Almost commonsence - thoughts on flying in foul, yuckky and icky weather.
Thread Starter
Almost commonsence - thoughts on flying in foul, yuckky and icky weather.
Please help out here if you know any further tricks.
Sometime in our job we end up in a situation(s) where you are in low vis or cloudy and moisture saturated weather. Here are a couple of personal thoughts to assist in returning home. They have worked for me thus far.
1) CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN your friggin windows. Bill Reid was anal about this and he is completely correct. In a moist cold damp environ your windows will fog immediately when wet persons climb in and demand heat. This can seriously harm you. Best product is the 210 spray. It creates a layer which beads the fluid off and prevents fogging on the interior.
Try cleaning only your side and leave the non-flying side alone. Watch the results when the rain starts to fall.
2) Improve your situational awareness when the weather starts to get dodgy.
Ensure the GPS is set the way you like it. If you have asked it to fly from A to B and you are deviating due to weather, remember that you will be off your expected track through the terrain and your map track will need to be adjusted.
Searchers will also not be looking for you in the correct area. I think unless you are really well off your track due weather that you should always try to return to the original plan or thereabouts. That way you will have a reasonable idea of obstacles and valleys or routes ahead.
Learn the GPS and all the neat tricks it holds. It has a wealth of info for you. Tune in any navaids even if they you are VFR.
2) Check your anti-ice and heater on the first start of the day. Warm them up before you are going to use them and make sure they are HOT before customers enter from the environ.
3) Do not hesitate to get your customers to close their vents to focus the heat to your windscreen and self.
4) SLOW down. I remember in a two pilot situation wondering why the cojoe is smoking along at 140kts and 500ft (ish) and muttering to himself that we should turn around. Slowing down = time and better vis. It also makes the capt. stop pushing on the pedal post like the missus is driving the car...
5) In the real **** and able too; REMOVE the pilots door. When you are really in an awkward situation, doing this will increase your vis by 200%. It can save your bacon. It can be wet and uncomfortable but if you need too it will really help. Sticking your head out the door and slowing down a lot is like riding a pushie in the rain.
For those with doors that don't come off - refer to #1 - 4 and don't get that far into the crap.
6) Lost in the fog: Door off prior to or ASAP. Get a tree for reference and calm down. Find a hole and land. Break out survival gear and plan to eat the skinny customers first, since obviously the fatter ones will last longer without nutrition.
Duh!
But I'm le tired.
More later ....
Sometime in our job we end up in a situation(s) where you are in low vis or cloudy and moisture saturated weather. Here are a couple of personal thoughts to assist in returning home. They have worked for me thus far.
1) CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN your friggin windows. Bill Reid was anal about this and he is completely correct. In a moist cold damp environ your windows will fog immediately when wet persons climb in and demand heat. This can seriously harm you. Best product is the 210 spray. It creates a layer which beads the fluid off and prevents fogging on the interior.
Try cleaning only your side and leave the non-flying side alone. Watch the results when the rain starts to fall.
2) Improve your situational awareness when the weather starts to get dodgy.
Ensure the GPS is set the way you like it. If you have asked it to fly from A to B and you are deviating due to weather, remember that you will be off your expected track through the terrain and your map track will need to be adjusted.
Searchers will also not be looking for you in the correct area. I think unless you are really well off your track due weather that you should always try to return to the original plan or thereabouts. That way you will have a reasonable idea of obstacles and valleys or routes ahead.
Learn the GPS and all the neat tricks it holds. It has a wealth of info for you. Tune in any navaids even if they you are VFR.
2) Check your anti-ice and heater on the first start of the day. Warm them up before you are going to use them and make sure they are HOT before customers enter from the environ.
3) Do not hesitate to get your customers to close their vents to focus the heat to your windscreen and self.
4) SLOW down. I remember in a two pilot situation wondering why the cojoe is smoking along at 140kts and 500ft (ish) and muttering to himself that we should turn around. Slowing down = time and better vis. It also makes the capt. stop pushing on the pedal post like the missus is driving the car...
5) In the real **** and able too; REMOVE the pilots door. When you are really in an awkward situation, doing this will increase your vis by 200%. It can save your bacon. It can be wet and uncomfortable but if you need too it will really help. Sticking your head out the door and slowing down a lot is like riding a pushie in the rain.
For those with doors that don't come off - refer to #1 - 4 and don't get that far into the crap.
6) Lost in the fog: Door off prior to or ASAP. Get a tree for reference and calm down. Find a hole and land. Break out survival gear and plan to eat the skinny customers first, since obviously the fatter ones will last longer without nutrition.
