Tonite was a "I HATE This..." IFR lesson

Hobobiker

Hobobiker

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In Limbo...
Tonite was an "I HATE This..." IFR lesson

Winds gusting to 18, direct xwind, got bounced around so hard I couldn't keep my fingers on the radios. Foggles bounced off when I hit the ceiling with my head, etc. We did one approach into KLBE and I didn't even try to land in the chop. Did the missed, lost the foggles, climbed above the mess and headed for the barn.

Great learning for me, even though I was sweating bullets, half sick, and sure I would have dug a hole without my CFI flying right seat. My friend/CFI, however, just smiled at all my agony and said "hey, that's about as bad as it ever gets, so it's all downhill from here..." Yeah, he's forever the polite optimist. :lol:
 
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Hang in there,no one said it was going to be easy
 
That's a good lesson, and valuable experience. I was doing unusual attitudes under the hood with bad turbulence and I about tossed it all up. Had to call it a day! Hang in there, it get better.
 
simtech said:
That's a good lesson, and valuable experience. I was doing unusual attitudes under the hood with bad turbulence and I about tossed it all up. Had to call it a day! Hang in there, it get better.
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Exactly right. :yes:

Someday you will remeber that lesson and keep your cool. ;)
 
I had sort of the opposite today. Flew over to the Palm Springs area through the Banning Pass. This has been a fear of mine since I started flying out here. I have been fearing turbulance and winds.

Today's flight was a piece of cake. Very smooth.

I kinda wanted some turbulence since I had a CFI with me. Wanted to experience the turbulance with a safety pilot six inches from me.

But the flight was so smooth I didn't really need him, although I appreciated his company.

Was a good learning experience, but it looks like I will still be facing my "turbulance fears" myself.
 
That'll teach you to snug your seatbelt a little tighter!

It's not like that often. Just like flying initially, you'll build up tolerance. Remember how tired you were after your first XC flight? Same thing works here. Even my non-rated wife has built up tolerance to moderate turbulence, and I've only bounced her off the ceiling once. Inside a (dark) cloud. In the rain.

It will get better. Stick with it, and you will, too.
 
Brings back memories .....

This too shall pass. Hang in there, you will look back and laugh at the torture you went through. The instrument is work, you'll get it done!! Good luck and as posted, tighten down those belts !
 
Turbulence sucks. It just sucks. I hate it. Sadly, if you choose to fly in actual IMC, many, many times you are just asking for turbulence. It comes with the territory.

I know you are training now and you have a CFI with you, so you kind of want challenging conditions, but just remember, just because you have an IR, doesn't mean you have to go. Just because you could probably make it, doesn't mean you have to automatically try.

Most people acquire the IR to become an "all weather flier" and get their little personal airline off the ground, not to have fun. However, I hope that these airline operators take their passengers seriously. Think of their fears and discomforts. You might grow tough and used to all the bumps, dips and swoops with 45 degree crab angles on final while bobbing up and down, but they don't have the benefit of your repetitive experience over hundreds of hours.

Remember that for most people, giving up control of their lives to another person is uncomfortable in it's own right, but doing so in an environment where you are being tossed around by invisible forces and the visibility stops at the spinner, can be a terrifying white knuckler for a lot of people. Also remember, the passengers got a look at how flimsy and light weight the airplane is when they got in. It doesn't inspire confidence.

It's OK in my book to say- "You know, it's really going to suck out there today, so I'm calling it. We'll stay another day."
 
Thanks for the encouragement everyone. I really do love flying, but even the takeoff tonight was the most turbulent I've ever done. Heck, I could barely pitch to Vy without fighting to keep her somewhat level. I hated it at the time, but glad to have fought through it and, as my CFI says, "added another spoonful of experience into my bowl." LOL
 
Any SE wind (130-160) coming off that ridge at KLBE will make it a real rodeo down low. I did 140 @ 16 (RW23) during training after we got the Cherokee. Worse bumps I've seen to this day. By the end of the lesson, wind was up to 140 @ 18G22. CFII had to make the last landing. I was beat.

Spoke to a buddy that flew yesterday. He said that it was so bad when he flew, he turned around and came home. He said the plane was borderline uncontrollable over the ridges. Another instructor said they did a lap in the pattern and called it a day. Just too rough to really teach anything to a new student.
 
