john54724 wrote:C152 with instructor from southern WI to the U.P. of MI. We were practicing IFR . He filed a flight plan and let me fly the plane on instruments. Began picking up ice 50 miles from destination...nothing but trees all around. He took over as PIC and we 'smashed' onto the runway just 100' from the end, all the time going down 500 fpm with full power, no flaps and the plane buffeting on the edge of stall the entire ride. Broke out at 500'.

Also landed in the narrow patch of scrub between the gator swamp and the runway lights at jacksonville FL with one of those light sport amphib I was ferrying back to WI. I flipped the fuel selector to the right tank as I normally do on high wing a/c when making left pattern to land...only problem was this plane was build with on-off selector, not left right. Engine quit at 250agl over the swamp and no time to do anything except fly the plane to the 'best' of the worst spots.

I got 'stuck' VFR on top at 7500' with my C140 45min from dark at the end of a 3 hr xc flight from SD. Reports of solid overcast with bases at 1500AGL and dropping fast. Nothin but a needle, ball and airspeed. I pulled the plane (sort of by accident) into a stall then let it enter a spin and held it dropping through 7000' and broke out and recovered with bases now at 500 AGL. In the 15 min it took to get from that point to my rural grass strip, the bases continued down to 100 AGL at touchdown.

Jack Daniels never tasted sooo good after that flight!!
John

Something tells me to take a pass on ever flying with you

Don't know if it was the worst, but it definitely made my top ten;

Gotta love fall time in Western Alaska, days apon days of rain, fog, mist, low ceilings and poor visability.

Flying home from my weekly run to Golovin, i arrived at PAWM to fog and heavy mist. Must be time to invest in rainex because my windshild looked like it had vaseline smeared all over it, which wasn't too bad till i was ready to flair. The combination of fog, heavy mist, wet light gray gravel runway and gusting cross wind played heck with my depth perception (not to mention the old internal table) and made for a throughly entertaining experence!

Once i got her on the ground, i caught myself checking the AI as i taxied to the ramp to make sure i was still upright Messed up feeling, just wanted to get out of the plane and stand still for a minute.

Chris

I have to admit to screwing up to tell this story. Don't do this at home....


I was taking 9 passengers from Abeche, Chad to the capitol, N'djamena about 450 miles away. It was mid January and at that time of year the strong seasonal winds blow the sand a lot. I was doing the run daily in a Cessna Grand Caravan. I got a "weather report" before I loaded passengers and it was dire, reporting vis under 350 meters (1200 feet) due to blowing sand in the capitol. But this was the same report I had had for a week and it was always wrong with vis about 2 miles. Weather reporting in central Africa is pretty much useless. I was flying a lot, I could do anything, I had balls as big as the oversized tires on the Caravan, I took off.
As I flew the route it started looking worse and worse...of course it was clear as a bell above '3500 feet, but below is was looking bad. If I looked straight down I could see the ground clearly, like a big hole in the sand that followed me around. I kept going. Finally as I neared the capitol I had passed the point where I could turn back for Abeche...no other fields just open desert. Our alternate was across the border in Camaroon and would involve a nightmare of fines, paperwork, bribes and impounding of the plane. Not to mention some of my passengers might not come back from Cameroon. Besides there was no guaranty the weather was better there. I decided I wouldn't divert. I was landing at N'Djamena. I took a pass over the field using the GPS to make sure I was over it. If I looked straight down I could see a narrow band of the runway from 2500 feet. I asked the vis again. "150 meters" was the heavily accented reply in english. I asked for the ILS. Thankfully it was still working (things break a lot in Chad). What I had on my side was that the runway was 10,000 feet long. I figured I would fly the ILS down to 200 feet, then hold that altitude until I had the runway directly underneath me and hopefully in sight. Then drop full flaps get the prop into Beta and get it down and stopped. It worked out that way...with lots of room to spare. I couldn't see forward at all and had trouble trying to taxi to the ramp. Vis was then reported at less than 100 meters. Air France had cancelled it's daily Airbus flight in two hours before. My passengers knew no better, were very proud of my skill and happy to be in the capitol. I was too ashamed to confess to them. When I got back to our base in Abeche, I looked at my log. I had flown 120 hours in the last 30 days. I told the Chief pilot to put me off for a few days and she agreed...I felt so bad she didn't have the heart to kick my ass.

