Posted on 06/24/2017 5:36:09 AM PDT by KeyLargo
I should have written a ‘Never Again’ story about that experience.
we took off at 4:00 PM
That was my “Never Again” experience, A SIGMET had just ended 2 hours before we took off, after passing goffs and heading towards Barstow we hit the worst Turbulence and Micro Bursts imaginable. Before I knew it I was in a downdraft going 2500+ FPM on the VSI(pegged) full power 65 knots, as we approasched the ground, I40 was about 500 below us as I was preparing to land on the highway, I began remembering what my instructor had told me about what goes up comes down and vice versa, all of a sudden I was rocketed back up to 8500 ft with the Power OFF 2500 FPM on the VSI (pegged again) doing everything I could to stop from exceeding VNE, I was doing 130 knots Indicated in a very steep climb, with the yolk pulled All the Way Back, this happened 3 times in about 10 minutes while passing the Granite Mountains and it seemed like an eternity, we were completely out of control on more than a few times during this ordeal.
I have a 2500 ft dirt strip at my house in Mohave Valley at the River in AZ, we fly back and forth constantly and I only fly across the desert in the MORNING, Off before 10AM or we wait, All Summer Long. I seriously doubt that I will ever experience that again, for it truly is a once in a lifetime event.
A friend of mine and his wife were flying home from Vegas at the same time the same day, hit the same crap, and his Wife has never flown again.
It’s all about load, temperature, and air density. Hotter air is less dense. Which means less oxygen for combustion (particularly important on non-turbocharged prop planes). It also means less “lift” under the wings. More load requires more horsepower and more lift. If a plane can’t show documented data that supports flying in those conditions, it is grounded by FAA rules.
Juan Browne, a pilot and part-time internet journalist who has been doing videos about the troubled Oroville dam in California, touched on this issue in his most recent video, towards the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDcCPGgwDgI
Just after the 11:00 mark in the video.
A pilot didn't complete his weight and balance comps. Then he compounded the mistake with a no-hover takeoff. Unless he was departing from a rooftop LZ he should have been able to get the helo down in its own length.
You make a case for an STC for water injection and nitrous oxide for hot days only. Now getting the GAS to grant the STC is a different story....
Oops not gas, FAA...
You know what is said about a pilot bag of experience & luck.
https://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/inst_reports2.cfm?article=4561
What I do know is, You get good experience from bad judgement and you get good judgement from bad experience.
I haven’t experienced anything remotely similar in 25 years since.
Ping
Right.
Oh, yeah. High on mine is the realization then when you're flying in the Rockies and your descent rate exceeds the climb capability of the aircraft, you...um...well, you go down.
Well, I am (and, I suspect, many others are!) most pleased that you survived that experience!
I flew in the Mountain West area FRom Jan 1975 until September 1981, and never had an experience like that one.
Mostly, my flights were routine.
HST, I was a Navy pilot FRom 1964 until 1981, and given the experiences I had in the Navy, “routine” may be a matter of perspective.
I thoroughly enjoyed the flying I did, and I miss it every day!
Translation: in order to be able to take off, the airline would have had to offload enough passengers and freight that the flight would have been unprofitable.
I Learned About Flying From That: Riding the Wave
The ups and downs of mountain flying.
By Clyde Davis August 11, 2014
Nice job keeping your head during something like that! I'm happy that you survived to tell us the tale.
Yup I just returned from Grand Canyon Airport in a 109hp cessna 140 and it’s amazing how different landing/take off are at that altitude even without scorching heat. I’m used to sea level so I had to keep a ton of power in even on final just to keep the wings from wobbling. And the groundspeed on touchdown makes it really interesting when you’ve got a crosswind.
Thank God for outflow/ground effect?
I envy your ability to fly to the Grand Canyon. On my bucket list is one more flight to the Canyon.
The best time to see the canyon is at sunrise, BTW, so if you get back up there, take the dawn patrol - you will not regret it.
As you know, fixed wing flights into the canyon are no longer legal, but I was fortunate enough to live in Flagstaff and be able to fly many charter flights INTO the Grand Canyon between 1975 and 1981 - I’ve flown into the “inner gorge” many times - BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES!
Get out much? Have any friends?
All the time and have lots of friends. Many of them like me who flew helicopters in the military. W&B is the responsibility of the HAC no matter who computes it. I don't doubt your story.
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