Best Storm Stories

On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 11:42:24 AM UTC-7, Bill D wrote:
On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 10:21:03 AM UTC-7, 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

Back in the early 1960's I was working with Paul MacCready's company Meteorology Research. Inc on a cloud seeding project near Flagstaff, AZ. This involved flying light airplanes such as C-180's and Twin Commanders into CB's to dump silver iodide and dry ice pellets and then to collect things like cloud particles and measure electric fields.

One of the big concerns was that our cloud seeding might inadvertently generate a big hailstorm doing immense damage to the surrounding area. Paul was particularly concerned about that.

Being a young idiot among a few similar inclined young geeks, we hit upon a practical joke. We had a large freezer where we kept hailstones found after storms. We also had some chemically pure H2O. The idea was to super-cool the H2O and then repeatedly dip the end of a string into it forming an ice-ball much as one makes a candle. Once the ice-ball reached a sufficiently terrifying size - about 8" dia. - we used the shop band saw to cut it in half revealing very hail-stone like layers. We then showed this to Paul and his fellow scientists at the 'appropriate' time. When we saw the reaction was getting totally out of hand, we were forced to reveal our subterfuge. I don't think some ever forgave us.

I was a grad student at NAU in Flagstaff at the time. We never saw any huge hail, but one day after the seeding we did get hail piled 6" - 8" deep all around the place. If I remember it was Vince Schaefer who had a big hand in the experiments.

On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 3:53:17 PM UTC-7, Bob T wrote:
On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 11:42:24 AM UTC-7, Bill D wrote:
On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 10:21:03 AM UTC-7, 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

Back in the early 1960's I was working with Paul MacCready's company Meteorology Research. Inc on a cloud seeding project near Flagstaff, AZ. This involved flying light airplanes such as C-180's and Twin Commanders into CB's to dump silver iodide and dry ice pellets and then to collect things like cloud particles and measure electric fields.

One of the big concerns was that our cloud seeding might inadvertently generate a big hailstorm doing immense damage to the surrounding area. Paul was particularly concerned about that.

Being a young idiot among a few similar inclined young geeks, we hit upon a practical joke. We had a large freezer where we kept hailstones found after storms. We also had some chemically pure H2O. The idea was to super-cool the H2O and then repeatedly dip the end of a string into it forming an ice-ball much as one makes a candle. Once the ice-ball reached a sufficiently terrifying size - about 8" dia. - we used the shop band saw to cut it in half revealing very hail-stone like layers. We then showed this to Paul and his fellow scientists at the 'appropriate' time. When we saw the reaction was getting totally out of hand, we were forced to reveal our subterfuge. I don't think some ever forgave us.

I was a grad student at NAU in Flagstaff at the time. We never saw any huge hail, but one day after the seeding we did get hail piled 6" - 8" deep all around the place. If I remember it was Vince Schaefer who had a big hand in the experiments.

Schaefer was involved. IIRC he was the first to demonstrate that cloud seeding might be possible.

This is , after all, forum for glider stories

As I have not yet seen a glider story in this thread, here are annecdotes
from a WGC.

WGC Vrsac 1972.
After the first day, the one decent soaring day, the airmass turned humid
and cloud flying was
the only way to make progress; a few pilots had oxygen and everyone had at
least a T and S; I was
really glad I had borrowed an AH since many hours were spent in cloud.
Base was rarely above 2500 ft.

AHungarian pilot wsa killed after losing control in a Cb; there was
collision and lots of hail damge, holes
sometimes as big as your fist.
Nick Goodhart went to 30k ft in his Kestrel jut after the start, and flew
the course and won the day
in a straight glide; likewise on the penultimate day, which most people
spent between 1000 and 3000 ft AGL,
Witanen waited til a Cb brewed up near the start , long after everyone
else had left, climbed
high enough to complete the 200km course in one glide, the only one to
finish.

The last day was perhaps the stormiest, cloudb base 2000ft andv virually no
lift below it. It was dark under the
extensive canopy of Cb blowoff. Many pilots simply abandoned the task (a
200 km Triangle)
After the start I ws able to climb to 12 k ft and head out on a compass
course in cloud. I asked my crew chief
to do DR based on zero wind and a 60 kt cruise; after some time I got a
glimpse of the ground down a hole and
saw a railway line which was right on the c course line; then I was in
cloud again for 15mins and emerged from
the side of a Cu at 3000ft 10km from TP 1, an airfield; there were a lot
of gliders down there already, and after
turning the mark and looking along the second leg into into a black wall
illuminated with lightning flashes,
I decided this was enough , threw awqy 2000 ft and landed, thankfull to be
alive and undamaged
after ten testing days. Several others followed me ! George MOffat was
there too, we hugged ech other to celebrate
survival.

