Corn in the Sky

skyflyer8

skyflyer8

Line Up and Wait
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skyflyr
This ranks up there with the strangest things I've ever seen while flying.

A couple weekends ago, Saturday the 13th, I was doing a cross-country to Madison with two students, one flying and one riding in the back.

We thought we were going to hit a bird as some kind of little thing went right toward us and missed us. The student flying said it looked like a bird. I thought it looked like a leaf. But I didn't understand what a leaf would be doing up there.

Then we flew into a spread-out cloud of more of these things all around us, and we realized they were the dried-up yellow leaves of cornstalks, everywhere, whizzing by... at least a dozen long pieces. (The leafy parts, not the round stalk parts). We flew through the little leaf cloud and never saw any more.

We were about 2,200 AGL at the time with a solid thick cloud layer above. Light winds on the ground (under 10).

Farmers were very active harvesting their fields.

Anyone ever see anything like this? Bizarre.
 
I have seen potatos fly before. Potato cannon... ;)

Assuming it's not a corn-cannon, there's probably some kind of pretty substantial updraft. Was this near/around some of the T-Storms and frontal activity that crossed the plains over the last few days?
 
skyflyer8 said:
This ranks up there with the strangest things I've ever seen while flying.

A couple weekends ago, Saturday the 13th, I was doing a cross-country to Madison with two students, one flying and one riding in the back.

We thought we were going to hit a bird as some kind of little thing went right toward us and missed us. The student flying said it looked like a bird. I thought it looked like a leaf. But I didn't understand what a leaf would be doing up there.

Then we flew into a spread-out cloud of more of these things all around us, and we realized they were the dried-up yellow leaves of cornstalks, everywhere, whizzing by... at least a dozen long pieces. (The leafy parts, not the round stalk parts). We flew through the little leaf cloud and never saw any more.

We were about 2,200 AGL at the time with a solid thick cloud layer above. Light winds on the ground (under 10).

Farmers were very active harvesting their fields.

Anyone ever see anything like this? Bizarre.
Click to expand...

Yup.

Nearly had a mid-air with one at 2000' agl near Columbus OH a number of years ago. My flying buddy didn't see it and thought I was off my rocker when I mentioned it.

It wasn't a husk, but an intact, long leaf. It caught my eye because it was spiral shaped and was corkscrewing through the air.
 
No tornados near by? This was the midwest? Didn't see a little girl by the name of Dorothy whiz past?
:D
 
start soaring kate, you'll see them all the time. corn leaves and tree leaves are great thermal markers.
 
Well, stop flying in Iowa, or Ohio, or Indiana, or those other states with all the vowels. :D I'm not a farmer, but I know corn shuck is very low mass. It wouldn't take much to get it floating up there.
 
It was probably my brother in law's. I know he mentioned he was missing a couple. Would you mind going back up there and getting it for him? ;)
 
If I was a betting man, I would say that the farmers were harvesting which loosened up the corn stuff then a simple (but decent sized) dust devil sent them skyward. I've seen some here in Florida shoot debris pretty high.
 
skyflyer8 said:
This ranks up there with the strangest things I've ever seen while flying.

Then we flew into a spread-out cloud of more of these things all around us, and we realized they were the dried-up yellow leaves of cornstalks, everywhere, whizzing by... at least a dozen long pieces. (The leafy parts, not the round stalk parts). We flew through the little leaf cloud and never saw any more.

We were about 2,200 AGL at the time with a solid thick cloud layer above. Light winds on the ground (under 10).

Farmers were very active harvesting their fields.

Anyone ever see anything like this? Bizarre.
Click to expand...

Gee, Kate. How long have you lived in corn country? :D

As others have said, there isn't much mass to those "leaves" and it does not take much to get them airborne.

I have seen the phenomenon, although I have never seen a cloud of them.
 
I'm wondering Kate, how did you cram 2 students in the back of a Sky Arrow?

Roger
 
twofivexray said:
I'm wondering Kate, how did you cram 2 students in the back of a Sky Arrow?

Roger
Click to expand...
Stretch version!

I just got a chance to look at a Skyflyer a couple hours ago at RYY. That's a pretty neat little bird.
 
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Kenny,

I wish I had known you'd be there. We might have been able to arrange a flight for you. The bird stays pretty busy with the Able Flight training going on. We currently have 3 in progress right now and I'm down with a head cold so we are short of instructors also. Otherwise we might have been able to sneek in a flight. Let me know the next time you are in the area.

Mitch
 
maddog52 said:
Kenny,

I wish I had known you'd be there. We might have been able to arrange a flight for you. The bird stays pretty busy with the Able Flight training going on. We currently have 3 in progress right now and I'm down with a head cold so we are short of instructors also. Otherwise we might have been able to sneek in a flight. Let me know the next time you are in the area.

Mitch
Click to expand...
LOL Go figure! I was there killing time waiting for a pick up at Town Point. I chose that drive to just peek around then I saw the Skyflyer. I walked in and looked at the brochure on the counter as well as spoke with the sweetheart at the counter. I went out to the plane and looked it over. I noticed right away the key was there. :D But, I didn't have my ticket with me. It stays in the flight bag.

Someday, I'd love to have a bird to just have fun in for myself. For now, I need to get through CFI training over at Aviation Atlanta. But, I'll look for ya next time I'm in the area.
 
kate-

on my first tow yesterday i was flying through an area of tons of corn leaves. thats why i decided to release early, and then ultimately ended up landing. cool stuff.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Gee, Kate. How long have you lived in corn country? :D
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First time in 9 years of flying in WI and IA that I had seen such a thing. Must have never run into the right set of circumstances before!

twofivexray said:
I'm wondering Kate, how did you cram 2 students in the back of a Sky Arrow?
Click to expand...

:rofl: Hehehe.... Skyhawk, these days. Flying the 172 and Piper Arrow, and the Ercoupe is almost ready.

KennyFlys said:
I just got a chance to look at a Skyflyer a couple hours ago at RYY. That's a pretty neat little bird.
Click to expand...

Kenny, I'm sure you meant Sky Arrow... my username came before I knew what a Sky Arrow was. Anyway, you really must take a demo flight when you get the chance.

tonycondon said:
on my first tow yesterday i was flying through an area of tons of corn leaves. thats why i decided to release early, and then ultimately ended up landing. cool stuff.
Click to expand...

After watching you and Matt circle up in thermals yesterday, I can understand how air currents could carry these lightweight leaves!
 
skyflyer8 said:
Kenny, I'm sure you meant Sky Arrow... my username came before I knew what a Sky Arrow was. Anyway, you really must take a demo flight when you get the chance.
Click to expand...
Yep, I did mean Sky Arrow. I guess I was subconsciously inspired by some short CFI. :)

I'll have to get it a whirl. It looks like a fun plane.
 
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