VFR into IMC. What did you do?
Flying a Cessna 210 out of Essendon, heading north ... anybody local will guess it ... straight for the Kilmore Gap. Picture looked very easy, 8/8ths cloud base appeared be about 1,000' above us and we were following the highway at probably about 700' AGL, basically climbing up the slope. Stupid, I know but I was young and bold. 1 second later, the highway looked much closer looking straight down but very white due the cloud we were in and no view anywhere else.
Fortunately the 210 was nearly new and well equipped. I pointed the nose straight up, engaged the autopilot and maintained heading and max rate. As there was not much else I could do I called ATC and let them know, by the time they identified me, I was just breaking the tops. They were super helpful and kept me in the system until I flew past the cloud edge and they could sense I was calm and over it - really good people.
Scariest (and stupidest) thing I have ever done (in an aeroplane). Fortunately I had a brilliant instructor who not only taught me how to fly but also judgment, simple things like "use the autopilot and use it to fly the plane" in those sorts of circumstances, Not everybody does that, there seems often to be an almost sadist cult with young pilots that 'real' pilots don't use autopilots and I have seen 200-300 hour newbies that have no idea how to turn it on, let alone use it.
I never heard back from CAsA or ATC afterwards, so colour me lucky twice.
Fortunately the 210 was nearly new and well equipped. I pointed the nose straight up, engaged the autopilot and maintained heading and max rate. As there was not much else I could do I called ATC and let them know, by the time they identified me, I was just breaking the tops. They were super helpful and kept me in the system until I flew past the cloud edge and they could sense I was calm and over it - really good people.
Scariest (and stupidest) thing I have ever done (in an aeroplane). Fortunately I had a brilliant instructor who not only taught me how to fly but also judgment, simple things like "use the autopilot and use it to fly the plane" in those sorts of circumstances, Not everybody does that, there seems often to be an almost sadist cult with young pilots that 'real' pilots don't use autopilots and I have seen 200-300 hour newbies that have no idea how to turn it on, let alone use it.
I never heard back from CAsA or ATC afterwards, so colour me lucky twice.
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Worse still, TRS ahead!
PPL VFR with a few hundred hours, taking three up for sightseeing in a C172. Called met, 'SCTD TRS' put me off. Called pax to say no-go, but one of the pax was a met man from Copenhagen airport - he said 'shouldn't be any trouble', so changed my mind and went.
Outbound from CNC3 to Toronto Island, a few orbits around the CN Tower, pax happy and we started to head back home. It was just before end of day VFR and I had not done the required circuits at night to be legal with pax, so pressure to get down.
'Er, radar shows TRS over Brampton, what are your intentions?' said the terminal controller.
I elected to return to the island that I had just left.
"Actually they are just seeing another storm rolling in off the lake, now going below VFR," said the controller.
Just as I was looking at the map for a way out, thinking Burlington Exec Airport, ATC told me there were two cells around my destination, ten miles apart, West of CYYZ. So I requested to fly along 33 at 2000 feet go get past them before they arrived. I had done this before to get back to Brampton, but no that wasn't allowed any more. The controller suggested he could vector me between the cells, so I took it.
Just West of CYYZ, the plane started to shake violently and all of a sudden I was in IMC. No option as far as I was concerned, started doing the rate 1 turn that my instructor had drilled in to me so well. Chop was so bad I couldn't get the air into my lungs to make any sensible words on the RT.
You know you have raised alarms when another controller with a more senior voice comes on!
They had me go back out over the lake to stabilise ( I was thinking more like 'not fall onto expensive homes'), and then told me the cells had passed and finally gave me clearance to fly along 33 at 2000 feet like I had requested in the first place.
Landed back home in crystal clear wx. Met man pax then told me that the two cells must have joined up ahead of ,me, and the radar controller could not have seen that!
Moral of the story - always go with your instincts, training, and comfort level. Don't listen to met man who usually deals with big birds!
Outbound from CNC3 to Toronto Island, a few orbits around the CN Tower, pax happy and we started to head back home. It was just before end of day VFR and I had not done the required circuits at night to be legal with pax, so pressure to get down.
'Er, radar shows TRS over Brampton, what are your intentions?' said the terminal controller.
I elected to return to the island that I had just left.
"Actually they are just seeing another storm rolling in off the lake, now going below VFR," said the controller.
