fiebichpvSeptember 16, 2018, 11:56pm
Sometimes the blind pig does not get the truffle.
My AirBike flight to a fly-in at a private airfield 40 miles away yesterday was thwarted by Mother Nature. Wind during takeoff was right down the runway coming from the South and the sky was a brilliant blue with huge white clouds. Temperature was about 90 degrees.
After climbing above the hangars and tree line I could see in the distance what appeared to be a local rain shower. It was about 20 miles away. The wind at takeoff was such that I anticipated it would blow the storm away from my Westward travel direction by the time I got there. As I closed in on the storm it got denser, my ground speed dropped, and the cooler wind had become almost on my nose.
This was strange because I anticipated the wind to blow the storm out of my path before I got to it, I would then go around behind it. The storm appeared to be about 20 miles wide and was now advancing towards me! Plan A was not going to work. Rain soon splattered my windshield and I was getting wet. Time to pull a 180 and "get out of Dodge."
The storm was moving about 25 mph and getting blacker. Rain pelting the ground actually raised a dust cloud as it passed over fields. I could see it overwhelming structures, roads, and agricultural areas. There was no question that it was coming my way. I was not going to fly my VFR aircraft through IMC.
On the return flight to my hangar, I pushed the throttle all the way forward. With the engine running 6500 rpm and the advancing gust front, I was soon traveling at 74 mph! The plan was to beat it back to the runway before the storm arrived. I did get there in time.
Landing on the grass runway with a full 90 degree crosswind (about 10 mph at ground level) required me to go into Bob Hoover mode; landing on one wheel with the upwind wing about 2' off the turf. Rather exciting! Although the wind had arrived at the airport, the storm didn't. It dissipated a few miles before it got here! Amazing.
The good thing is that I made the right decision and not tease the storm, the bad thing is that I lost the necessary time to attend the fly-in. Oh well, with this decision, I will fly again. Had I not made that decision I may have had other things to deal with.
AirBike Ace (sorry, no photos)
My AirBike flight to a fly-in at a private airfield 40 miles away yesterday was thwarted by Mother Nature. Wind during takeoff was right down the runway coming from the South and the sky was a brilliant blue with huge white clouds. Temperature was about 90 degrees.
After climbing above the hangars and tree line I could see in the distance what appeared to be a local rain shower. It was about 20 miles away. The wind at takeoff was such that I anticipated it would blow the storm away from my Westward travel direction by the time I got there. As I closed in on the storm it got denser, my ground speed dropped, and the cooler wind had become almost on my nose.
This was strange because I anticipated the wind to blow the storm out of my path before I got to it, I would then go around behind it. The storm appeared to be about 20 miles wide and was now advancing towards me! Plan A was not going to work. Rain soon splattered my windshield and I was getting wet. Time to pull a 180 and "get out of Dodge."
The storm was moving about 25 mph and getting blacker. Rain pelting the ground actually raised a dust cloud as it passed over fields. I could see it overwhelming structures, roads, and agricultural areas. There was no question that it was coming my way. I was not going to fly my VFR aircraft through IMC.
On the return flight to my hangar, I pushed the throttle all the way forward. With the engine running 6500 rpm and the advancing gust front, I was soon traveling at 74 mph! The plan was to beat it back to the runway before the storm arrived. I did get there in time.
Landing on the grass runway with a full 90 degree crosswind (about 10 mph at ground level) required me to go into Bob Hoover mode; landing on one wheel with the upwind wing about 2' off the turf. Rather exciting! Although the wind had arrived at the airport, the storm didn't. It dissipated a few miles before it got here! Amazing.
The good thing is that I made the right decision and not tease the storm, the bad thing is that I lost the necessary time to attend the fly-in. Oh well, with this decision, I will fly again. Had I not made that decision I may have had other things to deal with.
AirBike Ace (sorry, no photos)