Flew a charter to Atlantic City on a day when it was blowing a gale (literally). Left Leesburg VA that morning for a short hop to Baltimore-Washington Int'l (the was back in the 1980's before the area essentially became a no-fly zone for GA). Wind was gusting over 60 kts. Not even the big guys were operating at BWI that day. Tower seemed surprised to get a C210 handed off by approach control. Cleared me to land and warned of severe wind shear. Shortly after touchdown, the right wing began to rise and I though I was going to end up on my back, but fortunately it settled back down right side up. I had full aileron in but not sure I had much to do with the outcome. As I slowed to taxi speed still on the runway (no high speed turn offs for me this day), I heard a strange rattling sound. It took me a moment to figure out the the airplane was actually skittering sideways across the runway in the heaviest gusts. I had to stop and go, essentially taxiing between gusts. The tower didn't mind since I was the only idiot out there!

I really hoped my passengers would no-show, but unfortunately, they were there waiting for me when I finally made it to the GA terminal. I briefed them on the conditions, hoping phrases like "severe turbulence" and "strong wind shear" would convince them that they would rather go home and watch the big game, but they turned out to be an adventurous bunch. "Cool" they said, almost in unison. So, I reluctantly loaded up and called ground control. Taxi out was essentially a repeat of the taxi in with the stop and go to avoid moving sideways in the heaviest gusts (cant be good for a 210's main gear). I explained what I was doing to my passengers, again hoping they might decide to call it a day, but they took in all in stride.

Back then, Bader Field, right off the downtown strip, was open. However, due to the conditions, I chose the larger NAFAC (?) airport - probably the only wise thing I did that day. The wind wasn't any less strong in New Jersey and that landing was a proposing, tire squealing affair, but my intrepid companions didn't seem the least phased. I packed them off in a cab to the casinos and hoped that by the time they were ready to return that night, the wind would subside at least a bit. It didn't.

Taxiing out that night, I hit a patch of ice on the runway that I couldn't see in the darkness. The 210 immediately weathervaned into the wind, eliciting a cry of "whee!" from a couple of my passengers.

Determined to show these people that I really did know how to land an airplane, I was hyper focused on final to BWI that night. It actually turned out to be the best landing of the day, despite to horrific conditions. Passengers discharged, I thought about spending the night in the FBO lounge, as because of it's proximity to the mountains, Leesburg can be squirrely when the wind blows, but in the end, I really wanted to see my bed. So, I headed back to home base. By the time I arrived, the wind had finally diminished a bit, and I was able to make my usual half-assed but passable landing.

Best,
O-2

your stories are incrediable... I am crazy..... but nuttin like what some of you guys have described.. .

Saw this on another site and had to post it.... Thunderstorms and flight usually don't mix..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfWhIOT3gMM

Geez, some really good stories. You pro pilots who have to fly at such and such a time and place really got a whole different deal going on, I guess that's why you're called pros? I don't have any really good landing stories as I don't go up if I don't like the conditions, pretty boring.

After a while, worst gets to be normal... Too lazy to type this stuff, but a cut and paste will do.

This one time, at band camp...

I sat on the ground at Kotz for days, mail and freeze piling up, trying to get to Point Hope but couldn't because of high winds. Lasting for days. Huge winds. Every flight elsewhere I'd get back and call the AWOS up there to see what it was doing. Finally, back from a trip east the Point Hope AWOS was saying, "Winds calm."

I loaded my Sled, fired up, filed with FSS, and off I went to the northwest. As I'm trucking along I thought it was kind of strange. No radio traffic. I figured everybody would be headed up that way with the break in the weather. Oh well, I must have just been the quick one, and was gonna be the first one in.

Well, at about Chariot I was in the middle of an E-ticket ride, and Hoser the Wonder Dog was giving me that look. At Cape Thompson I knew I was gonna die, but I dialed in the AWOS, and by golly, still reporting winds calm. Oh well. I told the dog to hang on, because we're going to Point Hope.

Up and over Cape Thompson, and down on the deck for the run into Point Hope. A mile vis was a big lie, but if asked, I had it in blowing snow and freezing fog. I saw the buildings of town as I went over a few feet from the roofs, and a couple of left turns later had me on short final looking at the runway through the pilot's side window. It was slick, so I never bothered to take the crab out and just slid to a stop on the runway when I landed. I knew I could never turn around on the ramp, so I called Larry, our village agent, on the radio, and had him meet me on the runway to unload.

"What the f**k are you doing here? he yelled.

"Your winds are calm asshole, I'm bringing your mail. What do you think I'm doing," I shouted back

"What do you mean the winds are calm? It's blowing 60, 70 miles per hour"

"Well, your machine says they're calm!"