John Firth, an old, no longer bold pilot.


At 23:32 09 February 2015, Bill D wrote:
On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 3:53:17 PM UTC-7, Bob T wrote:
On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 11:42:24 AM UTC-7, Bill D wrote:
On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 10:21:03 AM UTC-7, JJ Sinclair wrote:
With storms pounding both coasts, I thought it would be fun to tell
o=
ut best (worst) storm story. I'll kick it off with my favorite. 1950's,
ol=
d JJ was a boom operator on a tanker crew and we were on a refueling
missio=
n 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
thunders=
torm", but in 1953 we charged right on in! The cloud turned a pale green,
e=
xcept when lightning struck, then everything turned red! Vertical gusts
wer=
e unreal, everyone tightened up their straps and hung on. As the props
de-i=
ced, 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
A=
C 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
ra=
dar!
I believe the Navigator was the only one on the crew that wasn't
scar=
ed ****less!=20
We finally flew out the other side and then made a precautionary
land=
ing at Denver. I can still see the big hole in the ray dome and a good 10
i=
nches of ice built up on the little stub antennas.
OK, Who's next?
JJ
=20
Back in the early 1960's I was working with Paul MacCready's company
Me=
teorology Research. Inc on a cloud seeding project near Flagstaff, AZ.
Thi=
s involved flying light airplanes such as C-180's and Twin Commanders
into
=
CB's to dump silver iodide and dry ice pellets and then to collect things
l=
ike cloud particles and measure electric fields.
=20
One of the big concerns was that our cloud seeding might
inadvertently
=
generate a big hailstorm doing immense damage to the surrounding area.
Pau=
l was particularly concerned about that.
=20
Being a young idiot among a few similar inclined young geeks, we hit
up=
on a practical joke. We had a large freezer where we kept hailstones
found=
after storms. We also had some chemically pure H2O. The idea was to
supe=
r-cool the H2O and then repeatedly dip the end of a string into it
forming
=
an ice-ball much as one makes a candle. Once the ice-ball reached a
suffic=
iently terrifying size - about 8" dia. - we used the shop band saw to cut
i=
t in half revealing very hail-stone like layers. We then showed this to
Pa=
ul and his fellow scientists at the 'appropriate' time. When we saw the
re=
action was getting totally out of hand, we were forced to reveal our
subter=
fuge. I don't think some ever forgave us.
=20
I was a grad student at NAU in Flagstaff at the time. We never saw any
h=
uge hail, but one day after the seeding we did get hail piled 6" - 8"
deep=
all around the place. If I remember it was Vince Schaefer who had a big
h=
and in the experiments.

Schaefer was involved. IIRC he was the first to demonstrate that cloud
see=
ding might be possible.

On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 5:30:06 PM UTC-7, firsys wrote:
This is , after all, forum for glider stories

As I have not yet seen a glider story in this thread

Dr. Paul MacCready might be a 'slight' connection to gliding.

After the 1975 open class nationals in Hobbs, (which was know for being one of the wettest seasons in history) my father let me fly the family Kestral back home with another friend in his father's Nimbus II. We took off from Estrella, headed west for as far as we could get into California. A huge dust storm was rapidly approaching at Desert Center so my friends dad insisted we land immediately. We back tracked and landed as our crew parents were waiting for us on the ground at Desert Center. I rolled up to the trailer and the Kestrel being the big Libelle that it was, was in the box inside of 5 minutes. The Nimbus, with the extra wing pieces, wasn't so quick. We got the tips off, the tail, and the canopy just as the duststorm hit. Since we couldn't get the center panels of the wings off in time, we pulled the campers and trailers in front of the Nimbus to block the wind and six of us laid on the wing of the glider for 45 minutes as we literally got sand blasted. I'm not sure how strong the wind was but we were concerned that the campers and trailers could blow over on top of us.

After the storm had passed, there was two inches of dust inside our camper despite having all the windows and vents closed. It came in thru the little vents in the bottom of the sliding glass windows. We had to have the glass replaced on the camper because it was so badly pitted. I'm told there are still remnants of dust from that storm in the fuselage of that Nimbus, forty years later.

