On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 12:21:03 PM UTC-5, JJ Sinclair wrote:
With storms pounding both coasts, I thought it would be fun to tell out best (worst) storm story. I'll kick it off with my favorite. 1950's, old JJ was a boom operator on a tanker crew and we were on a refueling mission over Colorado. There was a big thunderstorm between us and the rendezvous point. The newly formed USAF was not to be stopped by any weather, latter on LeMay decreed that "No peacetime mission required penetrating a thunderstorm", but in 1953 we charged right on in! The cloud turned a pale green, except when lightning struck, then everything turned red! Vertical gusts were unreal, everyone tightened up their straps and hung on. As the props de-iced, some of it would hit the fuselage and it was like being inside a drum with someone beating on it with a bat! After about 5 minutes of this, the AC screamed; Navigator, should we keep going or turn around? In a calm voice, the Navigator replied, I don't know, sir, the hail just knocked out my radar!
I believe the Navigator was the only one on the crew that wasn't scared ****less!
We finally flew out the other side and then made a precautionary landing at Denver. I can still see the big hole in the ray dome and a good 10 inches of ice built up on the little stub antennas.
OK, Who's next?
JJ

I think JJ wins with thread killer story.
I'll tell my story of bad judgement anyway.
Last day of Std Nats at Mifflin in 1993. We're on an AT coming back from the south and it is pretty dark under big cloud.
About 20 out a bunch of us punch under the edge of a big black line that is across the course line. There were 3 ridge sets to cross to get home.
I got a very strong climb well up toward cloud base and moved forward to try to find a way through the storm.
Lightning from 10:00 to 2:00.
There's a gap slightly clearer that looks like a way through. Lightning just struck there so it "should be OK for a short while".
TB called Carol and said he didn't think he'd find a way through and hook up.
Bong! Visions of a gold medal sprang into my head(I'm in 3rd, a couple hundred points back)and the dreaded red mist took over.
I climbed as high as I dared and punched ahead trying to get over a triple ridge to the next safe valley.
Sink was off the clock and I could visually see that, from 4000 feet or so that I would not make the valley. My glide angle was maybe 8 to 1.
It was going to be terrible going back and landing in the storm so I gave myself 3 more seconds to see if it got less bad.
The sink dropped off to about 8 knots down and I could see that I would make the valley ahead by a bit, so I pressed on.
I cleared the hills and, at about 1500 found 12 knots back to cloud base in more benign conditions.
From there it was an easy safe glide home to be the first(maybe only?) one back.
SM, who HATES lightning, went left to end run the storm. He ended up stuck low and had a low forming cloud and rain cut off his visual to his field as he was in the pattern. He flew his final visual to the pond at the end of the field and managed to land safely. He said he used up 3 or 4 of his lives with that one.
So class, what was the end result?
TB found a way through and got back a good while after I did and still won the contest.
I took a huge risk, learned a great deal about how I could be tempted, got 3rd anyway, big deal, and resolved NEVER to succumb to such a temptation again.
UH