Side bar M'lud...
There is a small wrinkle there; which could stand a little further examination.
“It is unlikely that George exits the cloud in good working order; chances are there will be obstacles to avoid; can a quick 360 reveal a sensible exit route?”
Fair enough – however much will depend on not only where the aircraft exits the cloud; but how. Is George in any condition to coordinate a 360 and evaluate position and situation? This must be a consideration from a thinking POV. Recovery from an 'unusual attitude' takes time and space; identifying the attitude and applying the correct recovery technique takes time and practice. The dangers clear and present. The 'wrong' recovery and/or rapid application of excess force and/or power (or both) could cause damage or even failure of the airframe. Recovery from unusual attitudes is routine for IR pilots; tested often. Those who operate solely in the 'VFR' regime, at PPL level without aerobatic or low flying training could easily fall into one of the many 'traps for young players'. These 'traps' are well documented : the Ag folks know all about them; aerobatic pilots know about them; they form part of the training regimen. So, when poor Ol' George falls out of the bottom of the cloud, over 'terrain' the recovery from whichever 'attitude' his aircraft ended up in, must be 'sorted' first and foremost. Get the thing flying properly.:- Then;
Orientation – 'where' is the aircraft in relation to the bricks, tree tops and power lines etc. Don't want to bump into anything like that; but which direction to turn? George is a very busy fellah about now and unless the path straight ahead is clear for a while then more decisions must be made; fast as you like; Left? Right? Up? Down? Steady as she goes? Then:-
George needs to find a way out of the weather and the terrain; lay in a course which will avoid both; or find a paddock: either way he must gather his scattered wits and get back to 'flying' now in very demanding conditions.
All of this must happen, as stated, in short order. I wonder how many have seriously considered the ramifications of pushing the boundaries, without considering the 'escape' clauses. But imagine; over the hills in crappy VFR; pushing on into cloud (not reduced visibility) but wet, bumpy, dark cloud, then loosing the aircraft in a turn back and popping out the bottom over a high hill or in a small valley; simple enough question - “whatcha gunna do now Mate??.
Good point Wombat; only one thing to say to the 'Clayton s' brethren; they are not pilots, they are a liability not only to themselves (about whom I could, if I tried, care a lot less) but a real danger to legitimate IFR operations. They are like the idiot who nearly cleaned me up one dark night; sneaking in no radio to avoid the landing fee. There are words in the common vernacular to describe these types; but AP is a family show and such words are 'discouraged' from daily use.
Ah; my Ale has just arrived and it is, most definitely, time for a sundowner....Thank you M' boy. Cheers.
There is a small wrinkle there; which could stand a little further examination.
“It is unlikely that George exits the cloud in good working order; chances are there will be obstacles to avoid; can a quick 360 reveal a sensible exit route?”
Fair enough – however much will depend on not only where the aircraft exits the cloud; but how. Is George in any condition to coordinate a 360 and evaluate position and situation? This must be a consideration from a thinking POV. Recovery from an 'unusual attitude' takes time and space; identifying the attitude and applying the correct recovery technique takes time and practice. The dangers clear and present. The 'wrong' recovery and/or rapid application of excess force and/or power (or both) could cause damage or even failure of the airframe. Recovery from unusual attitudes is routine for IR pilots; tested often. Those who operate solely in the 'VFR' regime, at PPL level without aerobatic or low flying training could easily fall into one of the many 'traps for young players'. These 'traps' are well documented : the Ag folks know all about them; aerobatic pilots know about them; they form part of the training regimen. So, when poor Ol' George falls out of the bottom of the cloud, over 'terrain' the recovery from whichever 'attitude' his aircraft ended up in, must be 'sorted' first and foremost. Get the thing flying properly.:- Then;
Orientation – 'where' is the aircraft in relation to the bricks, tree tops and power lines etc. Don't want to bump into anything like that; but which direction to turn? George is a very busy fellah about now and unless the path straight ahead is clear for a while then more decisions must be made; fast as you like; Left? Right? Up? Down? Steady as she goes? Then:-
George needs to find a way out of the weather and the terrain; lay in a course which will avoid both; or find a paddock: either way he must gather his scattered wits and get back to 'flying' now in very demanding conditions.
All of this must happen, as stated, in short order. I wonder how many have seriously considered the ramifications of pushing the boundaries, without considering the 'escape' clauses. But imagine; over the hills in crappy VFR; pushing on into cloud (not reduced visibility) but wet, bumpy, dark cloud, then loosing the aircraft in a turn back and popping out the bottom over a high hill or in a small valley; simple enough question - “whatcha gunna do now Mate??.
Good point Wombat; only one thing to say to the 'Clayton s' brethren; they are not pilots, they are a liability not only to themselves (about whom I could, if I tried, care a lot less) but a real danger to legitimate IFR operations. They are like the idiot who nearly cleaned me up one dark night; sneaking in no radio to avoid the landing fee. There are words in the common vernacular to describe these types; but AP is a family show and such words are 'discouraged' from daily use.
Ah; my Ale has just arrived and it is, most definitely, time for a sundowner....Thank you M' boy. Cheers.