crazy mountain weather (long)

Early Thanksgiving morning I saw the clouds starting to form.
They run parallel to the the Sierras and indicate that the "Minden Wave" is
taking shape.
This gets the glider pilots excited, but makes me a bit nervous.
My wife's family was driving down from Reno for Thanksgiving, and her
brothers really wanted to go flying.
I continued to watch the wave develop, and I knew we'd be in for a bumpy
ride.

Nevertheless, the wind was only 10 kts, just off the runway heading, and
I've flown in conditions like this before.
Mistake #1.
We started heading toward Kingsbury grade. A fifteen minute flight, then a
scenic flight over Lake Tahoe.
Ten minutes into the flight, my VSI was pushing 2000fpm! Even in an
updraft, I never see more than 1200.
This was a huge one. A minute later, minus 1000fpm.
There was no way we were going up to Tahoe today.
We turned around and started to head north toward Carson City.
HUGE rotor clouds had developed, and were right in the middle of them.
One second we were climbing at 1000fpm, the next my stall warning was going
off.
My passengers and I all hit our heads on the ceiling (good indication that
belts were not tight enough).
I lost my grip on the yoke as we slammed down a few hundred feet.
It was time to go home.

AWOS said that wind was 230 at 18 gusting to 21.
Crap!
I have runway 16/34 and runway 30/12.
What's the chance that the wind would be just as crappy for both runways?
I chose runway 16, with about a 17 knot crosswind component.
There was a Cessna 180 in the pattern in front of us.
On final, we watched him dancing on the runway, then he indicated he was
going around.
I wasn't sure if I should use no flaps, or one notch. I went with one
notch.
We were getting bounced around like crazy.
Just then, I noticed my front seat passenger was extremely pale and clammy.
He was seconds from stinking up the cockpit...and I couldn't blame him. It
was nasty.
I gave hime a bag, opened all the vents and window, and tried to force the
plane to behave.
We came in a bit too hot, and I bounced and decided to go around, too.
The guy in the 180 said this was his first solo in a tail-dragger!
I wished him good luck, as we both came around to try it again.
I wasn't quite sure if he was going to make it or not...then when he finally
touched down, I was hoping he wouldn't ground loop.
He pulled it off!
Now was my turn. I paid closer attention to my airspeed, lowered my wing
into the wind, and kept the nose aligned with the runway.
We touched down smoothly, and I dropped the flaps right away.
We made it, too!
Holy cow... a 17 knt crosswind!
I don't think I would have even tried that in the 172 I rented.
I would have landed on runway 27 in Carson City.
I couldn't believe how well my plane handled in the wind. Believe me, I'm
not that good of a pilot.
Everyone I talked to about the Super III said it was good in x-wind. Now I
believe them.

Long story short (sort of).
My passenger didn't puke, for which I am eternally grateful.
They all thought it was awesome (they are all early 20's).
I am NEVER flying in rotor clouds again if I don't have to.

Just as I was tying down, the rain started.

Later that evening, I flew one of the brothers back to Reno with no clouds,
and wind 340 at 4.
With mountains close by, the weather forms quickly, and leaves quickly, too.
Go figure!

Adam
N7966L
Beech Super III

Hint... go back to the 2000fpm up... get high enough to go over the rotor..
move east away from the rotor to find sinking air.. and come back in to the
airport.. don't fly through rotor..

Another hint.. get a glider rating.. add-on check ride counts as a BFR, and
learn what the glider pilots know about the MindenWave..

BT

"mindenpilot" wrote in message
news
Early Thanksgiving morning I saw the clouds starting to form.
They run parallel to the the Sierras and indicate that the "Minden Wave"
is taking shape.
This gets the glider pilots excited, but makes me a bit nervous.
My wife's family was driving down from Reno for Thanksgiving, and her
brothers really wanted to go flying.
I continued to watch the wave develop, and I knew we'd be in for a bumpy
ride.

Nevertheless, the wind was only 10 kts, just off the runway heading, and
I've flown in conditions like this before.
Mistake #1.
We started heading toward Kingsbury grade. A fifteen minute flight, then
a scenic flight over Lake Tahoe.
Ten minutes into the flight, my VSI was pushing 2000fpm! Even in an
updraft, I never see more than 1200.
This was a huge one. A minute later, minus 1000fpm.
There was no way we were going up to Tahoe today.
We turned around and started to head north toward Carson City.
HUGE rotor clouds had developed, and were right in the middle of them.
One second we were climbing at 1000fpm, the next my stall warning was
going off.
My passengers and I all hit our heads on the ceiling (good indication that
belts were not tight enough).
I lost my grip on the yoke as we slammed down a few hundred feet.
It was time to go home.

