Not Tonight

The flight last night was eventually scrubbed by the customer, yup it was 1/4mile and 100' at the destination when they wanted me there. Weather cancellations happen, but not too often, and funny how I'd just been posting about it. The company dispatcher was great during the interesting sequence of events. I've included the metars at the end of the post in case you want to see for yourself. The play by play: I report at 02:30Z, call dispatch to inform them destination weather is low and forecast is to drop below minimums, normal departure time is 04:00Z with expected arrival at 05:00Z. I suggest possible alternate destination for delivering cargo, and also say I'm willing to stick with original plans but customer needs to know I'll likely be unable to get in and so will have to divert to the alternate. I go on the ramp to select an airplane to use, everybody else is done and gone for the day so I have my pick. I do the preflight in the dark (it's 45F, warm tonight!) including a run-up check to verify this plane is good to go. Meanwhile dispatch calls customer, customer wants to defer decision, I am to call back when courier arrives but not accept freight yet, put in flight plan for my suggested alternate now. Courier arrives on-time at 03:45Z. New and improved forecast has been issued at 03:15Z for original destination with conditions at 07:00Z now forecast to be above minimums. I am skeptical as weather at other airports in the vicinity is worse. I call dispatch, we wait for the 03:51Zmetar, it is steady. Courier and I watch NCAA baskeball tourney in FBO while I'm on-hold on my cell phone, dispatch calls customer, new plan is to accept freight but delay departure until 06:00Z giving 07:00Z arrival. I remind dispatcher the forecast isn't a guarantee, and he chuckles and agrees, says don't launch just to enter a long holding pattern and then still not get in. I let courier onto ramp and load freight into plane, courier leaves. I call flight service, canel previous alternate destination flight plan and put in new one for destination and return flight too. Also had an informative conversation with the FSS guy about Chicago Center ATC operations. At 04:20Z the SPECI metar 1/2SM FG and 200' comes out (just below minimums of 250' & 3/4SM for this desination), oh joy, and by 04:51Z it's 1/4SM FG and 100'. Visibility is the controlling factor, regulations require visibility to be at or above the minimum to attempt an approach. Regardless of ceiling the approach can be attempted, but obviously the chance of success isn't good if ceiling is below minimum DA. I send an e-mail to a friend to share the developing fun! I look thru aviation magazines, I am the ONLY person at the FBO at this hour. I have building keys and am completely solo, nobody working. A new destination forecast comes out at 05:30Z or so which now says improvement above minimums not until 08:00Z. I call dispatch, we wait for 05:51Z metar. Dispatch calls customer, saying now will be 08:00Z arrival. Customer decides to give-up for tonight (this morning), calls same courier who arrives back at airport at 06:30Z. I unload freight back into van, it drives off heading to destination. I leave the FBO myself at 06:40Z, four hours of pilot work and no flying. Based on the after-the-fact metars, I would have launched at 07:00Z if dispatch had wanted, forecast had been revised yet again and was still for above minimums at 08:00Z, and then would have gotten in at 08:00Z. the driving courier wouldn't have made the destination until 09:45Z at the earliest. Anyway, the customer made their decision, maybe after some point in time the extra expense for air shipment is no longer justified, don't know as I just fly the plane. That was my Friday night!

Here are the metars for the destination:
K--- 240851Z 18004KT 2SM BR OVC003 13/12 A3006 RMK AO2 CIG 002V006 SLP179 T01280122 58003
K--- 240751Z 18004KT 2 1/2SM BR OVC003 12/12 A3006 RMK AO2 CIG 002V006 SLP182 T01220117
K--- 240732Z 18004KT 2 1/2SM BR OVC003 12/12 A3007 RMK AO2
K--- 240651Z 15003KT 2 1/2SM BR OVC001 12/11 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP183 T01170111
K--- 240633Z 15005KT 2SM BR OVC001 12/11 A3006 RMK AO2
K--- 240551Z 16006KT 1SM RWY_/5500VP6000FT BR OVC001 11/11 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP183 T01110111 10111 20106 401110072 58001
K--- 240515Z 16006KT 1/4SM RWY_/2200V2800FT FG VV001 11/11 A3007 RMK AO2
K--- 240459Z 15006KT 1/4SM RWY_/1800V2000FT FG VV001 11/11 A3007 RMK AO2
K--- 240451Z 14004KT 1/4SM RWY_/1800V2400FT FG VV001 11/11 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP185 T01110111
K--- 240442Z 16007KT 1/2SM RWY_/1800V2200FT FG VV001 11/11 A3007 RMK AO2
K--- 240420Z 14006KT 1/2SM RWY_/3500V5500FT FG OVC002 11/11 A3007 RMK AO2
K--- 240351Z 14005KT 3SM BR OVC002 11/11 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP185 T01110111
K--- 240337Z 12006KT 3SM BR OVC002 11/11 A3007 RMK AO2
K--- 240251Z 13004KT 2SM BR OVC002 11/11 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP190 T01110111 51003
K--- 240151Z 13004KT 1SM RWY_/P6000FT BR OVC002 11/11 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP190 T01110106