Mon Aug 16, 2010 12:55 pm
#886960
Foggy, foggy dew
Kim Taylor takes us into the world of weightshift microlights and – more importantly for all of us – conditions which can lead to every notable feature being obscured by a blanket of fog
Although it was a winter’s day, the flying would be great in their microlight. A large area of high pressure was giving very light winds and cloudless skies. The weak sunshine provided a little warmth during the days, but the nights were cold. Weightshift microlight flying in the winter can be a true delight. The ‘Michelin Man’ insulated suits keep the very worst of the cold out and are the uniform of the trike pilot. True, fingers and feet can get cold, and painful, along with the exposed face, but the joy of flight in cold, smooth air is more than worth it. There’s always the prospect of a cuppa somewhere and being cold is the justification (as if it were needed!) for that bacon butty…
Pilot X had been qualified for some time and enjoyed taking passengers. More recently, his girlfriend had decided that she wanted to move from being talking ballast to being a pilot herself. She was being taught the noble art at a flying school which was about half-an-hour’s flight from Pilot X’s home airstrip. Better still, her training costs could be reduced by being taught in Pilot X’s aircraft – only the instructor’s time to pay for then – bargain! They routinely flew to and from the school airfield for her lessons. Such was her progress that she was able to sit in front in the tandem seating. Special handles fitted to the control frame allowed Pilot X to control the aircraft, from his rear seat, in pitch and roll; if he needed to take over – extensions to the nosewheel steering bar meant he could control it on the ground. The hand throttle allowed him control of the power.
Once the early morning mists had burned off, Pilot X and companion set off. They both knew the route well. As a result, Pilot X decided that he would leave his GPS receiver in its case, in the car. Not a lot of point in fitting the removable handheld radio either – his home airstrip and the school strip operated non-radio. Just the quarter-mil then.
The lady was becoming a good pilot and the short flight to the school airfield set her up for her lessons. Pilot X enjoyed a lazy day on the ground while his girlfriend made a little more steady progress through the syllabus. As he sat in the watery sunshine he could just detect the smell and taste of a little moisture in the air. “Wow! Your hands are cold,” he said, as she came over and embraced – she was exhilarated by her progress. The steam from the welcome tea wafted lazily around in the open air as she warmed her hands, ready for the return flight home.
Twenty miles away, the crew of a commercial airliner was briefing for a flight. Apart from the TAF, the Captain noted that the Metars were giving light and variable winds and that there was almost no difference between the temperature and dew point.
Concerned that time was marching on, Pilot X ushered his partner to the aircraft. He climbed into the rear seat again and she lowered herself into the front, ready to show off her progress during the day. While she ran through her pre-take-off checks, Pilot X watched as the sun began to sink towards the horizon. As he watched, he noted the edges becoming very slightly blurred. As they were still stationary, they both had their helmet visors raised because the moisture from their breath was beginning to steam them up. Pilot X would be glad to be back on the ground at home – the temperature was definitely dropping.
Twenty miles away, the airline Captain was planning alternates in case he couldn’t get back into the airport later.
Missed features
Following a perfect take-off, Pilot X and his lady settled into the cruise. She was still on a high, having done well during the day. Pilot X, however, was now getting a little concerned. The shallow valleys below were beginning to disappear from view in a milky haze. No matter – only 20 more minutes to go and he’d be on the ground just before the sun actually set. Pilot X listened on the intercom as his girlfriend chatted about her progress – she, too, remarked on the misty view. As they continued on the heading, the chat became less and a little more tense. The terrain didn’t look at all familiar now.
Pilot X reached for the chart, which he had brought with him but didn’t think he’d need. No – nothing looked the same now – very few ground features were visible in the increasing mists. In fact, within a few short minutes the ground had completely disappeared beneath a blanket of fog.
“I have control,” muttered Pilot X. He turned the aircraft through a gentle 360°, but as far as the eye could see, there was just the surreal blanket. The chart was now completely useless. It was about now that Pilot X could vividly see, in his mind’s eye, the GPS unit and radio lying on the car seat back at his airstrip. With no choice, they continued in the hope of finding a hole in the fog. There was little or no conversation over the intercom now. Cold – it was now very cold.
The sun continued its relentless journey to the horizon and the fog blanket took on a strange texture as the angle of the light changed. Despite the increasing darkness, there were no reassuring glimpses of light from towns, let alone individual houses. Not even the distinctive bright lights of a golf driving range beckoned – nothing. The fog had started out white, became grey and was now losing its colour completely as the sun set. It was now almost night-time.
Pilot X had no choice now. Reducing the power and pulling the control bar toward him to maintain the airspeed, they began their descent towards the fog and whatever lay below it. As they did so, Pilot X could stand it no more – he turned the intercom off so that he could no longer hear the screams of his passenger...
Twenty miles away, the airline Captain told ‘Ops’ to post his flight as, “Delayed due to fog.”
