About 30 miles away, and at my elevation a bit over 1 K above the valley. Dead calm and blue skies were the first thing I noticed that morning, it was only while drinking coffee that I happened to look out at the valley, crap!
The fog layer was lapping at the end of my 400' runway, but by the time I finished getting coffeeed up it had receded to the windsock at the bottom of my property. This left me just enough room to get off and hang a sharp left, and then fly in the clear and parallel to the fog bank, at all times having a clear option in case of power failure. While doing so I climbed and was well over 8K before heading out over the stuff, high enough to make a emergency landing on either clear sides of the valley. Looking back at my place while heading out over the fog.
Like I had planned/hoped, the cabin I was landing at was clear of the fog, but just by 1/4 mile at best, totally in clear though. The batteries checked, it was time to go before that fog moved closer. I landed it wrong, parked wrong anyway, so that by the time I got parked on the side slope it would be problematic as to whether I could get turned downhill for takeoff before sloughing off the side slope. I pulled it back a few feet, but not enough, (the skis don't like going backwards too much) so I then carefully worked the plane more downhill (careful not to just wrench the tail around like in the summer, that's real hard on the gear when on skis, I've heard the stories of guys twisting the gear off)
I could only do that a little though as the slope was such that the plane would takeoff without me. So I used a trick I came up with last year:while still back at the tail, and with the plane wanting to slide down hill, I kept one hand on the tail hold and with the other dug a pit for the tailwheel ski. After stuffing the ski down in there I let go and the plane stayed put. All of this is easy enough with a plane the weight of the S-7S, don't try this with a 180.Even then, I was real careful to get in real gentle like, and thought through what I would do if it did start moving. Once behind the seat (and I didn't put my full weight down on the seat ??) I got strapped in and didn't fool around with the headset, just cranked it up and even while cranking I was sliding, then full throttle and stick forward and full left rudder and I was outa there. This picture shows the deal: I landed on the right, slid out and parked sideways pointing to the left, towards another slope falling away, that's what I wanted to make real sure I got turned before. Hard to describe but it reminded me of setting up a pool shot, no hurry, think it through, figure the angles out, and get it right. I was thinking harder then I ever do in summer ops, all part of the ski fun, real challenging on these little double fall line slopes. A few days before I had landed it the better way, parking pointing to the right, clockwise, I just had my head up my a** the next time, landed it counter clock wise, thinking I had this place whipped. It isn't the landings on skis, it's the turning around that can bite you. After nailing a landing and sliding out (and patting yourself on the back) it is SO easy to finally come to a stop in a area where you will have major hassles getting turned around
Coming back, again at altitude after recrossing the fog, my place is just to the left of the center dirt road.
Right after I took this picture, I decided to cruise past the ski patrol shack at 8600' and see "whassup with my homies" on the patrol ( a little ghetto knuckledragging snowboarder speak, what I mean is I would do a legal flyby, my way of saying hello to the people I participate in winter sports with....) but a mintue later I rechecked my place and damn if the fog wasn't now advancing, since I took that picture. So I did a Air France descent and got 'er down quick and back inside the hangar. An hour later, riding the chairlift with one of the aforementioned homies, who's a neighbor, I mentioned how the flying was great that morning especially as when the fog is that thick and I'm on the skis, I can get down right on top of it and as long as I keep my speed up......it holds me up! He looked at me (he's a 68 year old retired bizman, no dummy) and said "holds you up?" Yeah....it holds you UP! HE frigging bought it, I was laughing my ass off inside. Another indication how the gen pub is so totally clueless of what we do!
They say birds may see air like that, that soaring birds can maybe see thermals. Sounds good anyway.
