It is physically impossible for air to enter the ground. Rather, a downdraft is deflected downwind and a microburst is deflected outward in all directions. While we don't want to mess with thunderstorms, we can safely fly in windy conditions.

To explain how to deal with the ground rush that gets pilots into trouble with common mountain downdrafts, I would reference Rob's Ag videos. Not only is he dealing with ground rush, but it literally comes on like a deer in the headlights. Even though it is a video, we may have the urge to yank the stick back. No, no big downdrafts at night, but what is the very safe configuration Rob is in? His nose is down, power is up, and wings are level. Even if there was a downdraft, he would be in the very best configuration to fly through it quickly.

While not common, there are FAA probable cause proclamations that a downdraft just slammed the airplane into the ground. Rotors, like wingtip vortices, can upset aircraft. Of course there are other possibilities we might look at in the interest of safety.

In the words of Monk, the TV detective, "This is what happened." A pilot with only high altitude, powerful airplane, mountain experience was attempting to maintain 2,000' vertical clearance from a pass. As he approached from the downwind side of the pass, a 2,000 fpm downdraft overcame his full power and increasing elevator pressure attempt to maintain altitude. He incorrectly believed pitching up to Vy would be the safest technique. He incorrectly believed altitude is always more important than airspeed. This deceleration threw away the energy he had stored in cruise airspeed. When low enough for ground rush to influence him, he was startled enough to pull back further on the yoke mushing or stalling the airplane. The airplane appeared to be slammed into the ground.

It would be difficult for instructors to get their school to spring for some instructor Ag training, but instructors might teach the go around more safely. They might require the nose to stay down and wings to stay level until full power and cleanup had developed zoom reserve in the form of airspeed. Mountain training might emphasize energy management while paying attention to what the airplane wants to do. In a strong downdraft, the airplane does not want to climb to maintain altitude. Just the opposite. Dynamic stability has lowered the nose for safety. In a strong updraft, the airplane does not want to dive to maintain altitude. Just the opposite. It will correctly pitch up to maintain cruise airspeed and acquire free extra altitude.

Simply by teaching on course thermalling, we create good energy management muscle memory in our students. And a strong downdraft short of the pass should trigger an energy management turn back. Far less that 2,000' of vertical space available is required to make a 1g turn back at whatever bank is necessary to turn well within the valley and egress down drainage.

Unfortunately, high altitude orientation teaches control usage as if there is not terrain below, either in the mountains or in the pattern. Low altitude orientation teaches that where vertical space available is limited, airspeed is life. Airspeed aids maneuvering flight by making possible the safer energy management turn of 1g at any bank angle.

My old CFI that survived 10K hours in the right seat letting students try to kill him, another 10K in a pig of a P210 flying for the county, a mid-air collision with a member of this forum, and a crash that claimed the life of his father, always said that the downdraft would expire upon reaching ground effect, and not to panic and lose all airspeed. This experience was gained crossing the Rockies, sometimes multiple times a week. I suspect he probably tested his own advice.

Not to say that I would be an advocate for trying it.

Often in heavy winds flying10-15 ft AGL is much smoother and while somewhat bumpy the big push is lateral at that point. Works in the mountains and the flats. DENNY

The increasing velocity of wind events these days should cause more caution, but wind simply was not a no go at almost any speed when I started flying. While finding more wave action further north, I encountered wind nearly every return to Gallup or Tohatchi, NM from drill and additional flight training at Santa Fe. All returns from weekend drill and most of the yearly 24 additional flight training periods started at 1700. Going into prevailing westerly winds, I stayed low. Downdrafts and updrafts that pegged the VSI were fairly common in summer. By pitching down I flew through the downdrafts quickly and always hit a bump and updraft at 200' to 50' AGL. The stronger the downdraft, the higher the compression bump indication updraft air. The airplanes I owned then were Ercoupe, Champ, T-Craft, Piper Colt, Tri-Pacer, Cessna 175, and 235 hp Pawnee.

So I cheated death at least 100 times. The design of the airplane is to fly. Climb? Sure, with a good updraft.