On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 22:28:17 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

When he regained control we were at 1500 ft.

Whoa! A "clear air tornado"?

They really aren't a tornado, but for the unwary they might as well
be.

They are often referred to as Dust Devils, or Whirl Winds and are
formed by hot air rising from the surface. Finding severe turbulence
near the top of one (what goes up, must come down) is common.

A true funnel cloud (tornado when the funnel reaches the ground) will
have some very strong winds rushing in near the bottom and sides. The
down rush, falling air, or micro burst will occur near the front of a
storm usually quite some distance from the funnel.

The formation mechanism of the tornado is much more complex as well. I
got caught out in an F-1 as did the neighbors to the south of me. It's
a strange feeling to go through those strong winds to find it suddenly
calm and see the tops coming out of the trees spiraling up into the
clouds. At the same time the neighbor who had been running across
their yard stopped like he had run into a wall.

Even a small tornado or funnel cloud is far more violent than the Dust
Devil, but aircraft really don't want to tangle with either.

Quite a story. (If it was April 1st, I wouldn't have believed it!)

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com