Diverting en route to an alternate airport is rarely so urgent a decision as aborting a takeoff. Sure, if your only engine fails or a passenger informs you that the turbulence will become Technicolor if you don't land soon, the new destination will be governed by what comes up when you push "nearest" on the GPS. But when it's questionable weather ahead or unexpectedly strong headwinds eating away your range, you have time to think about it.That's a blessing and a curse, because there's a real inertia toward continuing to the known destination despite nagging indicators you shouldn't. The more time you spend thinking about it, the longer you can procrastinate and rationalize rather than picking a new stopping point based on what information you have in the air.
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