Flying through rain

[Some Other Guy]

What really does change when you fly something like a Skyhawk through
thick rain?

I just do sims, and all that happens there is a lot of noise and pretty
raindrop smears on the the windshield but the performance seems unchanged.

What happens in real life?

[[email protected]]

Some Other Guy > wrote:
> What really does change when you fly something like a Skyhawk through
> thick rain?
>
> I just do sims, and all that happens there is a lot of noise and pretty
> raindrop smears on the the windshield but the performance seems unchanged.
>
> What happens in real life?
>

About the same thing that happens when you drive fast in thick rain without
windshield wipers except you don't have to worry about hydroplaning until
you land.



--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

[george152]

Some Other Guy wrote:
> What really does change when you fly something like a Skyhawk through
> thick rain?
>
> I just do sims, and all that happens there is a lot of noise and pretty
> raindrop smears on the the windshield but the performance seems unchanged.
>
> What happens in real life?
>

depends upon how well you polished the canopy :)

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
george152 > wrote:

> Some Other Guy wrote:
> > What really does change when you fly something like a Skyhawk through
> > thick rain?
> >
> > I just do sims, and all that happens there is a lot of noise and pretty
> > raindrop smears on the the windshield but the performance seems unchanged.
> >
> > What happens in real life?
> >
>
> depends upon how well you polished the canopy :)

Another effect happens with laminar-flow wings. You slow down! I had
this happen with a 180 HP Comanche, flying through light rain. I lost
about 5MPH IAS in the rain and gained it back when I flew out of the
rain.

Another effect has happened to some of the Rutan Eze designs.The rain so
disrupted the flow over the canard stabilizer taht it lost
effectiveness, causing a dive.

Another effect is that rain will destroy a wood prop, if it doesn't ahve
leading edge armor.

Yet another effect is that rain will strip away the leading edge paint
-- even the modern polyurethanes. The old enamels and lacquers would
really strip away! When I started flying 50 years ago, I would see
Bonanzas land with whole sheets of paint missing from their leading
edges.

[vaughn[_3_]]

"Some Other Guy" > wrote in message
...
> What really does change when you fly something like a Skyhawk through
> thick rain?

As a VFR Skyhawk pilot, my biggest concern with rain is loss of visibility.
Second concern, especially in the pattern, is whatever wind changes accompany
the rain.

Vaughn

[Andrew Gideon]

On Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:48:26 -0500, Orval Fairbairn wrote:

> Yet another effect is that rain will strip away the leading edge paint
> -- even the modern polyurethanes. The old enamels and lacquers would
> really strip away! When I started flying 50 years ago, I would see
> Bonanzas land with whole sheets of paint missing from their leading
> edges.

I wouldn't believe this had I not seen it for myself. Bizarre...and
really damned annoying in terms of cost.

- Andrew

[Floyd BANNED From Project Camelot Forum]

On Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:19:37 -0000, wrote:

> About the same thing that happens when you drive fast in thick rain without
> windshield wipers except you don't have to worry about hydroplaning until
> you land.

Thanks for the pedoimages, Jim, I thought my email would cough them
up.

I Cum A Lot In Camelot! http://tinyurl.com/4yj3dkj

[kowel pazanjian]

It doesn't affect you any more than it would your car