A remote pilot is set up for a commercial survey 18 miles from a visible line of cumulonimbus clouds. The briefing forecasts storm movement away from the survey area over 2 hours. The client has a hard deadline. What is the correct decision?

Question

Accepted Answer

Wait until the storm has clearly passed and conditions are stable: cumulonimbus are inherently unpredictable and a forecast is not an operational guarantee.. Cumulonimbus clouds produce rapidly changing and highly dangerous conditions including severe turbulence, lightning, hail, wind shear, and microbursts that can extend well beyond the visible storm. A forecast of storm movement is probabilistic, not a guarantee. Client deadlines are not a valid reason to accept hazardous weather conditions.

Answer

Launch and complete as much of the survey as possible while monitoring storm movement.

Answer

Launch if the nearest airport METAR shows 3 SM visibility: cloud clearance rules adequately address proximity to convective activity.