Good article by Russ Erb

[whee]

I stumbled across this article by Russ Erb and that it was worth sharing. It hits close to home with me after my rough ride that sucked away my desire to fly. It would have interesting if he has included a section on mentally preparing to get back in the game but perhaps that’s too personal or maybe it wasn’t an issue for him. Still, it is a great article!

https://www.kitplanes.com/mr-bearhawks-wild-ride/

[jetdriver]

Thanks for sharing whee, very educational.

[rodsmith]

Gives me great confidence in the design, especially that the wing struts held up to -3.4g.

[btdobie]

Well I guess we can update the Bearhawk specs to include -3.4Gs demonstrated . Really though what a testament to the design and Russ's build quality that the wings stayed attached through that kind of abuse.

[Ray Strickland]

Very interesting article, Whee. So, you had a bad flight experience at some point?

[whee]

Very interesting article, Whee. So, you had a bad flight experience at some point?

Yeah, back in February. I thought I posted about it here but I guess not. I posted about it over on backcountrypilot.

[Bcone1381]

https://backcountrypilot.org/forum/my-lesson-in-mountain-turbulence-23928?start=20

[Ray Strickland]

Thanks for the link. Very interesting reading and a lot to think about. I’ve dreamed of taking my 4-place west one of these years before I turn in my certificate; so, I’ve been reading about mountains, winds, turbulence, etc. Some of the things mentioned in your link are stressed repeatedly in other places: watch winds aloft and park it for anything forecast above 20-25 knots, cross ridges @ 2000’ above, fly in the morning, slow to gust penetration speed, cinch down seat belts, secure loose items, etc, most of which we east coast flyers ignore 90% of the time. However, lenticular clouds are often present when NW winter winds blow across the Appalachians; I park it those days.

[svyolo]

Winds aloft and mountains can be really bad, but so can a hot sunny day in the mountains, especially in high/dry environments. It makes for epic soaring conditions, but on a hot day you probably want to be on the ground by 11 am. Paraglider's by 9 - 10. Farther north, along the coast of BC and SE Alaska, a sunny summer day causes gale force on-shore winds on many/most sunny days. The inland mountain ranges heat up and the air rises rapidly. More air has to come from somewhere, and it is not uncommon to have 30-50 knots along the coast my late morning/early afternoon.

[whee]

Everyone has their own tolerances for weather conditions. Some guys won’t fly in the mountains after 10, some 11, others will fly all day long. Same goes for wind. I’m fairly tolerant, ie stupid, or at least I used to be. I’d fly all day as long as the temps were below 90F and the wind was manageable.

On this flight I failed to properly analyze the winds aloft. Wind conditions at each airport were increasing throughout the day but were well within my comfort zone. Winds aloft were normal so I foolishly skipped over their forecast thinking they weren’t much of a factor. I also didn’t realize how rugged the Absaroka mountain range is. Big steep mountains and deep valleys to accelerate winds already high winds with perpendicular ridges scattered throughout them makes for nasty turbulence.