Duh!
But I'm le tired.
More later ....
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Hear! Hear!
Good tips, Steve. Especially the last.
It may pay to keep some tabasco with your survival gear. Tabasco makes anything (including skinny pax) taste good.
oops,
Wrong button. That was meant as a reply to Steve76\'s tips on flying in bad wx.
CB
Moved.
H.
It may pay to keep some tabasco with your survival gear. Tabasco makes anything (including skinny pax) taste good.
oops,
Wrong button. That was meant as a reply to Steve76\'s tips on flying in bad wx.
CB
Moved.
H.
If you are 2 pilot or have a competent pax, get a friggin map out - GPS doesn't give you the situational awareness and obstacle info that a map does.
The Veloceraptor of Lounge Lizards
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Too right Paco. I've never heard a pilot criticised for landing, but over the years I've heard plenty of "What the f
k did he do that for?"
Just make sure you tell someone you've done it. So embarrassing to have a full rescue launched when you and the pax are sitting tight, reading the papers and debating who gets eaten first.
k did he do that for?"Just make sure you tell someone you've done it. So embarrassing to have a full rescue launched when you and the pax are sitting tight, reading the papers and debating who gets eaten first.
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The thing that has made the biggest difference for me in rain/fog/low visibility is Rainex...a product that makes the water slide off your window like you wouldnt believe. Try it on the car windshield....you can pretty much drive in the rain without the wipers on because the water slides off so well.
Try it on your helicopter....the stuff is amazing!
Try it on your helicopter....the stuff is amazing!
This rain-x sounds good. Does anyone know if its available in Europe?
http://www.rainx.com/DU/default.htm
http://www.rainx.com/DU/default.htm
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I see you're learning the ropes, Mr Boyce!!!
Good on ya mate!
JF
Forgot to ask... hope I wasn\'t that copilot! I like bad weather anyway...
Would\'ve been swearing/mumbling about the medics anyway if I had to bitch about something while I was flying... bad old days mate!
JF
Good on ya mate!
JF
Forgot to ask... hope I wasn\'t that copilot! I like bad weather anyway...
Would\'ve been swearing/mumbling about the medics anyway if I had to bitch about something while I was flying... bad old days mate!
JF
Thread Starter
Never JF, you know better than that!
YEP, all the guys comments are more than relevant. Land and wait it out or BETTER still - Don't go in the first place.
These are just a few IDEAS I have found improve a bad or worsening situation. I believe all us pilots want to live through the day, even the ones who are dead now from CFIT. I am sure they were thinking ahead going "If I cannot see over that ridge I am gonna land" or "I think it is time I landed" when they hit the tree or whatever got them.
Think of the list of guys you know who are not here. I knew some pretty impressive guys who got caught out.
I have found somedays that landing was not possible for whatever reason. Perhaps I didn't have any tabasco or Montreal Steak sauce handy...
CRABS comment is really prevelant. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS is not just an IFR term. I'll admit I have ended up in the wrong creek in a not so sunny day and the GPS was hopeless. Good ol map needs to be handy and ready. Great heads up there.
In the odd occaision removing the door just because I could made an transit in worsening weather much more comfortable with the added vis. It doesn't take a lot of miserable weather to make me now think of the options. Removing the door in smoke and other vis limiting environs is a real easy bonus to add to your bag of tricks.
Really, if it is too bad. Don't go in the first place and remember it is not always easy on these forums to relay your message accurately. Nobody is advocating flying in weather that is dangerous.
YEP, all the guys comments are more than relevant. Land and wait it out or BETTER still - Don't go in the first place.
These are just a few IDEAS I have found improve a bad or worsening situation. I believe all us pilots want to live through the day, even the ones who are dead now from CFIT. I am sure they were thinking ahead going "If I cannot see over that ridge I am gonna land" or "I think it is time I landed" when they hit the tree or whatever got them.
Think of the list of guys you know who are not here. I knew some pretty impressive guys who got caught out.
I have found somedays that landing was not possible for whatever reason. Perhaps I didn't have any tabasco or Montreal Steak sauce handy...
CRABS comment is really prevelant. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS is not just an IFR term. I'll admit I have ended up in the wrong creek in a not so sunny day and the GPS was hopeless. Good ol map needs to be handy and ready. Great heads up there.
In the odd occaision removing the door just because I could made an transit in worsening weather much more comfortable with the added vis. It doesn't take a lot of miserable weather to make me now think of the options. Removing the door in smoke and other vis limiting environs is a real easy bonus to add to your bag of tricks.
