Hail Is Invisible

[Unregistered]

I'm a VFR pilot and don't like flying in rain. Recently I flew between two squalls about ten miles apart, one of them perhaps half a mile across with moderate to heavy rain and the other larger with light rain. My path looked clear, flying at about 1.5k' below dark clouds and about 3kAGL.

Imagine my surprise when light rain and then light hail started showing up on the windshield even though it was still totally clear ahead and I never had more than 10kt winds (all horizontal, no up/downdrafts) and occasional light turbulence.

Lessons: 1) light rain and even hail can be impossible to see and avoid in the darkness beneath a heavy ceiling; and 2) that was clearly a potentially dangerous convective situation and could have turned into an embedded thunderstorm before my ten minute transit was complete.

 

[EdFred]

Avoid TSRA by 20 miles, not 5.

 

[AuntPeggy]

2 things I know:

• clouds pitch hail up to 10 miles sideways
• flying in darkness can instantly become flying imc

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Avoid TSRA by 20 miles, not 5.

+1. I was driving in the clear and drove into hail from a thunderstorm many miles away (more than 5). I was sure glad I wasn't flying.

 

[jhausch]

Thanks for posting that. I imagine many people will find it informative.

 

[tonycondon]

Avoid TSRA by 20 miles, not 5.

especially downwind...

 

[EdFred]

especially downwind...

Yeah, on the upwind side, you *might* be able to cut it closer, but if you are downwind of one topping out over 35k, expect to get golf balled.

 

[jesse]

Whatever. I wouldn't worry about getting right up next to the beasts on any side. Hail really can't hurt an airplane - you're going too fast - no worse then rain.

Proof here:
http://www.slideshare.net/guest23a2e7/t38-vs-hail

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Wow Jesse- that link does prove your point. No problem at all. A pilot certificate is a license to learn.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

+1. I was driving in the clear and drove into hail from a thunderstorm many miles away (more than 5). I was sure glad I wasn't flying.

BTW, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory...

There have been reports of hail being thrown from a thunderstorm, but it is rare and it usually melts before it hits the ground. Most hail falls in the main part of the thunderstorm, and either straight down or at a bit of an angle if it gets blown by the wind.

Scott- I'll agree that it is rare, but I still got pelted by ~1/4" size hail while driving- the storm wasn't exactly close to me and reminded me again one reason to stay away from thunderstorms in a small plane. I really would not want to have been in a plane hitting twice as many stones at twice the speed in a unit of time. I suspect it is less rare for a plane since they aren't on the ground.

 

[JesseD]

Whatever. I wouldn't worry about getting right up next to the beasts on any side. Hail really can't hurt an airplane - you're going too fast - no worse then rain.

Proof here:
http://www.slideshare.net/guest23a2e7/t38-vs-hail

Holy f*ck. My aunt took care of plastic bugs for the Navy, and there are a few times a crew chief will actually dress down a pilot. She showed me a couple of pictures of things that she had dressed down the pilots for. None of them looked even remotely that bad. I really, really, really wouldn't want to be those two.