My contribution. From a published book of which I, of course, deny all knowledge and/or responsibility. Do not try this at home.
"Sometimes the wind is calm
and sky is clear, perfect conditions for fishing, sometimes the wind is
strong off the shore, good for fishing but the crosswind makes life
exciting for pilot and sometimes there is fog. The fog is the worst.
If the spotter plane flies above the fog he can’t see the fish, if he
flies in the fog he is too close to the fish and the noise of the engine
will frighten them. Luckily, on this occasion the fog has stayed away
until the fishing is completed, but getting home in the fog is the next
problem. The weather is often perfect above the fog banks but once
you are up there, unless the fog is clear at your destination, there is
nowhere to go and the pilot can easily run out of fuel and ideas at the
same time so the technique of ‘fog hopping’ was developed.
While this may sound quite suicidal, in reality it isn’t on the relatively
long beaches on the north coast of Xxxxxxxxxx. A Super Cub with
beach landing wheels and a pilot with an intimate knowledge of the
topography of the coastline can fly home quite safely if he happens
to get stranded on a fog bound beach.
To set things in motion, the aircraft is pointed in the direction
of Xxxxxxx, there being little or no wind in most fogs, and taxied
along the beach at a speed that will allow it to stop within the visible
distance. If the fog only allows a visibility of 50 metres, a speed of
about 10 kilometres per hour is enough. If the fog lifts a little, the
throttle is opened a little, the tail comes up, speed goes up to about
50 kilometres per hour, a slight further improvement in visibility and
we are airborne at 40 knots, about 80 kilometres per hour at a height
of ten feet. If visibility drops again, slow a little, wheels back on the
beach, until conditions improve, then back into the air, sometimes up
to 50 feet and 85 knots, 170 kilometres per hour, then back to sea level
as visibility gets worse.
The headlands are the only problem. It pays to know when one
will appear and if visibility is really bad, it may be necessary to stop
and wait till it improves. If visibility is reasonable, say, more than
a couple of hundred yards, follow the headland round to the next
beach, keeping close to it to keep the waters edge in sight as glassy
water in fog can be tricky and height above it is easier to judge if you
can see the shoreline.
After some taxiing, some flying, some half and half, it is quite
possible to arrive at Xxxxxxx. However, if the fog is that thick, the
airport is invariably closed. It is best to taxi the last five kilometres to
the airport boundary along the beach so the Flight Service Officers
on duty can’t hear the sound of the engine. You are required to report
if you are flying in the vicinity of the airport, but if you are taxiing
along the beach then, of course, you are not flying, but it is still best
not to bother them.
On arrival, the engine is shut down until after five o’clock in the
afternoon and the Flight Service Officers go home. After they have
gone, the weary pilot fires up the engine, takes off and hops over the
sand dune and onto the fog shrouded airstrip and puts his aircraft
back into the hangar. Just another day at the office to a working fish
spotter."