Everyone knows that your logbook is thicker than anyone else's. Which raises the question of your own complicity (or duplicity?) in this question. One imagines that you've been through stuff that would make even the saltiest freightdog poop their pampers.
Quite irrelevant, as this has nothing to do with me. Unless you have a reason to be in the thunderstorm (eg, research), then you're an idiot to put yourself there.
Do you imagine that a blanket stricture against ever getting anywhere near a thunderstorm will improve anyone's understanding of the dangers?
Also irrelevant. What the universally recognized, and appropriate recommendation to avoid thunderstorms will do is enhance safety.
I learned about thunderstorms in books first, and then in thunderstorms while doing atmospheric research. Counseling others to stay out of thunderstorms is proper, and the right thing to do, and has nothing to do with improving understanding of dangers. It has to do with safety.
Encouraging others to fly through a thunderstorm does nothing to enhance understanding of dangers, either. It's simply unprofessional, and stupid.
A discussion about the dangers of a thunderstorm enhances understanding of the dangers of flying into a thunderstorm, and should always be accompanied by counsel to avoid thunderstorms...just as has been done here.
As for your "duplicity" comment, do you have a reason for saying this? Are you suggesting that I have ever posted here under more than one name? What exactly is your point?
Anyone remember the picture of the placard on a homebuilt that just said "don't do anything stupid"? If you get scared, stop doing it, or don't do it again. That's how you learn.
In the real world, the one where we adults and professionals dwell, we don't need to go do stupid things to learn, and we can learn perfectly well from the mistakes of others, as well as the counsel of others.
Counseling others to go do stupid things in order to learn is...stupid. Idiotic, really.
If you fly for a living, particularly if you fly freight, you're going to find yourself in positions vis a vis thunderstorms that you'd rather not have gotten in to. The important part is learning what you can do, and what you'd be better advised to stay away from for the continued cleanliness of your underwear. This knowledge is acquired through experience, not through listening to a bunch of blowhards on the internet. There aren't any easy answers and there isn't just a machine that's going to spit out an answer as to whether you should do it or not based on a radar plot.
Having flown freight for a living, as well as having performed thunderstorm research, I'd have to say you're full of it.
Folks, individuals like this will get you killed, and should be recognized for what they are...and most importantly, what they aren't. What this individual isn't, is someone to whom you should listen; his counsel is dangerous and his thoughts immature and lacking in experience. Best give him a wide berth.