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Date: 05/04/99 Newsletter No. 08
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Concept: This newsletter is about presenting information on a
wide range of aviation subjects of interest to pilots and/or
aircraft owners. The author has been a pilot for thirty years
with a wide range of flying experience. The author has also
sold General Aviation aircraft for over twenty three years.
Roger W. Carpenter 1901157 ATP, CFI/II (not current),AGI,IGI.
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Published Twice Monthly.
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Suggestions and constructive criticisms are eagerly invited.
Readers are invited to submit questions on any aviation subject
near and dear to their heart. We will do our best to come up
with intelligent answers. Hopefully other readers will help out.
Also, I hope that readers will submit articles for publication
in this newsletter.
**ALERT** Great new weather service provider on the Web.
<http://weathertap.com> or 1-800-337-5263. I checked it out and
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Feature Article:
THUNDERSTORMS - it is that time of year again.
This article and most of my articles are written from the
standpoint of personal experience. I try and present the
material from a pilot's perspective. I leave the theory and
latest trendy approaches to others that are smarter than I.
I encourage readers to submit their points of view and I will
be more happy to publish them in their entirety for the benefit
of everyone. If you think I'm full of baloney, say so, but be
sharp enough to tell me why.
I can recall back in 1969 going to work for a small company
flying mail contracts for the U.S. Post office. They were using
Beech 18, twin engine tail draggers, with very old radios. Back
then the policy was if any leg of the run wasn't made for any
reason, the company didn't get paid. The pressure on the pilots
to fly was great no matter what the weather and/or aircraft
mechanical situation. This led to some interesting experiences.
Being fresh out of flight school after getting all my rating up
to CFI/IFI, I took this job as a co-pilot for $250.00 per month
to build hours in multi engine aircraft and gain experience in
tough flying conditions. It turned out to be a real learning
experience. The run I was assigned to was from Oklahoma City to
Little Rock, AR to Harrison, AR and then onto and stay overnight
at Fayetteville, Arkansas. We took off about 9PM and finished
about 4AM the next morning. We then turned around the following
night and retraced the route back to Oklahoma City.
Flying from Oklahoma City to Little Rock, AR is basically in
thunderstorm alley of the United States. For the time I was there
we had lots of IFR weather and lots of flying around big thunder-
storms. (What's big? Rule of thumb - when thunderstorm tops are
above 20,000 feet, give them a wide berth. Why? Hail and
turbulence). In addition, I have flown Part 135 operations out of
Denver, CO so I want to point out some things about thunderstorms
that pop up on the front range of the Rocky Mountains.
Things About Thunderstorms to Consider.
In my opinion, during thunderstorm season, the most important
part of a weather briefing is the FORECAST. Current weather
enroute and at your destination is fine but vertical developments
can start and build in extremely short time periods. Study and
get to know what to watch for with respect to conditions that
generally generate thunderstorms. Get in the habit of asking
questions of weather briefers that pertain to the vertical
development of clouds. Get the "dew" point info all along your route. High
moisture content in the atmosphere combined with hot weather can mean "boomers".
All it takes is a little lifting agent like a front or hills or just plowed ground.
Anything to get vertical development going and its "Katy bar the door" time.
Ask for pilot reports. Study weather fronts on the charts very closely. The worst
thunderstorms quite often are associated with cold fronts that develop squall lines. (A
squall line is a line of thunderstorms usually parallelling a front). Flying IFR around
squall lines should be left to the pros that have up to date weather avoidance equipment.
This can easily become a life and death situation. Flying VFR can be very tricky because
what appears to be a clear path between buildups can suddenly plunge you into IMC
conditions when you're least prepared for it. This is another type "sucker" hole
that we referred to in the newsletter on mountain flying.
TIP: Study the frontal line on the charts very closely. Burn the general direction of the
frontal line into your brain. If you should get into IMC conditions in the area of a
front, YOU MUST KNOW WHAT HEADING THAT YOU CAN TURN TO THAT IS PERPENDICULAR TO THE
FRONTAL LINE. Pilots have been known to fly a heading that takes them parallel to the
frontal line where they stay in the front area. Not good! Always know what heading you can
turn to get out of this dangerous place.
TIP: When flying near the tops of cumulus clouds in the mid teen altitudes and up, watch
out. The cloud looks like a soft pillow and you decide to fly through it. Right after you
enter the cloud, it can seem that someone suddenly threw a bucket of water on your plane
that froze instantly. I think the pros would call this large droplets of super-cooled
water. But whatever it's called, you can't see out for the ice on the windshield.
Depending how long you stay in the cloud, a large amount of clear ice can build fast. The
entire upper surfaces of the plane are covered, not just the leading edge as with rime
ice. Very bad!
