PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Almost died in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday..
Old 25th Jan 2012, 13:25
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js0987
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: texas
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Let me posit one example of Gulf weather that can be a Gotcha. Its hazy, visiblity is 4-5 miles and there is a thick broken layer at about 1000 ft. It's bight and sunny above so the sun shining through the breaks reflects off the haze followed by dark shadows under the clouds. You're tooling along in your 206 for 50-60 miles, going from light area to dark area, when that light area up ahead looks a little funny. Whoa Horses! That's not light relecting off the haze, its a fog bank. Deceptive visibility combines with a certain amount of complacency about what you had been flying in, and, fortunately, a 180 was still possible. If you're VMC, beware of sunlight relecting off the haze - it may not be what it seems.
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