Snow forecast for Sunday/Monday

[ToryBoy]

If it does can I suggest nobody does what I did last year.

If you have spats for heaven's sake remove them. I didn't and mine filled up with the white stuff on take off, froze solid in the cruise and wouldn't let the wheels turn on landing.

I felt a right plonker!

[FlyingForFun]

Good point.

And also, please phone ahead! Last winter, I tried to fly a pax to Kemble for lunch. Phoned Kemble for PPR, and was told that they were closed due to the runway being covered in snow. Surprised, since it was beautiful and dry at White Waltham - but not much we could do, so we ended up just going for a local bimble instead. Amazed at how many people I heard getting a service from Farnborough who reported they were flying to Kemble that day.... don't know if any of them actually made it.

FFF
-------------

[DOC.400]

And taxiing in the snow is entertaining too!! As is finding snow covered grass strips -been there, done it!!

DOC

[Final 3 Greens]

And if it freezes, you maight find yourself 'taxying' during the power checks like I did one year - what a plonker

[Aussie Andy]

Well I am SO hoping it snows before Dec 28, and that Dec 28 is a lovely VFR day with a nice clear high-vis. Arctic airmass! I have an a/c booked that day, and I am hoping to be able to fly local-ish (Benson -> Coventry -> Gloucestershire -> Benson say) to see all the lovely snow-covered vistas! Moreover, my brothers will be with me, visiting from Australia, so it would blow their minds - pretty different to home, eh!

But I will admit to being a bit pensive about Winter Flying as it is new to me... so will be following this thread for any more tips and gotchas!

Andy

[360BakTrak]

I landed at Popham one snowy day about 5 years ago and due to the frozen rutted ground a mainwheel spat broke in half and fell off!
First I knew about was a Lady walking towards the aeroplane with some familier looking bits of fibreglass in her hands!
It was a bit embarassing in front of the pax!

[MLS-12D]

Why don't you fit your a/c with skis? Straight skis might be a bit impractical for England, but hydraulic skis/wheels would give you the best of both worlds.

[knobbygb]

Agree with Andy about the lovely views in the snow. Makes flying even in the local are a new experience. It can be a bit disconcerting when all those familiar navigation landmarks such as railway embankments, roads, distinctively shaped and coloured fields etc. suddenly disappear, but well worth experiencing. Wouldn't fancy trying to choose a good field for a forced landing though!

I'll always remember my first post-PPL flight over the Yorkshire Dales on a sunny December afternoon - all the hills were green on the South West side and white on the North East. Quite magical.

[Aussie Andy]

Why don't you fit your a/c with skis?

... nice thought MLS, but the real reason for all our TALK about snow is that, probably thanks to global warming or whatever, snow is becoming a rarer occurence and we all live in hope more than expectation!

I guess in Canada you have more certainty of snow, so its more likely to be worth the investment in skis!


Andy

[parris50]

Also bear in mind that if you are going VFR cross country, land marks may not be visible. Guess how I got lost one winter using a disused airport as a waypoint...

[TheKentishFledgling]

So what happened on landing, ToryBoy?

Did the aircraft skid along the runway, or what?

tKF