Just as I was looking at the map for a way out, thinking Burlington Exec Airport, ATC told me there were two cells around my destination, ten miles apart, West of CYYZ. So I requested to fly along 33 at 2000 feet go get past them before they arrived. I had done this before to get back to Brampton, but no that wasn't allowed any more. The controller suggested he could vector me between the cells, so I took it.
Just West of CYYZ, the plane started to shake violently and all of a sudden I was in IMC. No option as far as I was concerned, started doing the rate 1 turn that my instructor had drilled in to me so well. Chop was so bad I couldn't get the air into my lungs to make any sensible words on the RT.
You know you have raised alarms when another controller with a more senior voice comes on!
They had me go back out over the lake to stabilise ( I was thinking more like 'not fall onto expensive homes'), and then told me the cells had passed and finally gave me clearance to fly along 33 at 2000 feet like I had requested in the first place.
Landed back home in crystal clear wx. Met man pax then told me that the two cells must have joined up ahead of ,me, and the radar controller could not have seen that!
Moral of the story - always go with your instincts, training, and comfort level. Don't listen to met man who usually deals with big birds!
I never heard back from CAsA or ATC afterwards, so colour me lucky twice.
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For the newer of us in the ranks,
We all think we are 'pretty good', and at around 100 hours we've 'nailed it'.
At 1,000 hrs we are starting to realise just how little we really do know,,,,
JUST DON'T DO IT !!
Turn around - and think of the nice cold beer waiting for you when you get back to your 'alternate' or your departure point.
In most probability, your funeral will be / would have been held on a nice sunny day........
Food for thought.
We all think we are 'pretty good', and at around 100 hours we've 'nailed it'.
At 1,000 hrs we are starting to realise just how little we really do know,,,,
JUST DON'T DO IT !!
Turn around - and think of the nice cold beer waiting for you when you get back to your 'alternate' or your departure point.
In most probability, your funeral will be / would have been held on a nice sunny day........
Food for thought.
VG thread
some pilots are VFR rated only - do they always scrub if the weather forecast is marginal?
NIGHT VFR is questionable!
Remember flying night TFR ( Terrain Following Radar ) in the Vulcan -only cleared for training when VMC because the kit didn’t pick up power cables or hill beyond a hill -always dodgy I thought as it was always tempting not to ‘chicken’ out!- proved when A Vulcan flew into a mountain in South Wales!
some pilots are VFR rated only - do they always scrub if the weather forecast is marginal?
NIGHT VFR is questionable!
Remember flying night TFR ( Terrain Following Radar ) in the Vulcan -only cleared for training when VMC because the kit didn’t pick up power cables or hill beyond a hill -always dodgy I thought as it was always tempting not to ‘chicken’ out!- proved when A Vulcan flew into a mountain in South Wales!
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Better jailed and alive ?
In the late sixties, I was in my twenties (200 hours) and flying from France to attend an air meeting in Ravenna, Italy, the sister town of Chartres my home base.
Flying VFR in a Robin, only equiped with a VOR and limited channels VHF.
The MET office at Torino, a stop to refuel after crossing the Alpes, advised us that some heavy thunderstorms laid on our route to Ravenna. The only « safe » way was to fly northward, avoid Milano international and neighbouring south of Lago Maggiore, to reach our destination.
I had only a big VFR chart of northern Italy with main roads and VOR (In those days it was not as esay as today to get a foreign country map).
Due to a lowering ceiling, I flew using compass and the VOR signal because I could not recognised the ground I was overflying. Early enough, the wisdom would have been to turn around ..
I was so low, I couldn't receive a VOR signal anylonger.
Then everything went very dark and rainy everywhere around. I had no artificial horizon but was in IMC
It took me a few seconds to decide to land on a road or in a field : better wounded and alive than dead !
At two hundred feet high, scrutinating below, I suddenly overflow what seemed a paved runway.
Without hesitation, keeping an eye on it, I slowly turned around (no horizon, just a turn and bank) and landed.
What a relief !
Just clearing the runway and closing the engine on a taxiway (I couldn’t see where to go), I heard the sound of car brakes behind me, followed immediately by the run of two italian soldiers with machine guns pointing towards the plane :
I had landed on Ghedi Nato Air Base strictly forbidden, 3 miles away from Brescia airport !
While my two passengers were treated very comfortably in the Officer’s club with coffee (italian) and biscuits, I was questioned gently by the military and air police officers. Where from, why, what, etc..?