Barry

This is , after all, forum for glider stories

As I have not yet seen a glider story in this thread, here are annecdotes
from a WGC.

WGC Vrsac 1972.
After the first day, the one decent soaring day, the airmass turned humid
and cloud flying was
the only way to make progress; a few pilots had oxygen and everyone had at
least a T and S; I was
really glad I had borrowed an AH since many hours were spent in cloud.
Base was rarely above 2500 ft.

AHungarian pilot wsa killed after losing control in a Cb; there was
collision and lots of hail damge, holes
sometimes as big as your fist.
Nick Goodhart went to 30k ft in his Kestrel jut after the start, and flew
the course and won the day
in a straight glide; likewise on the penultimate day, which most people
spent between 1000 and 3000 ft AGL,
Witanen waited til a Cb brewed up near the start , long after everyone
else had left, climbed
high enough to complete the 200km course in one glide, the only one to
finish.

The last day was perhaps the stormiest, cloudb base 2000ft andv virually no
lift below it. It was dark under the
extensive canopy of Cb blowoff. Many pilots simply abandoned the task (a
200 km Triangle)
After the start I ws able to climb to 12 k ft and head out on a compass
course in cloud. I asked my crew chief
to do DR based on zero wind and a 60 kt cruise; after some time I got a
glimpse of the ground down a hole and
saw a railway line which was right on the c course line; then I was in
cloud again for 15mins and emerged from
the side of a Cu at 3000ft 10km from TP 1, an airfield; there were a lot
of gliders down there already, and after
turning the mark and looking along the second leg into into a black wall
illuminated with lightning flashes,
I decided this was enough , threw awqy 2000 ft and landed, thankfull to be
alive and undamaged
after ten testing days. Several others followed me ! George MOffat was
there too, we hugged ech other to celebrate
survival.

John Firth, an old, no longer bold pilot.


At 23:32 09 February 2015, Bill D wrote:
On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 3:53:17 PM UTC-7, Bob T wrote:
On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 11:42:24 AM UTC-7, Bill D wrote:
On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 10:21:03 AM UTC-7, JJ Sinclair wrote:
With storms pounding both coasts, I thought it would be fun to tell
o=
ut best (worst) storm story. I'll kick it off with my favorite. 1950's,
ol=
d JJ was a boom operator on a tanker crew and we were on a refueling
missio=
n 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
thunders=
torm", but in 1953 we charged right on in! The cloud turned a pale green,
e=
xcept when lightning struck, then everything turned red! Vertical gusts
wer=
e unreal, everyone tightened up their straps and hung on. As the props
de-i=
ced, 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
A=
C 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
ra=
dar!
I believe the Navigator was the only one on the crew that wasn't
scar=
ed ****less!=20
We finally flew out the other side and then made a precautionary
land=
ing at Denver. I can still see the big hole in the ray dome and a good 10
i=
nches of ice built up on the little stub antennas.
OK, Who's next?
JJ
=20
Back in the early 1960's I was working with Paul MacCready's company
Me=
teorology Research. Inc on a cloud seeding project near Flagstaff, AZ.
Thi=
s involved flying light airplanes such as C-180's and Twin Commanders
into
=
CB's to dump silver iodide and dry ice pellets and then to collect things
l=
ike cloud particles and measure electric fields.
=20
One of the big concerns was that our cloud seeding might
inadvertently
=
generate a big hailstorm doing immense damage to the surrounding area.
Pau=
l was particularly concerned about that.
=20
Being a young idiot among a few similar inclined young geeks, we hit
up=
on a practical joke. We had a large freezer where we kept hailstones
found=
after storms. We also had some chemically pure H2O. The idea was to
supe=
r-cool the H2O and then repeatedly dip the end of a string into it
forming
=
an ice-ball much as one makes a candle. Once the ice-ball reached a
suffic=
iently terrifying size - about 8" dia. - we used the shop band saw to cut
i=
t in half revealing very hail-stone like layers. We then showed this to
Pa=
ul and his fellow scientists at the 'appropriate' time. When we saw the
re=
action was getting totally out of hand, we were forced to reveal our
subter=
fuge. I don't think some ever forgave us.
=20
I was a grad student at NAU in Flagstaff at the time. We never saw any
h=
uge hail, but one day after the seeding we did get hail piled 6" - 8"
deep=
all around the place. If I remember it was Vince Schaefer who had a big
h=
and in the experiments.

Schaefer was involved. IIRC he was the first to demonstrate that cloud
see=
ding might be possible.