Buz:

I agree with your premise, but let me tell you that one can get *sucked* into a thunderstorm. Well, sorta. Once I was outrunning a storm line in our old Aerobatic Bonanza and only after I had passed it by 25 nm, did I turn to fly around it. I turned. What I did not know is that I had turned into a space/hole/slot between two storm lines that were forming and rapidly joining. While we began doing a 180, we were in the middle of a nasty mess as the two lines joined in a VERY short time. NASTY. Dark. Daytime. Bumpy. Lightening all around. I wanted out, my wife wanted out and there we were. We both agreed to give 'em a wider birth next time. 25 nm was no longer enough for us. This one would not have happened with on-board Nexrad as we would have seen the line forming and closing over time.

A few years later, I had flown VMC on an IFR flight plan from Baton Rouge to Cadillac, MI in formation with another Twin Beech--two Beech 18s. Beautiful day. Playing formation, taking pictures. Looking at Chicago across the lake as we headed north, east of Lake MI. Vis unlimited. Broken layer 30 nm ahead. 10nm south of Cadillac with the weather reporting 4500 broken we began our formation descent. 5+30 into the formation flight. Nothing on my Stormscope. Nothing on his radar. Everybody's happy. I can see him on my wing in the soup as we are descending. No sweat. Somebody in a Cub calls and says that they see a tiny shaft of rain 5 nm east of the airport starting to form and that he was landing on Lake Sapphire. "Heck, we'll beat that in let's take the visual as soon as we get below this broken layer." Nothing on the Stormscope, Nothing on the radar between us and the airport. Litterally, in an instant we were in a dark cloud in heavy rain and getting the daylights beat out of us--IN FORMATION. Lightening struck the nose of my airplane. THAT was impressive. My wife is frantically getting out the approach plate and setting up the radios. She says the NDB will take us away from the rain. I agree. I was busy trying to stay upright. My wingman descended 500 feet and turned 30 degrees left while I went up 500 feet. It's pitch dark at noon and I turn on the inst. panel lights. I called MN Center for him an IFR. They were reluctant until I 'splained the situation. My Stormscope was--all at once--lit up like a Christmas tree. DAMN, I want OUT. We both shot the NDB approach (sorta one at a time by telling each other where we were and at what altitudes) in a driving, nasty, bumpy, lightening-rich storm. I wanted on the ground, NOW and the airport was right below us. Broke out at about 1000 feet in driving rain. Vis awful. Landed. Found the taxiway and taxied in--wet from sweat. We went into the FBO and watched the radar loop which was as clear as a bell and almost instantly there was a RED, monster over 20 nm in diameter right where we had been. No warning.

OTOH, I've flown through class five rain with nary a bump when the Stormscope was unimpressed.

Now, fly into a lightening-infested Tx--BY CHOICE? Not me. No way. Twice by accident was twice too many. Not this country boy.

Walter


On Aug 22, 2005, at 9:27 AM, Buzzie88@aol.com wrote:


List,
 
There seems to be a certain hesitation to respond to a "How I survived" story, because of the ol' "I may be next" theory.
 
But, Darn, Cripe, Jeez-O-Peet.   C'mon Jeff, your tale was just plain scary !
 
First, how does one just slowly get sucked into a thunderstorm ?  Airplanes FLY into thunderstorms when the pilot-in-command fails to make simple control input changes which causes the plane to turn AWAY from the storm.  There is no giant vacuum cleaner-in-the-sky that sucks airplanes into thunderstorms.  You did survive, however.  Positive reinforcement for bad judgement.
 
Secondly, you did it again.  And, also survived.  Again, positive reinforcement for very bad judgement.
 
There seems to be a pattern in your behavior.  Because you have survived, your very bad judgement has been rewarded and further reinforced.   You seem to be ready to give your survival technique a try in your soon to be completed Lancair.  Please don't !!
 
Safe flying is at least as much about attitude as it is about technique.  Through good training we can learn & develop the skills to safely fly our Lancairs.  Is it  possible to create positive changes in one's attitude ?
 
Buz McAbery
ES-156
N82BM  about 75%