Though it was saturday afternoon the ministry of Defence in Roma, was requested to allow me to take off and continue to Ravenna ( or to be jailed ! as explained by the italian pilots who could not believe my story in spite of the stamp on my logbook ).
My cooperative behaviour and the very bad weather convinced them to let us pursue our journey.
Before we took off, I was reminded not to hesitate to call 121.5 in any case of emergency or trouble to request help, which I had not done (though I had the frequency on my radio).
Better have a ticket than a burial.
Cheers !
Flying VFR in a Robin, only equiped with a VOR and limited channels VHF.
The MET office at Torino, a stop to refuel after crossing the Alpes, advised us that some heavy thunderstorms laid on our route to Ravenna. The only « safe » way was to fly northward, avoid Milano international and neighbouring south of Lago Maggiore, to reach our destination.
I had only a big VFR chart of northern Italy with main roads and VOR (In those days it was not as esay as today to get a foreign country map).
Due to a lowering ceiling, I flew using compass and the VOR signal because I could not recognised the ground I was overflying. Early enough, the wisdom would have been to turn around ..
I was so low, I couldn't receive a VOR signal anylonger.
Then everything went very dark and rainy everywhere around. I had no artificial horizon but was in IMC
It took me a few seconds to decide to land on a road or in a field : better wounded and alive than dead !
At two hundred feet high, scrutinating below, I suddenly overflow what seemed a paved runway.
Without hesitation, keeping an eye on it, I slowly turned around (no horizon, just a turn and bank) and landed.
What a relief !
Just clearing the runway and closing the engine on a taxiway (I couldn’t see where to go), I heard the sound of car brakes behind me, followed immediately by the run of two italian soldiers with machine guns pointing towards the plane :
I had landed on Ghedi Nato Air Base strictly forbidden, 3 miles away from Brescia airport !
While my two passengers were treated very comfortably in the Officer’s club with coffee (italian) and biscuits, I was questioned gently by the military and air police officers. Where from, why, what, etc..?
Though it was saturday afternoon the ministry of Defence in Roma, was requested to allow me to take off and continue to Ravenna ( or to be jailed ! as explained by the italian pilots who could not believe my story in spite of the stamp on my logbook ).
My cooperative behaviour and the very bad weather convinced them to let us pursue our journey.
Before we took off, I was reminded not to hesitate to call 121.5 in any case of emergency or trouble to request help, which I had not done (though I had the frequency on my radio).
Better have a ticket than a burial.
Cheers !
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Looong time ago, I was filling out the paperwork for my instrument test. Every hour I could claim was SIm or hood. Remember wishing I could claim all the actual IMC hours I had.
TT about 200. YSBK to Katoomba ALA in a C182, early 90's to pick up a Blue Mountains scenic flight. Wx is about 4/8 CuSc with bases about 800' above the hills and some lower patches; if anything is going to impede the planned scenic track still out of sight 30Nm away to the south west then I'll brief the pax that we'll make up for it with a different scenic route or even a beach run.
About 10Nm to go to YKAT I'm in a valley looking at something and I underestimate the distance to a big lower patch that I'm in the process of turning away from, and I fly into it about 300' below the tops and 500' AGL. I've already started the turn from the downwind side, I know the radius is good and I've tagged the valley exit safety bearing back out of the valley, so I keep the Rate 1 going and roll out on the climb.
Why ? I'd spent days digging though every PNG terrain accident and mountain flying technique I could find and had set up a Blue Mountains scenic flight procedures insert to the Ops Manual for the AOC I'd hitched a ride on, and I flew those procedures. The old fella who owned the AOC had read the insert and said 'yeah, that's oorright'. That was fine by me since he had about 10,000 hours in PNG.
I flew a different way into clear and sunny YKAT and did the charter, but had a plan and the cash to send them back to Katoomba from Camden in a taxi if I ever had to.
Planning and procedures work, because they push luck as far back into the corner as it will go.
Systems win !
About 10Nm to go to YKAT I'm in a valley looking at something and I underestimate the distance to a big lower patch that I'm in the process of turning away from, and I fly into it about 300' below the tops and 500' AGL. I've already started the turn from the downwind side, I know the radius is good and I've tagged the valley exit safety bearing back out of the valley, so I keep the Rate 1 going and roll out on the climb.
