JUST A BREATH OF VERMOUTH and one "drip dried" olive added to your favorite gin, and "voi la", a tremendous cocktail.  Now - - how about a bright, sunny, humid day topped off with some nice cool dry air at ten or twelve thousand feet, and "voi la", a tremendous jock tale.  

THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH WRITTEN for the enlightenment of the flying community about thunderstorms that it sometimes may seem as though no one should need reminding of the flying safety aspect of Mother Nature’s Martini hereafter referred to as "Mother's"... Well friend, if that's the way you feel, HANG ON, 'cause SEA is one of the world's greatest factories for the fastest building cloud generator ever developed.  

THE DRY SEASON is about over and the transition period will summon some of the most violent "Mothers" of the year.  Ask some of the boys who were at Pleiku on March 20th last year.  A real giant took a crack at them and bent several of their birds.  These springtime "Mothers" not only shake things up but they do one fine job of wettin' us down also.  Two to three inches of rain in an hour is not at all uncommon.  

THE MONTH OF APRIL seems to be the ninth month since "Mother" stopped taking the "pill".  The hills in SEA will provide the trigger to set 'em off and you'll frequently see some of Her anvil hats going on up toward 60, 000 feet.  Since all of you who have read this far are learned professionals, you already know that the updrafts required to build a cloud that high will turn any type of aircraft every way but loose.  You know also that you don't have to be in the womb of this "Mother" to get shaken up.  Just getting within a few miles of Her will often give you a hairy ride.  

IT'S MIGHTY HOT in this part of the world and you have to get your bird up to 16, 000 feet or so to find temperatures that will turn some of that suspended water into ice.  Now as experts- in your chosen vocation you know that the ice from "Mother's" ice box (hail for the novice) doesn't take kindly to "man's flying machines.  She's not at all careful about where She dumps her ice and she just might shatter your canopy while you're in the clear,just flying by.  

SO WATCH FOR-"MOTHER".  She'll show up first around the higher terrain to the north and west.  As the season progresses, She moves into the southern areas.  Give Her a wide berth, because one of "Mother's Martini's” is one too many.