Risk Management
• PA.II — Weather Information
• PA.IV — Navigation and Situational Awareness
• PA.VIII — Emergency Operations
Commercial Pilot ACS
• CA.I.D — ADM and Professionalism
• CA.II — Weather and Cross Country Planning
• CA.IV — Navigation and Situational Awareness
• CA.VIII — Emergency Operations
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Teaching Points
• Radar latency: why EFB radar shows the past, not the present
• ADS B mosaic smoothing and the “false precision” trap
• Sea breeze collisions as thunderstorm incubators
• Outflow boundaries: the invisible hazard that reaches the airport first
• Haze layer illusions that hide vertical development
• Pre radar cues: texture changes, shadowing, virga, and boundary lines
• How to identify gust front signatures on satellite and surface data
• Tactical diversion logic when storms outrun the data
• Why “holes in the line” are often the most dangerous place to penetrate
• Central Florida case studies: ORL, SFB, DAB, and coastal routes
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Key Takeaways
• Your EFB radar is a history book, not a sensor
• ADS B mosaics hide the violent edges of developing cells
• Sea breeze collisions create storms faster than radar can update
• Outflow boundaries can destabilize the pattern long before rain arrives
• Haze hides buildups until they are already mature
• Pre radar cues are the earliest and most reliable warning signs
• Tactical decisions must be made before the data confirms the threat
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FAA References
• FAA H 8083 25C — Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (Weather Theory)
• FAA H 8083 28 — Aviation Weather Handbook
• AC 00 24C — Thunderstorms
• AC 00 6B — Aviation Weather
• AIM 7 1 29 — Thunderstorm Avoidance
• FAASTeam Weather Education Resources (faasafety.gov)
• Aviation Weather Center — https://aviationweather.gov
• NWS Melbourne / Tampa Bay — local convective outlooks and boundary discussions
Thanks to Lindsey Merced at the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) for use of their Administrative Offices, to Senior FAASTeam Rep David Conrad for registration and handouts,to FAASTeam Rep and WINGSPro Eric Mason, M.D.,to FAASTeam Rep Steve Moore, to FAASTeam Rep and DRONEPro KC Sealock, to Obie Young, Florida Aviation Network, a FAASTeam Industry Member, and to John Tenney, FAASTeam Rep.