AWOS said that wind was 230 at 18 gusting to 21.
Crap!
I have runway 16/34 and runway 30/12.
What's the chance that the wind would be just as crappy for both runways?
I chose runway 16, with about a 17 knot crosswind component.
There was a Cessna 180 in the pattern in front of us.
On final, we watched him dancing on the runway, then he indicated he was
going around.
I wasn't sure if I should use no flaps, or one notch. I went with one
notch.
We were getting bounced around like crazy.
Just then, I noticed my front seat passenger was extremely pale and
clammy.
He was seconds from stinking up the cockpit...and I couldn't blame him.
It was nasty.
I gave hime a bag, opened all the vents and window, and tried to force the
plane to behave.
We came in a bit too hot, and I bounced and decided to go around, too.
The guy in the 180 said this was his first solo in a tail-dragger!
I wished him good luck, as we both came around to try it again.
I wasn't quite sure if he was going to make it or not...then when he
finally touched down, I was hoping he wouldn't ground loop.
He pulled it off!
Now was my turn. I paid closer attention to my airspeed, lowered my wing
into the wind, and kept the nose aligned with the runway.
We touched down smoothly, and I dropped the flaps right away.
We made it, too!
Holy cow... a 17 knt crosswind!
I don't think I would have even tried that in the 172 I rented.
I would have landed on runway 27 in Carson City.
I couldn't believe how well my plane handled in the wind. Believe me, I'm
not that good of a pilot.
Everyone I talked to about the Super III said it was good in x-wind. Now
I believe them.

Long story short (sort of).
My passenger didn't puke, for which I am eternally grateful.
They all thought it was awesome (they are all early 20's).
I am NEVER flying in rotor clouds again if I don't have to.

Just as I was tying down, the rain started.

Later that evening, I flew one of the brothers back to Reno with no
clouds, and wind 340 at 4.
With mountains close by, the weather forms quickly, and leaves quickly,
too.
Go figure!

Adam
N7966L
Beech Super III

BTIZ wrote:

Hint... go back to the 2000fpm up... get high enough to go over the rotor..
move east away from the rotor to find sinking air.. and come back in to the
airport.. don't fly through rotor..

Or, in other words: Learn to fly with the weather, not despite it.

Another hint.. get a glider rating.. add-on check ride counts as a BFR, and
learn what the glider pilots know about the MindenWave..

Be careful with this, though. Chances are that you'll get hooked and
will never sit in that Cessna again.

Stefan

"BTIZ" wrote in message
news:vGPpd.147383$bk1.136019@fed1read05...
Hint... go back to the 2000fpm up... get high enough to go over the
rotor.. move east away from the rotor to find sinking air.. and come back
in to the airport.. don't fly through rotor..

Another hint.. get a glider rating.. add-on check ride counts as a BFR,
and learn what the glider pilots know about the MindenWave..

BT


The updtraft was on the west side of the clouds, and the downdrdaft on the
east side.
Further east was another updraft.
The airport just happens to be right between the updraft and downdraft,
right below the clouds where most of the turbulence was.
Even understanding this didn't make it any less turbulent.
I enjoy riding the wave, and have done it before, but it was just a crappy
day to be up there.

Adam
N7966L
Beech Super III

Another hint.. get a glider rating.. add-on check ride counts as a BFR,
and learn what the glider pilots know about the MindenWave..

Be careful with this, though. Chances are that you'll get hooked and will
never sit in that Cessna again.

Stefan

Is there a problem with that?? unless of course we want him to do tow pilot
duties from time to time..

BT

I've heard that happens at Minden.. the rotor is right over the airport..
I've been watching your threads on the Super III, I have Beech Sport and
Sundowner time, lots of fun those Beeches.. once you learn how to handle
them..

BT

"mindenpilot" wrote in message
...

"BTIZ" wrote in message
news:vGPpd.147383$bk1.136019@fed1read05...
Hint... go back to the 2000fpm up... get high enough to go over the
rotor.. move east away from the rotor to find sinking air.. and come back
in to the airport.. don't fly through rotor..

Another hint.. get a glider rating.. add-on check ride counts as a BFR,
and learn what the glider pilots know about the MindenWave..

BT


The updtraft was on the west side of the clouds, and the downdrdaft on the
east side.
Further east was another updraft.
The airport just happens to be right between the updraft and downdraft,
right below the clouds where most of the turbulence was.
Even understanding this didn't make it any less turbulent.
I enjoy riding the wave, and have done it before, but it was just a crappy
day to be up there.

Adam
N7966L
Beech Super III

"BTIZ" wrote in message
news:Eb8qd.150057$bk1.112302@fed1read05...
I've heard that happens at Minden.. the rotor is right over the airport..
I've been watching your threads on the Super III, I have Beech Sport and
Sundowner time, lots of fun those Beeches.. once you learn how to handle
them..

BT

Actually, at Minden, the rotor moves east and west depending on windspeed
and stability. As a general rule, the farther east it goes the stronger the
wave (and rotor). Unfortunately the GPS approach into Minden often goes
through the rotor.

Mike
MU-2