Why ? I'd spent days digging though every PNG terrain accident and mountain flying technique I could find and had set up a Blue Mountains scenic flight procedures insert to the Ops Manual for the AOC I'd hitched a ride on, and I flew those procedures. The old fella who owned the AOC had read the insert and said 'yeah, that's oorright'. That was fine by me since he had about 10,000 hours in PNG.
I flew a different way into clear and sunny YKAT and did the charter, but had a plan and the cash to send them back to Katoomba from Camden in a taxi if I ever had to.
Planning and procedures work, because they push luck as far back into the corner as it will go.
Systems win !
Last edited by The Wawa Zone; 7th Apr 2023 at 15:48.
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I never learnt a lesson;
First Saturday morning long cross country out of hamble..north ..west…weather didn’t look good but with the threat of the chop through LMF set off…west of Membury so lowish Cu., after routing around went through snow shower and it went dark…checked min enroute altitude and called up Brize Norton military..continued for around 10 mins then decided procedure turn and go back home..after rounding Membury on calculated time descended to lower min alt and broke out. Landed to be greeted by deputy CFI and course instructor. There had been a fleet recall, explained what I had done..no comment..asked if I could log IFR..rude look.
2nd instructing a steward out of booker who had numerous instructors but couldn’t get the hang of attitude..days when 10 miles was great viz..so climbed through clag and after 20 mins had him doing coordinated steep turn reversals..desçended to find base and viz considerably lowered in rain..needed a pee…made a mistake of wind direction, started getting mental block..called up radar but too low..ended up finding what I thought was thruxton but steward was a Formula 1 fan and said silverstone as they have just had the new crash barriers installed..landed 50 mins late.
More to follow.
First Saturday morning long cross country out of hamble..north ..west…weather didn’t look good but with the threat of the chop through LMF set off…west of Membury so lowish Cu., after routing around went through snow shower and it went dark…checked min enroute altitude and called up Brize Norton military..continued for around 10 mins then decided procedure turn and go back home..after rounding Membury on calculated time descended to lower min alt and broke out. Landed to be greeted by deputy CFI and course instructor. There had been a fleet recall, explained what I had done..no comment..asked if I could log IFR..rude look.
2nd instructing a steward out of booker who had numerous instructors but couldn’t get the hang of attitude..days when 10 miles was great viz..so climbed through clag and after 20 mins had him doing coordinated steep turn reversals..desçended to find base and viz considerably lowered in rain..needed a pee…made a mistake of wind direction, started getting mental block..called up radar but too low..ended up finding what I thought was thruxton but steward was a Formula 1 fan and said silverstone as they have just had the new crash barriers installed..landed 50 mins late.
More to follow.
During PPL training, marginal weather for practice cross country. Instructor repurposed the lesson, filed IFR and I commenced my IFR training with full contact with the local radar service. I did ok with the instructors help and guidance but I will hopefully never do it again as I know what the outcome would be. That was a good lesson to learn for real with a safe pair of hands next to me. I also found out doing a hold on a VOR radial in a 40 knot winds is not easy and drew some feedback from ATC as to whether I knew it was meant to be symmetrical.
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3; Bastille day and a model aeroplane friend with a lapsed PPL due to obesity had access to a Grumman tripacer based on a grass strip at Stapleford..London. Arrived early with his mistress and my wife only to find that the local Gypsies had removed the filler caps and syphoned off lots of juice. Heavy dew with condensation so was particularly careful checking the drains but did not fuel up purely as I wasn’t sure about the weight and the muddy strip.
So off we go with mate flying under my supervision with his seat right back to allow full stick movement and my feet doing the pedals…
Crossing the Thames estuary we started seeing fair weather cumulus clouds so climbed above them for pax comfort.
Middle of the channel contact Le Touquet who says IFR only…blagged it that we were IFR equipped etc and changed to Calais radar
enter the hold at xx fl050.
Fortunately we had spent 2 weeks moored up at Etaples after a dodgy channel crossing ..the runway runs parallel to the river..and I had not only walked the coast but crossed the runway and fallen into the dyke.
Tuned the ils but had a failure flag..so beacon approach down to 800ft (didn’t have any charts)..cleared approach fortunately the VOR needle was working on the localiser freq..and with the glide slop needle working albeit showing way above the slope asked the nice young lady if I could chase the glide.