1. What clues were there that fog was likely to form around sunset?
2. What could Pilot X have done to improve his chances when everything went wrong for him?
Kim Taylor takes us into the world of weightshift microlights and – more importantly for all of us – conditions which can lead to every notable feature being obscured by a blanket of fog
Although it was a winter’s day, the flying would be great in their microlight. A large area of high pressure was giving very light winds and cloudless skies. The weak sunshine provided a little warmth during the days, but the nights were cold. Weightshift microlight flying in the winter can be a true delight. The ‘Michelin Man’ insulated suits keep the very worst of the cold out and are the uniform of the trike pilot. True, fingers and feet can get cold, and painful, along with the exposed face, but the joy of flight in cold, smooth air is more than worth it. There’s always the prospect of a cuppa somewhere and being cold is the justification (as if it were needed!) for that bacon butty…
Pilot X had been qualified for some time and enjoyed taking passengers. More recently, his girlfriend had decided that she wanted to move from being talking ballast to being a pilot herself. She was being taught the noble art at a flying school which was about half-an-hour’s flight from Pilot X’s home airstrip. Better still, her training costs could be reduced by being taught in Pilot X’s aircraft – only the instructor’s time to pay for then – bargain! They routinely flew to and from the school airfield for her lessons. Such was her progress that she was able to sit in front in the tandem seating. Special handles fitted to the control frame allowed Pilot X to control the aircraft, from his rear seat, in pitch and roll; if he needed to take over – extensions to the nosewheel steering bar meant he could control it on the ground. The hand throttle allowed him control of the power.
Once the early morning mists had burned off, Pilot X and companion set off. They both knew the route well. As a result, Pilot X decided that he would leave his GPS receiver in its case, in the car. Not a lot of point in fitting the removable handheld radio either – his home airstrip and the school strip operated non-radio. Just the quarter-mil then.
The lady was becoming a good pilot and the short flight to the school airfield set her up for her lessons. Pilot X enjoyed a lazy day on the ground while his girlfriend made a little more steady progress through the syllabus. As he sat in the watery sunshine he could just detect the smell and taste of a little moisture in the air. “Wow! Your hands are cold,” he said, as she came over and embraced – she was exhilarated by her progress. The steam from the welcome tea wafted lazily around in the open air as she warmed her hands, ready for the return flight home.
Twenty miles away, the crew of a commercial airliner was briefing for a flight. Apart from the TAF, the Captain noted that the Metars were giving light and variable winds and that there was almost no difference between the temperature and dew point.
Concerned that time was marching on, Pilot X ushered his partner to the aircraft. He climbed into the rear seat again and she lowered herself into the front, ready to show off her progress during the day. While she ran through her pre-take-off checks, Pilot X watched as the sun began to sink towards the horizon. As he watched, he noted the edges becoming very slightly blurred. As they were still stationary, they both had their helmet visors raised because the moisture from their breath was beginning to steam them up. Pilot X would be glad to be back on the ground at home – the temperature was definitely dropping.
Twenty miles away, the airline Captain was planning alternates in case he couldn’t get back into the airport later.
Missed features
Following a perfect take-off, Pilot X and his lady settled into the cruise. She was still on a high, having done well during the day. Pilot X, however, was now getting a little concerned. The shallow valleys below were beginning to disappear from view in a milky haze. No matter – only 20 more minutes to go and he’d be on the ground just before the sun actually set. Pilot X listened on the intercom as his girlfriend chatted about her progress – she, too, remarked on the misty view. As they continued on the heading, the chat became less and a little more tense. The terrain didn’t look at all familiar now.
Pilot X reached for the chart, which he had brought with him but didn’t think he’d need. No – nothing looked the same now – very few ground features were visible in the increasing mists. In fact, within a few short minutes the ground had completely disappeared beneath a blanket of fog.
“I have control,” muttered Pilot X. He turned the aircraft through a gentle 360°, but as far as the eye could see, there was just the surreal blanket. The chart was now completely useless. It was about now that Pilot X could vividly see, in his mind’s eye, the GPS unit and radio lying on the car seat back at his airstrip. With no choice, they continued in the hope of finding a hole in the fog. There was little or no conversation over the intercom now. Cold – it was now very cold.
The sun continued its relentless journey to the horizon and the fog blanket took on a strange texture as the angle of the light changed. Despite the increasing darkness, there were no reassuring glimpses of light from towns, let alone individual houses. Not even the distinctive bright lights of a golf driving range beckoned – nothing. The fog had started out white, became grey and was now losing its colour completely as the sun set. It was now almost night-time.
Pilot X had no choice now. Reducing the power and pulling the control bar toward him to maintain the airspeed, they began their descent towards the fog and whatever lay below it. As they did so, Pilot X could stand it no more – he turned the intercom off so that he could no longer hear the screams of his passenger...
Twenty miles away, the airline Captain told ‘Ops’ to post his flight as, “Delayed due to fog.”
1. What clues were there that fog was likely to form around sunset?
2. What could Pilot X have done to improve his chances when everything went wrong for him?
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