Off today to Lakeland, Florida, and National Flight Services to pick up a newly acquired Beech King Air C90B, N903TT. It will be the third in our fleet. We will be dropping off another of our C90Bs, N905TT, for maintenance. This is my first flight since installing my free upgrade to REX Essentials environment textures and was interested in seeing what it provides. Our enroute forecast is somewhat iffy. As we leave as there is scattered unsettled weather up and down the east coast.

 

Here is a good shot of N903TT, waiting for us in Lakeland.

 

 

N905TT climbing out from Asheville as we begin our trip south. Note the improved REX Essentials cumulus clouds.

 

 

Uh Oh! Descending over central Florida into impending weather! Should have known! But the excitement of the new acquisition of another C90B spurs us on to Lakeland! The weather continued to harass us, and for the first time in my flying career ATC changed the active approach to an airport twice in less than 6 minutes. We were originally cleared for RNAV 23. Then the winds shifted and we were diverted for a VOR 09 approach. Then the weather closed in and our approach was changed again, this time to the ILS approach to 05!

 

 

Wx was deteriorating fast! We started to see lightning as we descended below the cloud base between our IAF at PLUMY and the ILS OM at WIREY!

 

 

Classic cumulonimbus with mammatus base! Not a good sign but fortunately characteristic of a maturing storm and one not moving fast! (Great job there REX Essentials! Very realistic!)

 

 

Lightening gets more frequent and floods across the pattern!

 

 

Almost to the OM! Too close for comfort! Time to turn left to final! Like right now! Only we have an outbound procedure turn (to the right) at the marker that will add at least three minutes to our anxiety! This is especially tough for my co-pilot today, Lefty. You must know already from that nickname that he does not take well to the right seat, especially when confronted with these challenging conditions!

 

 

Welcome relief, runway in sight as storm chases us in on final to ILS 9!

 

 

Taxiing to National Flight Services, but they've closed off the hanger to weather the storm!

Note the nice REX Essentials reflective wet tarmac textures as the rain hits KLAL.

 

We were not able to take delivery of 903TT as due to the weather in the area our evaluation ride to Punta Gorda and back was scrubbed until tomorrow.

What an entertaining flight. Absolutely fantastic.

 

Thanks for all the info as you made your way through the various weather patterns.

Very well done, both the screenshots and King Air look great, nice work!!

 

Adam

Love the heck out of the cockpit shots. They really tell the tale!

Lovely set!!

 

Nice commentary!!

Thanks guys! Still some weather lingering around Punta Gorda so the evaluation flight for 903TT is off until tomorrow afternoon. Looks like Monday for our flight from Lakeland to our FBO in Easton.