Rivulets of water running up the Perspex at around the same speed s sweat was running down my neck as her indoors noticed between hail Mary’s…800..500..still looking good with idle power and. Lot of going downwards..so gave it to 200ft when we popped out right on the numbers but very fast..whacked in a steep 360 to the left to bleed the speed off..flaps down..you have control and bobs your uncle.
Vowed never again..but a hypocrite..next one later
So off we go with mate flying under my supervision with his seat right back to allow full stick movement and my feet doing the pedals…
Crossing the Thames estuary we started seeing fair weather cumulus clouds so climbed above them for pax comfort.
Middle of the channel contact Le Touquet who says IFR only…blagged it that we were IFR equipped etc and changed to Calais radar
enter the hold at xx fl050.
Fortunately we had spent 2 weeks moored up at Etaples after a dodgy channel crossing ..the runway runs parallel to the river..and I had not only walked the coast but crossed the runway and fallen into the dyke.
Tuned the ils but had a failure flag..so beacon approach down to 800ft (didn’t have any charts)..cleared approach fortunately the VOR needle was working on the localiser freq..and with the glide slop needle working albeit showing way above the slope asked the nice young lady if I could chase the glide.
Rivulets of water running up the Perspex at around the same speed s sweat was running down my neck as her indoors noticed between hail Mary’s…800..500..still looking good with idle power and. Lot of going downwards..so gave it to 200ft when we popped out right on the numbers but very fast..whacked in a steep 360 to the left to bleed the speed off..flaps down..you have control and bobs your uncle.
Vowed never again..but a hypocrite..next one later
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Number 4..still haven’t learnt.
in 1998 after flying with the British glider aerobatic champion I mentioned to him that this was the dog’s..which he replied flying a paraglider along a coastal cliff is the dogs.,(on Sunday I hit one)..so off to Auckland to learn without telling her indoors.
Coming back to the UK I came across the typical english “you can’t do that here mate” so I flew to South Africa for a weeks guiding along the garden route which was the start of one of those incredibly rare friendships until Adriaan lost the elevator on a power line.
I introduced him to mountain glider flying which hé excelled at.
The weather turned pants at Worcester cape gliding club so fly the Lamabada to George and I’ll take my pick up with the paragliders in the back and meet you. Having been caught out with the weather I asked him about a forecast..”just spoken to a chopper crew who said it’s alright”. We had been involved with a search and not rescue the week before.
So off I went with full tanks..about 5 hours…cloud base came down so I figured that going into the kuru in the lee of mountains and semi desert would work…it didn’t and as the cloud came down to the valley floor it was a full power climbing reversal until on top then headed south to the Indian Ocean coast. Spotted a hole, spiralled down with a base around 800ft AGL..no problems..crossed the coastal cliffs around 100ft then paralleled the coast with enough energy to reach it and if cloud permitted land on top or ditch close in (white shark country).
Got to Musslebai and called up George..IFR only..and no you can’t come in..where’s the nearest strip ..Musslebai…the town is in a kink in the coast where a valley descends to the sea and port. In the valley there are dozens of oil storage tanks.
Can’t see the airfield..next to the oil refinery…after 15 mins of trying to see the strip and ATC thinking I was a numpty I asked for a steer..runway on the top of the plateau outside of town and Refinery wasn’t oil tanks but a huge facility in cloud..circuit at 100ft at cloud base..down wind landing on huge hard runway..half way along to save taxi time which I nearly over cooked..phoned ATC to thank them and by mid day I was parked in George and a few hours later flying along the cliffs at Wilderness.
That was most of my power foolishness but gliding was far more interesting.
in 1998 after flying with the British glider aerobatic champion I mentioned to him that this was the dog’s..which he replied flying a paraglider along a coastal cliff is the dogs.,(on Sunday I hit one)..so off to Auckland to learn without telling her indoors.
Coming back to the UK I came across the typical english “you can’t do that here mate” so I flew to South Africa for a weeks guiding along the garden route which was the start of one of those incredibly rare friendships until Adriaan lost the elevator on a power line.
I introduced him to mountain glider flying which hé excelled at.
The weather turned pants at Worcester cape gliding club so fly the Lamabada to George and I’ll take my pick up with the paragliders in the back and meet you. Having been caught out with the weather I asked him about a forecast..”just spoken to a chopper crew who said it’s alright”. We had been involved with a search and not rescue the week before.
