Icy Runways

Here are a few pix of our icy taxiways here in Iowa City, for you guys
who don't normally see this stuff:

http://alexisparkinn.com/2007_icyflighttogrinnell.htm

We've received another 5" of snow since those pix were taken. Winter
came late this year, but it's here with a vengeance now.

Bonus pic: I snapped a picture of the awesome Cadillac Courtesy Car in
Grinnell (GGI), IA. I'm still amazed...

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:



Bonus pic: I snapped a picture of the awesome Cadillac Courtesy Car in
Grinnell (GGI), IA. I'm still amazed...


Bah, a new Caddy. You want cool? You fly to Helena, MT; and stop at
Becks U Pump and they have a late 70's Caddy there for you to take.
It's about 30 feet long and painted gold. Now that's a courtesy car,
one of three available at no charge.

Reminds me of the time...

It was January, we had left AUG for Moosehead Lake, we were searching for an
old saw mill and old Steam Locomotive lost in the Maine Woods.. January
would be best time.. no leaves on the trees.. we were looking on Brassua
Lake, on the outlet with the Moose River.

We did not find the Locomotive, but the whole time I was thinking.. if this
engine dies... I'll land on Moosehead Lake, we can open the doors and sail
it to Greenville on the solid smooth ice. I had flown over the lake on the
way up and I knew it was solid all the way into the harbor at Greenville,
the outside temp was on the double digit minus side of 0F.

The engine held up, and we landed at Greenville to warm up and stretch our
legs. Not to bad there on the runway, but we had to roll over a small ice
hill to get onto the taxi way, a berm left by the snow plow that was solid
ice, that should have been a clue. And then the fun started, the taxiway was
patchy ice but maneuverable. The RAMP was SHEET ICE, we were sailing, made
me think of docking maneuvers on water with floats as we maneuvered past the
DC-3 on Amphib Floats.

The place looked deserted, so we kept safely moving back to the runway, we
knew we had enough fuel to return, so we left, headed back to AUG.

The plane was a trusty Beech Sundowner.

BT

Ok, I can't resist. Then there was the time landing in MHT. Tower had
reported braking action poor. I landed an Arrow with the crosswind and was
sliding in the crab to maintain centerline with the winds.. I did not like
that. Got it straightened out before I hit a bare patch. Taxied in and
talked with the tower. The next aircraft in was a Delta DC-9 inbound on the
ILS. Tower Reports: "Braking action reported poor by a fuel truck, Reported
NIL by an Arrow.

And people wonder why I moved to the Desert SW.
Winds today, 20G40.

BT

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
Here are a few pix of our icy taxiways here in Iowa City, for you guys
who don't normally see this stuff:

http://alexisparkinn.com/2007_icyflighttogrinnell.htm

We've received another 5" of snow since those pix were taken. Winter
came late this year, but it's here with a vengeance now.

Bonus pic: I snapped a picture of the awesome Cadillac Courtesy Car in
Grinnell (GGI), IA. I'm still amazed...

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

And people wonder why I moved to the Desert SW.
Winds today, 20G40.

Icy runways or taxiways are definitely not fun. Flyling on icy runways
makes one truly appreciate the stoutness of fixed landing gear.

When you can't do a run-up without sliding, you know it's gonna be a
fun flight...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On 1/22/2007 7:55:46 AM, "Jay Honeck" wrote:

Flyling on icy runways
makes one truly appreciate the stoutness of fixed landing gear.

And conversely, inadvertently flying through icy clouds makes one truly
appreciate the fact that the gear is tucked neatly away in the wings.


--
Peter

I've lived in Colorado and this is the snowiest and iciest, in terms of
snow STAYING on the roads and on the fields that I can recall. Usually
we get a good melt within two weeks and the snow is gone. Not this
time. We've had 4' of snow fall, and over a foot (compacted and melted)
is still on the grass with over 2' piled high next to the snowplowed
roads. This place looks like a ski town!

Runways are icy too!

So much for global warming! They are saying the snowcover is what is
keeping us from getting into the 50's during the days like we usually
do....

On 1/22/2007 7:55:46 AM, "Jay Honeck" wrote:


Flyling on icy runways
makes one truly appreciate the stoutness of fixed landing gear.



If in fact your fixed landing gear is stout. I would much rather be in
my Bo than in say a Cessna 120, 140, 170, 180, 185, Luscombe, etc.
There's a good reason the Pponk people came out with a gear mod for some
of those those planes.

So much for global warming! They are saying the snowcover is what is
keeping us from getting into the 50's during the days like we usually
do....

Yep, that's true. Iowa was enjoying a very warm winter, until these
last two snow storms. Since then, it's been right back to normal
winter temperatures.

Once you've got a layer of white ice reflecting away all the solar
heat, the temperature can just plummet.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

If in fact your fixed landing gear is stout. I would much rather be in
my Bo than in say a Cessna 120, 140, 170, 180, 185, Luscombe, etc.
There's a good reason the Pponk people came out with a gear mod for some
of those those planes.

Well, generally speaking, a structure that is designed to fold is going
to be inherently weaker than one that is not. There are certainly ways
to minimize this problem, but a solid piece of steel is going to be
stronger than a similar-sized one that has a hinge (or three) built
into it.

I know I've seen Cherokees and Cessnas survive some hellacious
landings, completely unscathed. One in particular scared the crap out
of me (I was a passenger in the back seat) when we stalled and dropped
it in from ten feet above the runway in a Cherokee 180.

I was astounded to note that the landing gear was not poking up through
the wings, as we rolled to a VERY short stop...

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:


Once you've got a layer of white ice reflecting away all the solar
heat, the temperature can just plummet.



The snow cover has little, if anything, to do with the daytime temps and
nothing at all with nighttime temps.