PPRuNe
posted 31st May 2005 11:14
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Lowering cloud base rising terrain
Whats best way to get out of this? Probably best to put down in a field but assume a lot of pilots would want to "fly" their way out of it. Any opinions? VFR of course!
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Spring 2003 and I planned a long days flying out to North Wales and around Caenarfon and North Wales.
The leg out was perfect and though the forecast was for deteriorating weather in the mid - late afternoon it was still morning and Caenarfon had CAVOK and a SW'ly breeze.
Refuelled and a great sausage and egg toastie I set off for what I hoped (sic) would be the most interesting part of the trip - the jolly around and over Snowdonia. I was a bit upset to see the clear blue sky of only half an hour ago had now become a high grey sheet of stratus, but the top of Snowdon was still visible so I thought it would be OK.
Anyway, to cut a long story short I ended up near over Betswy Co-ed (something like that) and followed some low ground up a valley back towards Snowdonia - as the valley turned to the right I was met with valley and cloud ahead and only valley to the side - exactly as the first poster described.
I remembered reading an article in the Shadow Owners Club Newsletter describing an almost stall turn like manoevre to extricate oneself from such a situation but of course it was nothing I had ever considered before let alone practised. Looking down and to the sides and it was clear that a forced landing was going to hurt and destroy the aircraft - so I guessed I had nothing to lose but to try the manoevre.
I descended to a point I guessed to be mid way between the ground and the cloud pulled back on the stick until about 45 knots and pressed firmly on the right rudder. Incredibly and without any fuss, drama or stress the aircraft gained about 100' in height and then turned 180 degrees on its own axis and pointed back down the valley from where I had come at exactly the same height as when I started.
I was staggered at the simplicity and ease of the manoevre and how well behaved the whole procedure was.
It was only when I got home and I thought about it later, relived the scene over and over again that I realised just how fortunate I had been. Then again the irony 12 months later when the entire fleet of Shadows was grounded on spurious safety grounds - it had certainly saved my bacon.
Anyway, apologies for not referring to IMC, VMC, IR, VFR or anything like that - it was a day out jolly flight in a basic equipped Shadow microlight and I VERY fortunately managed to extricate myself from quite a nasty predicament. I wouldn't want to do it again though.