So off I went with full tanks..about 5 hours…cloud base came down so I figured that going into the kuru in the lee of mountains and semi desert would work…it didn’t and as the cloud came down to the valley floor it was a full power climbing reversal until on top then headed south to the Indian Ocean coast. Spotted a hole, spiralled down with a base around 800ft AGL..no problems..crossed the coastal cliffs around 100ft then paralleled the coast with enough energy to reach it and if cloud permitted land on top or ditch close in (white shark country).
Got to Musslebai and called up George..IFR only..and no you can’t come in..where’s the nearest strip ..Musslebai…the town is in a kink in the coast where a valley descends to the sea and port. In the valley there are dozens of oil storage tanks.
Can’t see the airfield..next to the oil refinery…after 15 mins of trying to see the strip and ATC thinking I was a numpty I asked for a steer..runway on the top of the plateau outside of town and Refinery wasn’t oil tanks but a huge facility in cloud..circuit at 100ft at cloud base..down wind landing on huge hard runway..half way along to save taxi time which I nearly over cooked..phoned ATC to thank them and by mid day I was parked in George and a few hours later flying along the cliffs at Wilderness.
That was most of my power foolishness but gliding was far more interesting.
Interesting thread.
Just remember there may be some form of confirmation bias in the "close shave but successful" outcomes described here. None of the many pilots over the years who have actually killed themselves (and their pax) are here to type their stories and fully describe the horror of their last seconds. That would REALLY underscore the senseless tragedy of press-on-itis.
Just remember there may be some form of confirmation bias in the "close shave but successful" outcomes described here. None of the many pilots over the years who have actually killed themselves (and their pax) are here to type their stories and fully describe the horror of their last seconds. That would REALLY underscore the senseless tragedy of press-on-itis.
Flying from Camden to Temora in a C172, had about 300 hours at the time, NVFR rating, was about 6000 above cloud. Knew I had to get below the cloud at some stage, saw a gap with the ground visible so down I went. Next thing I was in the soup. Called ATC, maintained heading, kept wings level and climbed. Popped out at 5000 and descended again later when clear of cloud. ATC wrote a note to CFI and I was invited to morning tea. Decided to get instrument rating.
Readers of Ernest Gann and his "Fate is the Hunter" will be familiar with chapter fifteen, "A Hole, so small, but of exquisite design". I had my very own hole of exquisite design, just didn't realise it at the time though, that only came with further experience. I feel being an interloper on this thread because it's not a VFR into IMC story, but close enough.
Task was to fly a private owners C182 from West Beach to Whyalla, he had had to leave it because of inclement weather on a previous day or week. Took off in clear blue sky but on getting to Port Wakefield could see the low range of hills to the north covered with low cloud, go over the top I thought, Getting on top subsequently found myself between layers, ploughed on and then came upon my exquisite hole, through which from an intimate knowledge of the country I recognised as a piece of coastline south of Port Pirie, steep turn kept me in the hole and was able transit the 25 miles or so remaining over the water to home at 500' in light drizzle. An almighty 261 hours at take off.
Matthew 5.8 says "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God", obviously he saw me as a sinner and didn't want me.
I can almost guess your line of work and where you flew lowskids, my entire professional life has been flying VMC into IMC with no way to log the IMC.
Task was to fly a private owners C182 from West Beach to Whyalla, he had had to leave it because of inclement weather on a previous day or week. Took off in clear blue sky but on getting to Port Wakefield could see the low range of hills to the north covered with low cloud, go over the top I thought, Getting on top subsequently found myself between layers, ploughed on and then came upon my exquisite hole, through which from an intimate knowledge of the country I recognised as a piece of coastline south of Port Pirie, steep turn kept me in the hole and was able transit the 25 miles or so remaining over the water to home at 500' in light drizzle. An almighty 261 hours at take off.
Matthew 5.8 says "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God", obviously he saw me as a sinner and didn't want me.
Remember wishing I could claim all the actual IMC hours I had
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
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Some very interesting stories here, and some very instructive lessons which can be learned by those who have never (yet) been caught out.
I could tell a story about 'tracking coastal' wantaim but maybe later.
But I would 100% endorse Griffo's plea;
Btw; How are ya Griffo, me old...
I could tell a story about 'tracking coastal' wantaim but maybe later.
But I would 100% endorse Griffo's plea;
JUST DON'T DO IT !!
Turn around - and think of the nice cold beer waiting for you when you get back to your 'alternate' or your departure point.
In most probability, your funeral will be / would have been held on a nice sunny day........