At that point he knew I was dumber than my dog. He looked at me and said, "The wind blew the sensor off the pole a few hours ago, it's broke."

Oh well... Sliding, ugly takeoff. A beating to where I thought the wings were gonna fall off. And one pissed off Red Heeler later, I made my way back home. As I landed I closed my flight plan with FSS, and my buddy the specialist, my good buddy, asked me over the air, "What the f**k were you doing up there?"

Asshole.

Gump

Landing in Nantucket on every foggy day there is haha. Ive got nothing

I wish we had a like button.

GumpAir wrote:After a while, worst gets to be normal... Too lazy to type this stuff, but a cut and paste will do.

This one time, at band camp...

I sat on the ground at Kotz for days, mail and freeze piling up, trying to get to Point Hope but couldn't because of high winds. Lasting for days. Huge winds. Every flight elsewhere I'd get back and call the AWOS up there to see what it was doing. Finally, back from a trip east the Point Hope AWOS was saying, "Winds calm."

I loaded my Sled, fired up, filed with FSS, and off I went to the northwest. As I'm trucking along I thought it was kind of strange. No radio traffic. I figured everybody would be headed up that way with the break in the weather. Oh well, I must have just been the quick one, and was gonna be the first one in.

Well, at about Chariot I was in the middle of an E-ticket ride, and Hoser the Wonder Dog was giving me that look. At Cape Thompson I knew I was gonna die, but I dialed in the AWOS, and by golly, still reporting winds calm. Oh well. I told the dog to hang on, because we're going to Point Hope.

Up and over Cape Thompson, and down on the deck for the run into Point Hope. A mile vis was a big lie, but if asked, I had it in blowing snow and freezing fog. I saw the buildings of town as I went over a few feet from the roofs, and a couple of left turns later had me on short final looking at the runway through the pilot's side window. It was slick, so I never bothered to take the crab out and just slid to a stop on the runway when I landed. I knew I could never turn around on the ramp, so I called Larry, our village agent, on the radio, and had him meet me on the runway to unload.

"What the f**k are you doing here? he yelled.

"Your winds are calm asshole, I'm bringing your mail. What do you think I'm doing," I shouted back

"What do you mean the winds are calm? It's blowing 60, 70 miles per hour"

"Well, your machine says they're calm!"

At that point he knew I was dumber than my dog. He looked at me and said, "The wind blew the sensor off the pole a few hours ago, it's broke."

Oh well... Sliding, ugly takeoff. A beating to where I thought the wings were gonna fall off. And one pissed off Red Heeler later, I made my way back home. As I landed I closed my flight plan with FSS, and my buddy the specialist, my good buddy, asked me over the air, "What the f**k were you doing up there?"

Asshole.

Gump

Back in the days when I owned 560C I needed to take a gentleman to Three Hills Alberta. The wind was gusting maybe 25 when I left home. Stopped for fuel about halfway and had to get my passenger to hold his feet on the brakes (park cable was broken). got to Three hills - took almost 4 hrs. wind gusting to 45, fortunately straight down the runway. I let my passenger off about 100 yards from the end of the runway, with the engine running, then blasted off for home. Took about an hour and a half to get back. still a LITTLE faster than driving.

Combat Assault into North Vietnamese stronghold in Laos 1968.Ground fire with 37mm /51Cal. /RPG's antiaircraft fire shot down (including me and crew) 5 out 9 helicopters ,all were damaged to some effect.Everything after that is a cakewalk. Good LORD was shinning on me that day .

182 STOL driver wrote:Combat Assault into North Vietnamese stronghold in Laos 1968.Ground fire with 37mm /51Cal. /RPG's antiaircraft fire shot down (including me and crew) 5 out 9 helicopters ,all were damaged to some effect.Everything after that is a cakewalk. Good LORD was shinning on me that day .

Ladies and gentlemen - I think we have a winner!

GumpAir wrote:After a while, worst gets to be normal...

Thats what concerns me

slowhawk wrote:

GumpAir wrote:After a while, worst gets to be normal...

Thats what concerns me

Yes and no...

It's amazing how the comfort level and skill set change with experience and repeated exposure. My first year in Barrow I walked to the airplane every day, pretty much thinking that this was going to be my last day on the planet. A couple years later, the same wx conditions wouldn't even trigger a flicker of thought, just that it was going to be a good $$$$ day to be flying, and here's to 8 flight hours gonna be logged in the book.

Now airframe icing, or antiaircraft fire... That should scare the crap out of you EVERY time

Gump

GumpAir wrote:

slowhawk wrote:

GumpAir wrote:After a while, worst gets to be normal...