Really, if it is too bad. Don't go in the first place and remember it is not always easy on these forums to relay your message accurately. Nobody is advocating flying in weather that is dangerous.
Join Date: Jun 2005
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Hands up if, a few hundred metres past a perfectly good landing site, you have sat hovering over the top of the jungle canopy in the most horrendous downpour with only the leaves and branches of a tree visible through the open pilots window to use for visual reference and said, either out loud or to your self, “Lord, let me out of this one and I’ll never do it again!”
As I thought, I am not the only one!
You and me, we are the lucky ones! Many didn’t have their prayers answered.
Some excellent points have been made on this thread. Even if you feel critical of those of us who have found ourselves, for ‘operational’ reasons, airborne in situations of extremely low viz, heavy rain or falling snow, and out of options, I urge you to commit these points to memory. You never know when one of these ‘pearls’ may save your life.
As I thought, I am not the only one!
You and me, we are the lucky ones! Many didn’t have their prayers answered.
Some excellent points have been made on this thread. Even if you feel critical of those of us who have found ourselves, for ‘operational’ reasons, airborne in situations of extremely low viz, heavy rain or falling snow, and out of options, I urge you to commit these points to memory. You never know when one of these ‘pearls’ may save your life.
Combine Operations
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A comment on Rainex.
It's great - water hates it, and disappears pretty smartish.
However, we found it built up a static charge, which eventually seriously affected the radar. It was enough to give you a shock if you wiped the window.
It was a hell of a job to remove, as well.
To the main topic:
If you are VFR, never lose sight of the ground.
Trouble is, there are still far too many clients who will never understand that flying can be dangerous, and who believe a good pilot is one who either reaches the destination or dies in the attempt. True, I'm afraid.
It's great - water hates it, and disappears pretty smartish.
However, we found it built up a static charge, which eventually seriously affected the radar. It was enough to give you a shock if you wiped the window.
It was a hell of a job to remove, as well.
To the main topic:
If you are VFR, never lose sight of the ground.
Trouble is, there are still far too many clients who will never understand that flying can be dangerous, and who believe a good pilot is one who either reaches the destination or dies in the attempt. True, I'm afraid.
Last edited by Farmer 1; 12th Nov 2005 at 13:15.
Oh crap. Looks like I'm first on the menu!!
Rainex is good, check it is compatible with plastic windscreens first. Some brews are only good for glass as they can cause plastic to craze over time. Used to use some sort of wax on Bell 47 bubbles, very very labour intensive, but fogging was never a problem. Then changed to Pledge aerosol furniture polish, which was good in most situations, but fogged up in really heavy weather. Some rain repellents (repellants??) go cloudy when a windscreen wiper goes over it. Try it on the ground first if in doubt
Rainex is good, check it is compatible with plastic windscreens first. Some brews are only good for glass as they can cause plastic to craze over time. Used to use some sort of wax on Bell 47 bubbles, very very labour intensive, but fogging was never a problem. Then changed to Pledge aerosol furniture polish, which was good in most situations, but fogged up in really heavy weather. Some rain repellents (repellants??) go cloudy when a windscreen wiper goes over it. Try it on the ground first if in doubt
If you are flying VFR and you cant see you are going to die I would land prior to being in this situation use common sense, to take the doors of you have to land once you have landed stay there till the weather gets better or you can be another statistic
Passion Flying Hobby Science Sponsor Work
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Effects of Rain X
I use rain X all the time on R44 (5 years) and never saw any coloring.
I got so used to it that I will not fly in foggy/rainy weather without it.
Make shure you use a soft tissue not to scratch the window.
I do agree with Farmer 1's comment that is does create static electricity. But as I don't have a radar it does not seem to bother instrumentation.
d3
I got so used to it that I will not fly in foggy/rainy weather without it.
Make shure you use a soft tissue not to scratch the window.
I do agree with Farmer 1's comment that is does create static electricity. But as I don't have a radar it does not seem to bother instrumentation.
d3
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Hi Steve! Long time no see.
I would had one rule to your post, and I think it is the most important:
Listen to your gut feeling. If it says land...land. Even if you don't know why it says it. As for the door, it is a good idea to remove it when a pax stinks LOL.
Break, break!
Is Ed, the Ed that hurt his leg driving the Lawnmower/bike??
Cheers to all!
YL
I would had one rule to your post, and I think it is the most important:
Listen to your gut feeling. If it says land...land. Even if you don't know why it says it. As for the door, it is a good idea to remove it when a pax stinks LOL.
Break, break!
Is Ed, the Ed that hurt his leg driving the Lawnmower/bike??
Cheers to all!
YL