Unexplained Turbulence
40 years of aviation gave me only 3 occasions to cause lower muscle contractions due to turbulence. The first was in the tropics, flying in a military light aircraft. The initial indication was the HF headset, which was usually hung on the VHF frequency change knob thus handy for a quick grab, rising up like the Indian rope trick and waving about in front of me. Next came a cloud of dust from the floor boards followed by any loose objects floating around as if weightless. Then came a breath-removing crash and the aircraft carried on as if nothing had happened – except that I had lost 1,300ft. It might not seem much, except that I had only been at 4,000ft beforehand. It was a fine afternoon and, although I was flying close to a mountain range, there was no turbulence other than the usual heat bubbles.
Second was flying out of Madrid one summer evening and the weather radar showed Cb over the majority of its screen. Reaching 310 the speed decreased rapidly and an increase of power gave an overtemp on all engines. The problem was solved as we fell almost immediately to 270 and all went back to normal. I cannot recall ATC’s exact response except that they said that we should not bother them with such problems as they had enough of their own!
The third was over the Ukraine on a spring afternoon at 370. There was a rapid fluctuation of the outside air temperature on page Progress 2, of plus or minus 10-12 degrees within a few seconds. This was followed by a very strong rolling motion which took the two of us to control. It seemed as if we had reached almost 90 degrees from level flight, but I expect it was nearer 50 – 60. This lasted for about 5 minutes in clear air, and then it all went back to normal.
The second incident can be explained by our knowledge of the atmosphere, but the other two have puzzled me for a long time. I was lucky in that an old-timer once told me to keep an eye on the outside air temp. It could always give you a clue.
I now dig the veg patch – much safer!