Identifying turbulent clouds
Asked by: mm1 4201 views General Aviation, Instrument Rating, Private Pilot
Now that summer is here we have a lot of those days where clouds build up in the afternoon heat. Some of these can build pretty high even if no rain falls. I'm typically flying something like a C172 below 10,000 feet.
My question is when flying IFR in these conditions how can you tell if a cloud is safe to fly though or if it's better to ask atc for a deviation? I'm talking about clouds without thunderstorms or rain falling. Is there some rule of thumb that can be used, visual clues, or is it just a matter of experience? I know you can check pireps, convective signets, etc.
Thanks
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