My Personal Saturday Challenge (adventure)
Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 6:06 pm
As most of you will have read I was signed out on Tuesday with the brand new license. So Saturday morning another Bantam mate popped into Rhino and of we went to FAWB all uneventful until the final approach as I was abit close on the round out I nearly dropped a wing but caught it and stopped for breakfast. A friend arrived from the Krugersdorp side and we had a chat during breakfast and I decided to follow hin to FAKR wow aal the way across The big dam at HBV and via Magalies to Kdorp with a k@k landing on 26 not having done that there since 1975 I was caught out with the downdraft BUT with the good training I had made the correction and landed safely. From there I decided to go to Rand for a miniagm with some of my Avcom friends, around the outside of Soweto and from the south into Rand, so far 33 l fuel@ 60kntsaverage.
Most of the third leg was very bumpy but so one has to learn. Had lunch and watched and discussed the incomming weather I got clearance from the tower at Rand to go the Pinedene route as FAWK was unmanned. Bliksem as I got close to Midrand it started raining and I called FAGC and they were so nice and cleared me overhead direct to Pinedene, now on the decent to make up some speed and on to Kittyhawk and still the weather was well behind me but I was scared sh!tless. On the Kittyhawk frequency all was Quite and I buzzed past the north direct for Rhino went overhead but by now the weather was getting closer, I went straight onto finals for 27 and landed, and without delay the Bantam was locked up in the hanger.
A very tall B&C was had and 5 min out of the airfield towards FAJS I drove into one of the most violent rain storms ever.
You make your own assumtions if I will try and outrun an on coming weather front.
A total of 4hours 18 min airborne around Gauteng.
Most of the third leg was very bumpy but so one has to learn. Had lunch and watched and discussed the incomming weather I got clearance from the tower at Rand to go the Pinedene route as FAWK was unmanned. Bliksem as I got close to Midrand it started raining and I called FAGC and they were so nice and cleared me overhead direct to Pinedene, now on the decent to make up some speed and on to Kittyhawk and still the weather was well behind me but I was scared sh!tless. On the Kittyhawk frequency all was Quite and I buzzed past the north direct for Rhino went overhead but by now the weather was getting closer, I went straight onto finals for 27 and landed, and without delay the Bantam was locked up in the hanger.
A very tall B&C was had and 5 min out of the airfield towards FAJS I drove into one of the most violent rain storms ever.
You make your own assumtions if I will try and outrun an on coming weather front.
A total of 4hours 18 min airborne around Gauteng.
Remember the front can be moving in excess of 50kt. I am usually overcautious and even though I know the plane is capable of flying in rain, at the first hint of rain I divert towards open skies and look for somewhere to land. The thing I remember about highveld storms is they also tend to be short in duration. Sometimes it is worth just sitting it out. I carry a plastic bag to put over the airfilter, because I am paranoid about water ingression into the motor and I always have tie-downs in the plane.
I could not stay for a cold one, but then again you would still have been at Rand had I stayed 