Turn around - and think of the nice cold beer waiting for you when you get back to your 'alternate' or your departure point.
In most probability, your funeral will be / would have been held on a nice sunny day........
My more interesting vfr/IFR counters in a glider.
The site if Fermoyle on the Kerry peninsula, west of Ireland and the annual autumn Irish/ ulster wave camp.
Its been going more than 50 years and the height records have been sent by both RAF and Luftwaffe pilots above 20,000ft.
I arrived with 35 years of flying, weather for forecasting and observing under my belt..I was about to learn more about micro meteorology the hard way.
It’s a magic art deciding whether we autotow from Inch strand in the south or Fermoyle in the north..above E in cloghane..not only the wind but seaweed or fishing competitions.
I was flying my Phoebus C 17m..all flying tailplane with a large lump of lead in the fin which gave me 200ft plus on winch launches and made the glider hypersensitive in pitch. Up to 800ft if one is lucky then fall back onto the knoll adjacent to said E..gain a couple of hundred feet then onto the ridge downwind which runs up to the Connor pass. The ridge is often covered in orographic cloud and the day before I discovered 200 ft in front of the cloud might not be enough so I left around 400 ft which put me 500ft vertically above the terrain. Wind speed around 30 knots and flying at 40 when below and in front cloud started forming..very quickly. I had foolishly replaced my turn and slip for an ex RAF horizon complete with inverter which took several minutes to erect which didn’t happen. As it got darker I considered bailing out but the Germans had data that below 3,000ft the odds were 50/50…so glueing my eyes to my old and slow gps I accelerated looking up towards the blue sky. It worked and I discovered that weather comes through in packages like lava lamps ..oil and water..on the ground I discovered from two other instructors they had had the same problem in the past..one hit the mountain, the other emerged from the cloud in the valley behind the mountain.
5. Same start as above and climbed to 4000ft in wave over the bay. The wind was force 5/6 and directly onto the face of Brandon which is 3000+ft. Cloud base around the mountain 1,000ft with a shear NW face and no beach with a wedge shaped profile on the SE.. one small cove and a village..
So bored biggles thinks he wants to see the seaward face for the first time via a dirty dive around the northern end sandwiched between cloud and mountain. Fall back if I chickened out was zoom, chandelle..and if I couldn’t make it back to our launch site ditch by Brandon village. It was surprisingly easy except I had to stay at least 500m to seaward as the lift was so great I was at VNE 200kph at cloud base going up. I did the full length including the bays ..twice then thought that’s enough..back to the north ..dive and there I was around 3000ft over the bay when I spotted the illegal motorglider of our ex KLM pilot..knowing what a chicken he was I’d show him the way..got to the southern end and no Dutchman nor mountain..a large shower had come in..and stayed..so I held over one of the bay headlands in lighter winds (shower effect) thinking sh@t ..my car is on the beach along with the trailer below high water mark and keys in my pocket.
So I went towards Connor pass but that was in cloud so the last alternative was land up slope in one of the small fields at Dingle then taxi. I reasoned that I had half an hour plus so why not hold for weather clearance ..done it lots of times and it worked.
i later took Mr Dutchman mountain soaring in the Alps and realised he had never learnt to look out of the window.
So bored biggles thinks he wants to see the seaward face for the first time via a dirty dive around the northern end sandwiched between cloud and mountain. Fall back if I chickened out was zoom, chandelle..and if I couldn’t make it back to our launch site ditch by Brandon village. It was surprisingly easy except I had to stay at least 500m to seaward as the lift was so great I was at VNE 200kph at cloud base going up. I did the full length including the bays ..twice then thought that’s enough..back to the north ..dive and there I was around 3000ft over the bay when I spotted the illegal motorglider of our ex KLM pilot..knowing what a chicken he was I’d show him the way..got to the southern end and no Dutchman nor mountain..a large shower had come in..and stayed..so I held over one of the bay headlands in lighter winds (shower effect) thinking sh@t ..my car is on the beach along with the trailer below high water mark and keys in my pocket.
So I went towards Connor pass but that was in cloud so the last alternative was land up slope in one of the small fields at Dingle then taxi. I reasoned that I had half an hour plus so why not hold for weather clearance ..done it lots of times and it worked.
i later took Mr Dutchman mountain soaring in the Alps and realised he had never learnt to look out of the window.
Last edited by blind pew; 9th Apr 2023 at 11:24.