This might be a dumb question. But hey, I'm still a newbe so I can ask dumb questions! How can you determine if a lake bed is dry or wet as your flying over and wanting to land? (I don't want to end up like those two guys did down there in Utah on this last Friday). My first guess would be to circle around a few times and look for reflections/shiney area's from the sun. Does anyone have a suggestion or trick up there sleeve??

The only sure fire way is to stand on it first..........Good excuse to go for a motorcycle ride. Sometimes they look dry and they are not.I was riding shotgun in a 206 a while back and the bonehead flying did a quick 180 and landed ,stopped in about 50 ft . Sore neck and the whole deal.If you can't help yourself and just have to land hopefully you have been paying attention to the weather,has it been windy?Has it rained lately? Wind seems to dry them out real good,look for the lighter areas, white is better than dark brown,Although some lake beds are firm others are soft.Coyote has some photos of him out on a "dry"lakebed that has water all over it.Some people will throw something out the window(the beer you just finished) and see what kind of mark it makes.Million different ways.Make sure you tell someone that you are going there,so they can come out and get their plane stuck with you.............. What happened out in Salt Lake the other day?

This is what happened in Utah: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4615224

58Skylane wrote: How can you determine if a lake bed is dry or wet as your flying over and wanting to land? Does anyone have a suggestion or trick up there sleeve??

The simple answer is, you don't. Let someone else be the test pilot.

I live in dry lakebed country now, and they all look soooooooo inviting. But I use my fourwheeler down here more than the airplane, and I've learned the hard way that that 1/4 inch crust, which at first glance seems rock hard, is nothing more than thin ice on top of a completely bottomless quagmire.

Sometimes you can't tell just by looking. Which is why I use dirt roads for playing with the airplane, not the lakes.

Gump

Hey, maybe a good use for them used bowling balls!!

Yup...

Gump

Speaking of bowling balls, the last time I was at Ibex, we came across the remnants of a bowling ball. A couple of large junks and lots of smaller ones. The guy I was with recognized the cursive writing on one of the chunks and believed that it to be part of the inner stuff that such balls are made of. Would like to have seen how it got to be in so many pieces.

I look for motorcycle tracks.

Tim

I was hiking across what I thought was a dry lake one time, on a nice firm crust, and the next step I took, I sunk up to above my knee. It was like breaking through ice.

I think dry lakes also have a tendency to be drier around the edges than in the middle, but that depends on the profile of the lake too. It might be flat enough that water doesn't recede toward the center.

I think that there are different kinds of dry lakes too.. Some of them are extremely soft even when they are completely dry, and you could still nose over with small tires. Those kind are sort of like flour, and turn to a gumbo when wet.

joecub was the first one to come to a complete stop on our (wet) dry lake, he was water skiing the wheels, then just kept slowing down more and more until he was stopped, so I tried it. When I got to him, I was going maybe 10 mph, and still slid past him a good 100 yds. with brakes locked. This one gets about 1 inch of the slipperiest stuff you have ever tried to walk on, and feels completely hard under that. When it's wet, I have seen a pickup go down maybe 3 inches, and you can hardly go, even in 4 wheel drive, it's so slick.

When our dry lake is dry, it's really white, and very very hard and smooth.

There is one in the next valley over tho, that is the very soft kind, so.... Walking on them first ain't a bad idea, if you're not sure.

One thing we did figure out, though, when ya land on the wet ones, if ya keep the brakes locked, there is about three inches less mud on the bottom of the wings...

I was talking to a SuperCub driver in N Cal a few years ago, and when I asked about how he new it was dry, he said he flew over it just barley touching his mains, and if there was dust kicked up, he'd go back and land. He was refering to the desert near Reno.

As for the guys in Utah, I have landed at Ibex multiple times( I aim for truck tracks), but have never heard of anyone landing on the Sevier Dry Lake!

So, to all you experts, what about the dust thing? Of course, I'd prefer to follow somone else to uncharted areas, etc.

Cal

qmdv wrote:I look for motorcycle tracks.

Tim

Were we live in southern Nevada / northwest AZ. where there no less than
8-10 Dry lake beds. Every one has a group of motorcycle /atv /sand buggy and just plane folks. Watch for dark tracks against the light powder dry lake bed. Dark lines will show that the underlining is wet and muddy. I've had several hundred "dry lake bed landings" one that almost turned ugly.

Dumb?? You Bet....

[quote="Coyote Ugly"][b]Dumb?? You Bet....

[Where is that lake? Lat and Lon??

tks,

bumper

Coyote Ugly wrote:Dumb?? You Bet....

I don't think so, Joe. Just having fun and living life the way it should be!!

Oso Loco wrote:I was talking to a SuperCub driver in N Cal a few years ago, and when I asked about how he new it was dry, he said he flew over it just barley touching his mains, and if there was dust kicked up, he'd go back and land.

Cal

That's kind of what I was thinking. If you weren't sure about a lake bed approach it as a soft field landing and touch the main tires and be ready to hit the throttle if it too wet.

Flew over Bonevill Salt Flats the other day and where they have speed week already looks wet. Have had no rain to speak of so where does the water come from. Oh and you could still see tracks on the flats.

Tim

qmdv wrote:I look for motorcycle tracks.

Tim

If the moto tracks were not my own I would still be a bit on the cautious side they could have been there for awhile,I have also seen 4 wheeler tracks that made it look ok when I knew it was a no go.I like to walk the area somehow to take the guesswork out of it,or have a solid report that it is all good .

bumper wrote:

Coyote Ugly wrote:[b]Dumb?? You Bet....

[Where is that lake? Lat and Lon??

tks,

bumper

39.2767 , -117.5292
At least that's what my SPOT page says.. Should be right..

Hey Coyote, you find any guys laying face down in the water when you were there?