Day 4, In Hindsight

After the pilot meeting today, conversations focused on the shortness of the day. Most lamented the fact and believed the task was an undercall. After launch, radio conversations suggested a new perspective. "What is the start time?" "I say we go as soon as we can."  The sensibility was one of impending doom. Clouds were towering and spreading, and it was growing dark. On task, pilots reported soft, irregular conditions, and yet decent cloud alignment. There were storms, but miraculously, the task setters managed to avoid them. Gary Ittner, AL, concluded that two hours was about the right amount of time to be on task, "Which is weird, because when we were here in 2003, six- and seven-hour tasks  were the norm. But I wouldn't have wanted to be out any longer than we were today." Teams disassembled and readied the planes in the cool, under cloud cover, with storms threatening but not materializing.