Flying with a Cold:
More years ago than I care to remember I was an Argosy captain based at RAF Benson. I got airborne one morning to go to Malta. About 500 feet after take-off my flight engineer started to scream.
Now I use that word quite carefully; he was screaming.
It is quite unusual for the average man to hear another screaming.
Luckily, he gave me a clue. He was holding his hands over both of his ears.
I levelled off at something less than 500 feet and went a long way downwind. Every time I tried to come down a little bit or go up a little bit, my flight engineer started to scream even louder. I could not stay up there for ever.
I ended up doing the shallowest let down that I have ever done and we got him into hospital before any further damage was done.
Both of his eardrums were stretched to the limit over the bone in his ears.
So any of you out there who think it is even slightly clever to go flying with a cold, I would like you to do yourself (and your family) a great favour and stay away until you are better.
Finally, as an ex-CFI of a gliding club, let me tell you that the pressure change over the first 1,000 feet in the earth's atmosphere if you have a cold is the worst. A winch launch is about the most challenging exercise that you could expose yourself to! Don't do it.
Last edited by JW411; 17th May 2012 at 18:48.