Thunderstorms that build up along the front range of Rockies tend not to be as large and
mean as the thunderstorms associated with fronts. The individual cells tend to be more
random and are somewhat easier to navigate around. This does not mean that a given
thunderstorm anywhere can't grow into a monster capable of large hail and even the dreaded
tornado. I'm only saying the random location of the cells makes avoiding them easier in
VFR conditions. Keep in mind that a thunderstorm can "spit" hail out the top
several miles. I sold a new Cessna T-210 to a fellow 20 years ago. He took off from Denver
with thunderstorms approaching. His aircraft was hit by hail an hour later near Pueblo,
CO. He was able to land but the "new" aircraft was a total loss. Give
thunderstorms a WIDE berth.
Flying IFR into a thunderstorm environment is something the average General Aviation pilot
shouldn't even consider. Embedded cells could tear any aircraft into confetti. At the very
least, an aircraft should be equipped with a working radar and/or a stormscope. The pilot
should really KNOW how to use the equipment. Now is no time to wing it. This equipment
should be used to avoid individual thunderstorm cells. Anyone deliberately flying into a
thunderstorm cell is a fool. Period! On-board weather avoidance equipment should be used
in conjunction with weather advisories from Air Traffic Control. The name of the game is
to avoid the actual thunderstorm cells themselves.
Another factor to consider when flying in the area of thunderstorms is turbulence. It can
be absolutely brutal. The pilot and all others should have their restraining equipment as
tight as it can be tolerated. This should be anticipated and done before getting into the
mean stuff. Anyone that has flown weather a lot can tell you how quickly you go from
smooth air to being knocked silly on the roof of your plane. Any equipment on board should
be tied down securely. Turbulence can be so vicious that anything loose in the plane can
become a missile. Up and down drafts can make it difficult, in extreme cases, to maintain
altitude to within a thousand feet let alone a hundred feet. Don't hesitate to ask ATC for
blocked air space to help you in the altitude control problems. Within reason, don't fight
it. Concentrate on keeping the wings level and holding your heading; hopefully a heading
that is taking you back to better flying conditions. In addition, your airspeed indicator,
VSI and altimeter may be going wild. Don't chase them. Concentrate on attitude and heading
control. Severe turbulence around thunderstorms usually doesn't last very long if you're
on a correct heading to get you out of the area; even if this means changing your flight
plan.
TIP: In a turbulence environment, TURN OFF THE ALTITUDE HOLD on your autopilot. It is
possible to have the altitude hold feature of an autopilot fly an aircraft into a stall
situation as it seeks to hold a given altitude.
What I'm trying to say in this article, is that thunderstorms are nothing to take lightly.
I know personally of a Cessna T-210, as good a weather single engine plane as General
Aviation has, that had both wings ripped off in a thunderstorm over Alabama in 1975. To
this day, one wing has not been found. The indications are the pilot flew right into a
thunderstorm cell itself.
Another thing to keep in mind. Landing at an airport with a thunderstorm right overhead or
even nearby could ruin your whole day. The down drafts can literally push an aircraft into
the ground. You can get dramatic and sudden wind shifts (buzzword - wind shear) that can
adversely effect aircraft control. If you can't go to another airport, increase your
normal approach speed at least 10 knots and carry more power. If you have the fuel, think
about going off somewhere and holding while the storm passes. Thirty minutes in a holding
pattern away from the storm could make all the difference in the world.
Finally, we as Americans have become a very government provided security oriented society.
We are taught to respect all government authority and to follow instructions. Fine, up to
a point. But when your rear end is on the line, remember that controller often has little
idea what you're are up against in a thunderstorm environment. His eyeballs are not
shaking from the turbulence as yours may be doing. Remember, the controller is there to
serve you, not the other way around. Keep ATC informed of your situation. Don't hesitate
to amend a flight plan as the weather situation changes. Make use of the many capabilities
ATC has to support you and don't hesitate to demand them.
Anyone can learn to land and takeoff an airplane. A real pilot KNOWS weather!
Other Information:
For a current listing of General Aviation aircraft for sale by
The R.W. Carpenter Company, go to
<a href="http://aircraft-airplanes.com">Visit Web site </a> or
http://aircraft-airplanes.com depending on browser.
In addition, I often recommend, what I feel to be the best book
ever written about flying an airplane, "Stick and Rudder" by
Wolfgang Langewiesche. I sincerely believe that every pilot
should read this "bible" at least twice. It WILL make you a
better pilot because it discusses flying an airplane from the
WYSIWYG perceptions a pilot receives. If you would like to order
it on-line or any of a million other books from Amazon click on
<http://aircraft-airplanes.com/mainpage.html> Great Discounts.
FREE service to my readers: If you would like a "book" appraisal
on an airplane, fill out the info sheet at my web site. Click on
<http://aircraft-airplanes.com/appraisal.htm> Don't forget to
click on the "submit" key. I'll get back to you.
NEW page at my Web Site. "Cost of Operation" analysis form.
Nothing fancy but it might give you some ideas for planning
purposes. http://aircraft-airplanes.com/cost_of_operation.htm
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