NOTE : This report, in a slightly edited/refined format, is now available as a Kindle eBook on Amazon.com.
TEMPO 15025G35KT 0100 +SN FZFG OVC000 SNOCLO
Behind the scenes of an airline during a snowstorm.
(DISCLAIMER : The below narrative is based upon a true story but names have been changed, abbreviated or withheld for various reasons. Some details may have been withheld or modified to maintain the integrity of the storyline and protect the privacy of individuals. Any resemblance to the official version of actual events should not be assumed nor is implied.)
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night shivering at the thought.
Some people are afraid of demons. Others have a mortal dread of insects. Stil others are scared of the dark. Me? I fear TAFs.
What is a TAF you may ask? TAF stands for "Terminal Area Forecast", a fancy term to describe what most normal people would simply call "the weather at the airport". Like witchcraft, it is a black art that most God-fearing people don't understand. Indeed, a sizeable chunk of TAFs for the civilized world are generated by a gaggle of cackling warlocks poring over a bubbling cauldron in a windowless basement at the Met Office in Exeter. From there are unleashed plagues of rain, snow and locusts upon the unsuspecting travelers of the Northern Hemisphere....
INDEX
Part 1 : Mid-December
Part 2 : Cologne
Part 3 : Christmas
Part 4 : New Year
Part 5 : Togo and Algeria
Part 6 : Epilogue