Aerobatics books (Bertie, Dudley)

wrote in news:5352dadf-1422-4ac0-b8f1-
:

I'm assuming an accidental encounter between a large wake and a
smaller
aircraft. They do happen. If it happens too low for a recovery you've
ignored all the info that's out there about avoidance. In other
words,
you've flown into one from a preceding aircraft taking off or
landing.

Bertie

Damn straight. If they happen to you it is sheer sh1t pantz terror.
Bertie's descriptions are 100% spot on.

I think the FAA should put warnings in big FAT red type in their
publications. The reality is far more threatening than gets drilled
into student pilot's heads.

In her student pilot days my instructor came in for a landing on a
runway parallel to where a big jet had landed a couple minutes before.
While she was still at 400 - 500 feet, I believe, she suddenly found
herself in a knife-edge orientation. She righted herself before really
thinking about it. Jet turbulence had drifted over and got her.

A coworker of mine, a CFI (though no longer current), was on a 737 on
approach as a passenger. He said suddenly the plane was at about 70
degrees or more of bank (actually I think he said 90 but am no longer
sure). The pilot corrected immediately. He said most of the people had
no idea what had happened. There'd been a few gasps but that was it.

On my second solo flight I was doing T&Gs at KAUS (Austin Bergstrom).
My hands and feet and brain were completely occupied just with trying
to land and takeoff correctly. Bad place for a spankin' newbie to
practice. ATC routed me to the 12000 foot runway. As I was downwind
they cleared a 737 to take off. Then when I was abeam the numbers they
cleared a 757 to land. After that ATC cleared me but I extended my
downwind some for what I *thought* was adequate separation & delay. In
theory I might have shot for the space between where the one landed
and the other rotated. In theory I could have asked ATC to extend my
downwind to allow wake turbulence avoidence.

I did neither. Bout 3 minutes after the 757 I landed okay near the
numbers, accelerated and climbed. I was maybe 30 - 40 feet in the air
when a gigantic invisible fist slammed the plane. Nose up, wing over.
It seemed like I saw the top of the sky from the front windshield and
the runway out the right side window. Close -- very close.

I didn't think fear could shoot through the body that fast nor have I
ever so radically and accurately corrected aircraft attitude. I don't
think I lost a single knot.

It was one of those moments where my bag of luck still had something
in it when I sure as hell didn't effectively use my knowledge of wake
avoidance. If the x-wind had been a bit slower and my judgement a
little worse -- presto, upside down and squished or burned to death.
It was a lesson to me I shall not forget -- the scariest of a few I've
had so far.

It's always worth asking ATC for more space / time / altered course if
there's risk of wake turbulence. Landing or taking off behind a single
big jet is one thing. But I will never again accept a clearance to
land in such circumstances (one heavy takes off, another lands, or
vice versa). I'll ask to extend.


Yes, time is the best healer for wake turbulence. It also pays to have a
thorough understanding of how they behave and how they drift in wind.
It's also one of the most common problems you can have where aerobatic
experience would be a huge help.
disagree that the FAA doesn't put enough emphasis on wake education,
though. There is plenty of info on it out there and it is very good
info.
If you've ever seen the FAA's film about it, the one with the 747's
straming smoke and passing through the smoke emitted by towers, it's
well worth seeing..

Bertie