Thats what concerns me

Yes and no...

It's amazing how the comfort level and skill set change with experience and repeated exposure. My first year in Barrow I walked to the airplane every day, pretty much thinking that this was going to be my last day on the planet. A couple years later, the same wx conditions wouldn't even trigger a flicker of thought, just that it was going to be a good $$$$ day to be flying, and here's to 8 flight hours gonna be logged in the book.

Now airframe icing, or antiaircraft fire... That should scare the crap out of you EVERY time

Gump

Guess i haven't scared the crap out of myself enough yet

I mean i aggree in that i am comfortable flying in stuff i would have never even considered flying in before, but somedays i wonder

Ha Ha!!!! Keep wondering Chris. If you stop wondering what the hell you're doing out in that muck, it's time to quit.

Just sayin' that after a while you realize that you can function quite well in conditions that at first would seem impossible. You build up a bag of tricks, actually have to use those Plan B's once in a while, and you figure out your personal comfort zone.

Same as your medical skills and practice. What's normal and easy now, as compared to what seemed horrible as a rookie in the ER?

Gump

And...

It's a whole lot easier to figure out that comfort zone flying 1,500 hours a year as opposed to 250 hours a year. It gets to be as comfortable as sitting in your easy chair at home.

Gump

GumpAir wrote:Ha Ha!!!! Keep wondering Chris. If you stop wondering what the hell you're doing out in that muck, it's time to quit.

Just sayin' that after a while you realize that you can function quite well in conditions that at first would seem impossible. You build up a bag of tricks, actually have to use those Plan B's once in a while, and you figure out your personal comfort zone.

Same as your medical skills and practice. What's normal and easy now, as compared to what seemed horrible as a rookie in the ER?

Gump

i hear you!

But i am sure you know the deal, there are those places in route that you have to commit to before you see if its good enough and they are usually in some pretty tight cracks, just don't want to roll the dice 1 too many times

OK enough thred-jacking, back to the program

Chris

GumpAir wrote:

GumpAir wrote:After a while, worst gets to be normal...

Yes and no...

It's amazing how the comfort level and skill set change with experience and repeated exposure. My first year in Barrow I walked to the airplane every day, pretty much thinking that this was going to be my last day on the planet. A couple years later, the same wx conditions wouldn't even trigger a flicker of thought, just that it was going to be a good $$$$ day to be flying, and here's to 8 flight hours gonna be logged in the book.

Now airframe icing, or antiaircraft fire... That should scare the crap out of you EVERY time

Gump

That's interesting...I started young and got my license when I was 17. The entire useful load of any airplane I flew in my remaining teenage years was taken up hauling my testicles around. I remember when 1sm visibility, 100 OVC, and any wind greater than calm was more than good enough weather to hop in the airplane and run down to Bethel with a few buddies after school, in the dark, just to grab a sandwich at Subway. If it was too bad to get a SVFR out of Bethel, we'd wait till after 9pm when the tower closed, and blast off NORDO (Class E, no radio, looked like VFR to me!) I couldn't understand why airlines wouldn't hire pilots with less than 1200-1500 hours. My high-school science teacher and CFII once told me that 250 hour pilots were the most dangerous, I thought that was a load of crap.

Then I got a job flying 135 when I was 20 years old with 500 hours total time. I survived my invincible dumbass stage , built up some serious hours, and scared the crap out of myself many times. The thought of what weather I used to fly in regularly now gives me the shivers. I sit in the office drinking coffee on marginal days, and it has saved my life and others. I don't feel I have anything to prove anymore, my bed at home will be there whenvever I can make it back, and I just want to live! My career objective is "OLD PILOT".

True. That old pilot is also a journeyman pilot, old and crafty. That experience teaches what you can do safely, and what you can't. Many a day I sat in the same office drinking coffee, even though it was technically legal, because I knew it was below MY minimums out there. But you still have to go out there and earn your pay in less than ideal conditions.

It was always funny to see guys come up for first jobs flying. And it shocked them that it wasn't going to be like flying for a $100 hamburger on a calm, sunny day. It's the cold, blowing crappy days you have to go out and spend eight hours flogging along in minimal everything to get your job done. It's also LOCAL experience. I got 10X more time out of Kotz than Bethel. No comfort zone down there for me at all. Makes a huge difference.

Now that I just fly for fun, it's amazing how my minimums, especially in winds, have gone up. I don't want to get my ass kicked anymore. If it ain't nice. And fun. I stay on the ground and drink wine!



Gump