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Hobobiker said:
Thanks for the encouragement everyone. I really do love flying, but even the takeoff tonight was the most turbulent I've ever done. .... as my CFI says, "added another spoonful of experience into my bowl." LOL
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I'm guessing you're around 125-200 hours. You might as well find which CFI does acro and get it out of the way (spins and rolls). Soon, you'll have an encounter/upset (probably at night like mine) that puts you past 90* leaving you wondering whether to continue fighting or go ahead and do the aileron roll since you're nearly on your back already.
 
Dav8or said:
Turbulence sucks. It just sucks. I hate it. Sadly, if you choose to fly in actual IMC, many, many times you are just asking for turbulence. It comes with the territory.

I know you are training now and you have a CFI with you, so you kind of want challenging conditions, but just remember, just because you have an IR, doesn't mean you have to go. Just because you could probably make it, doesn't mean you have to automatically try.

Most people acquire the IR to become an "all weather flier" and get their little personal airline off the ground, not to have fun. However, I hope that these airline operators take their passengers seriously. Think of their fears and discomforts. You might grow tough and used to all the bumps, dips and swoops with 45 degree crab angles on final while bobbing up and down, but they don't have the benefit of your repetitive experience over hundreds of hours.

Remember that for most people, giving up control of their lives to another person is uncomfortable in it's own right, but doing so in an environment where you are being tossed around by invisible forces and the visibility stops at the spinner, can be a terrifying white knuckler for a lot of people. Also remember, the passengers got a look at how flimsy and light weight the airplane is when they got in. It doesn't inspire confidence.

It's OK in my book to say- "You know, it's really going to suck out there today, so I'm calling it. We'll stay another day."
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Those words on the screen became visualizations for me. Thank you.
 
danhagan said:
I'm guessing you're around 125-200 hours. You might as well find which CFI does acro and get it out of the way (spins and rolls). Soon, you'll have an encounter/upset (probably at night like mine) that puts you past 90* leaving you wondering whether to continue fighting or go ahead and do the aileron roll since you're nearly on your back already.
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Approaching 75 hours I think Dan, but I get your point. We have a couple of guys at the airport that like to be upside down a majority of the time, so I've asked one of them to take me up...
 
Sounds like a rough night. I wouldn't enjoy that, either. Nor would my wife. I got the IR to get through a layer over the home drome so I can get across the state, the rest of the way in the clear. The concept of bashing my way across in the clag holds no appeal and I would drive instead. But, you need to have the experience to know what works for you and what doesn't after you pass the check ride. Sounds like you got some experience. :D
 
I still recall my "I hate this" moment like it was yesterday (it was more than 20 years ago). We were doing NDB navigation and interception exercises. My CFII had the ability to immediately visualize his position based on the ADF needle, something I could never do and he was unable to find a way to simplify it for me. I had no idea at all where I was most of the time unless I was comfortable established on a specific bearing.

Finally, in frustration, I said, "I'm done. Your airplane," and let go of the yoke.

My CFI, who understood, replied, "Ok. This was difficult. Take the hood off and fly back home."

"I guess you didn't hear me. I said 'Your airplane.'"

My CFII flew us home.
 
Sounds like an awesome lesson! As others have mentioned, you'll appreciate that kind of experience somewhere down the line. Like one of my old basketball coaches told us after a string of particularly 'hard' practices - "Good practice should make the game seem easy." I think that was the year we went 31-2. ;)
 
Painful lessons like that make for more comfort later. I'm flying a hershey bar wing 77 lance and we recently flew back home on a turbulent day. From 3500 ft down it was rough. Definately had the 45 degree crab and lots of bobbing. Previously painful days like you had made me more comfortable making that landing with my family of four in the plane. Given the choice, I would choose to not fly in that mess though.

Don't know about your plane, but mine has a demonstrated x-wind component of 17kts. Don't ever get too cocky.
 
Hobobiker said:
Approaching 75 hours I think Dan, but I get your point. We have a couple of guys at the airport that like to be upside down a majority of the time, so I've asked one of them to take me up...
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I lucked out getting a CFI, that actually teaches and competes in acro. I contacted him for a flight review. He hadn't been busy with his regular charter job, which resulted in class and air time in HIS Pitts a little over 5 hours (a little over an hour in the Pitts - they don't hold much fuel). This was the best upset training you could get. On top of that, I was the first ever to ask him to do this for some reason, and he initially tried to charge fuel only for the whole thing as he felt I was a bit of a test project.
 
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