Close call at DVT this evening (not me)

[Brian Austin]

To the pilot of the Bonanza single engine ending in 82 who landed at DVT this evening in the heavy crosswinds:

Clean out your shorts? 'Cause if you didn't crap your pants on that landing, you're a bigger man than me!

Good Golly that was a wild landing! Glad you came out okay. I watched from the restaurant, not breathing for a few seconds as you barely recovered (if you don't know how close you were to catching a wing...don't ask).

If there is a story to tell and you read this, I'm curious to know what happened if you want to tell it. Obviously, the surprise weather was a factor.

 

[Michael]

Glad to know it doesnt only happen to me.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

this evening in the heavy crosswinds:

???


KDVT 170253Z 03012KT 10SM CLR
KDVT 162320Z AUTO 25007KT
KDVT 162153Z AUTO VRB04KT
(snipped)

 

[Brian Austin]

KDVT 170253Z 03012KT 10SM CLR
KDVT 162320Z AUTO 25007KT
KDVT 162153Z AUTO VRB04KT

Welcome to AZ. Mild most of the time but occasionally tosses one up on you.

I watched what we call a "habu" come in today (from the Arabic term, I believe). Huge dust wall with winds from the northeast at 60+mph according to the weather dude on the radio. Time was about 1700 local. That plus thunderstorms lasted until about 1830 local and then disappeared. It's back to calm and warm (<100F).

It's highly unusual for this time of year. That was monsoon type weather, usually fairly predictable. Apparently it surprised a lot of people.

The pilot landed at almost exactly 1800 local. Trust me, I saw the windsock right next to him go from limp to straight horizontal and back again in just a few seconds...over and over again. Not fun.

 

[poadeleted1]

To the pilot of the Bonanza single engine ending in 82 who landed at DVT this evening in the heavy crosswinds:

Clean out your shorts? 'Cause if you didn't crap your pants on that landing, you're a bigger man than me!

Good Golly that was a wild landing! Glad you came out okay. I watched from the restaurant, not breathing for a few seconds as you barely recovered (if you don't know how close you were to catching a wing...don't ask).

If there is a story to tell and you read this, I'm curious to know what happened if you want to tell it. Obviously, the surprise weather was a factor.

One of those times you wish you had a video cam......

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

I get it. The asos missed it; Habu - I need to remember that.
Someone posted a nice pic of one of these recently.
I saw some buildups looking N of Tucson yesterday around 2pm

 

[Pilawt]

Got this photo on departure from PHX after my first visit there, back in the mid-80's. Needless to say I was anxious for ATC to give me the westbound turn to get out of there in a hurry.

-- Pilawt

 

[lurker]

I get it. The asos missed it; Habu - I need to remember that.
Someone posted a nice pic of one of these recently.
I saw some buildups looking N of Tucson yesterday around 2pm

I think the correct term is Haboob, and yes it does cause some juvenile on-air snickering amongst the local newscasters.

 

[ScottM]

I watched what we call a "habu" come in today (from the Arabic term, I believe).

Not sure of that origin. I am more familiar with the SR-71 Mission Patch that had HABU on it. That was a nickname for the Blackbird and meant:

Okinawa is in the Ryuku Island chain in Japan. A small, dark, poisonous pit viper snake, indigenous to the Ryuku islands, is called the "Habu" by the native islanders. Though non-aggressive, the Habu snake can inflict a painful and sometimes deadly bite.

In 1968, four SR-71s began basing their operations out of Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. There, the native Okinawans began calling the SR-71 "Habu" because it's shape and color reminded them of the dark pit viper snake. The name stuck, and operational SR-71 crew members began wearing "Habu" patches on their flight suits. Some SR-71s carried a picture of Habu snakes on their vertical tail fins

 

[poadeleted1]

Not sure of that origin. I am more familiar with the SR-71 Mission Patch that had HABU on it. That was a nickname for the Blackbird and meant:

An old friend of my dad's in the 9th SRW said for civilians it meant "High Altitude Business Unit". Bwah ha ha.

 

[SCCutler]

Note that ASOS computers apply averaging algorithms, so a few well-timed gusty moments can give you great excitement while, at the same time, leaving no trace on the recorded ASOS listings.

When I was landing at SAF a couple of years ago, the recording gave me winds somethng like 9 knots down the runway, but while I was downwind, the tower popped up with an "attention all aircraft, new wind"- 24G37 about 50 degrees off the runway. He also called my traffic, said I was "....number two behind the twin Cessna emerging from the dust cloud on short final." He was not kidding. Besides acrrying a little extra speed and a little less flaps, I don't remember what I did, but it apparently worked. But Bos are really nice to pilots when they are landing.

 

[jshawley]

Your photo, Pilawt, reminds me of a time when, as a tiny lad, we were returning to Tularosa, NM, from El Paso; a few miles south of Alamogordo (I remember the distance seemed to be some 769.264miles--even if the maps all said about 85), a wall to the sky, it seemed, approached from the north; in the midst of it you couldn't see across the highway. Needless to say, the paint on the '57 Century Wagon was scratched.

 

[Steve]

I heard it was "High, Alone, But Unafraid"

An old friend of my dad's in the 9th SRW said for civilians it meant "High Altitude Business Unit". Bwah ha ha.