always something new in the air

[flyerme]

My old CFI used to say it all the time "Tim you have a uncanny Knack of finding every pothole in the sky" and he was constantly ssurpised onwhat I would find up there..Of caurse After flying some 80 hrs it continues..Things I find just arn,t covered in all the training,

 

eg remember my total fog over?

 

It first happened in my thruster on a coldish morning after rotating and at a hight between 50-100ft the windscreen fogged over on the outside,I opened the door and presto! all good,this happened to a lesser degree a few more times,Then my supercat had a TOTAL fog over and could do nothing but wait (lasted about 10-20 secs) this also now happens in my lightwing but just the front windscreen (door windows remain clear)

 

now yesterday a fellow pilot and I went up in my lightwing around 5 pm,we flew for around 1 1.2 hrs and the air had become cool and smooth we flew out to his place at Cooke plains and after the last 1/2hr of smooth beautiful flight we came up to the edge of a salt lake.

 

Out of no where we were hit by severe turbulance ,it lifted the left wing to 40deg bank and full ailron had no effect and rudder not bringing her leval also I had cut power and nosed her at the ground,we had done a 180,with no power nose way over and then it was dead calm again and I figured it may have been a dust devil?wind willy?.now I was leval again I checked instuments and noticed we had gained 900 ft? we were flying at 2500ft and came out at 3400ft. I suggested and both agreed the alt was out, as we dived we both felt neg g to agree to that, and the intruments seemed to go haywire also during the event.

 

,the whole event lasted a few seconds .

 

As we came down on approach it turned out the alt was spot on and we had been sucked up by a thermal however there was no other activity anywhere? sky was clear no clouds. even down at 600ft it was smooth.

 

I think the thermal cought mostly on the left wing inducing a bank. must say it gave me a fright and was out of he blue.

 

.P.S other pilot has over 2000 hrs and he was surpised but not concerned at the event and happy with mine and the lightwings performance...He commented the weather is a lil different here in S>A..lol,,,think its just the air gods attempt to build my "Bump Tolerence"

 

 

[turboplanner]

I have no gliding experience, but it may pay to talk to someone from a gliding club. Maybe the salt has relective properties which sets up an updraft?

 

 

[flyerme]

I have no gliding experience, but it may pay to talk to someone from a gliding club. Maybe the salt has relective properties which sets up an updraft?

thanks Turbs will do.

 

 

[Sapphire]

Actually you can get momentary increased thermal activity just as the air temp drops but the ground is still hot. Found thermals as the sun was going down but had to give them away beacause I don't have a night vmc.

 

 

[flyerme]

Actually you can get momentary increased thermal activity just as the air temp drops but the ground is still hot. Found thermals as the sun was going down but had to give them away beacause I don't have a night vmc.

could expain it as we were over the sandy outskirt and the sand may have still been warm?

 

 

[Sapphire]

Yeah, sand holds lots of heat.