What's wrong with motorway flying anyway?
That's been my primary nav aid since 1983.....
I've been saving this thread for a rainy day treat, rain's been a bit scarce last few weeks so only just got around to reading it to the bitter end..
Firstly, Spanner certainly painted himself into a corner when he appointed himself as an EXPERT observer in charge of air traffic law violations. Who could believe it when Hotcloud responded with name, rank, registration, weather reports, and detailed track of training exercise. I can think of nothing more useful to teach budding aviators than survival when flying in lowering conditions. Did Spanner ever give details of his qualifications and experience? I must have another look at his public profile....
Long long ago, l987 to be exact, I purchased a 1977 Supercub to be used for glider towing and a bit of touring. To become acquainted with this splendid steed, what better than a European tour, to Spain and back. It was not a very good idea to plan the trip for February. Talk about flying in horrible low viz conditions....it took two weeks to cover the trip from Shenington to Alicante and back. A lot of this trip was spent avoiding cathedrals. radio masts, and the occasional mountain range.
Trying to fly from LeBlanc to Le Mans, the cloudbase was getting lower and lower, and there was NO MOTORWAY available to follow...only thing down there to follow was a river. I was talking to Tours on the radio, they were leading me on up the river to their location, but I spied a small airstrip beside the river and lobbed in there, so panic over.
My previous training had been flying gliders, we spend a lot of time going around in circles at low level; its called grovelling. Being low is no big deal, and being low next to a motorway is standard. ( I know that operators of airfields (like Enstone) get bent out of shape when we are circling in their circuit, so try to avoid this behavior.)
But otherwise, the experience of getting low and staying focused and calm should be included in every pilot's training. I would be pleased and happy to fly with Hotcloud any day. Don't know about the other guy....