As an aeronautical engineer, I knew the theoretical stuff about flying. But as a student pilot, I found that theory and practice need some correlation to have real meaning. For example, I knew about sailplanes using updrafts associated with cumulus clouds to gain altitude. But I hadnt correlated that knowledge to the real world. 288
Bumming A Lift
As an aeronautical engineer, I knew the theoretical stuff about flying. But as a student pilot, I found that theory and practice need some correlation to have real meaning. For example, I knew about sailplanes using updrafts associated with cumulus clouds to gain altitude. But I hadnt correlated that knowledge to the real world.
Key Takeaways:
- The pilot's attempt to use updrafts from fair-weather cumulus clouds for fuel saving proved impractical due to low effective groundspeed caused by circling and headwinds.
- A later encounter with a cumulonimbus storm cloud demonstrated extremely powerful and dangerous updrafts (2000 fpm) and sudden, violent turbulence, leading to an uncontrolled 90-degree bank.
- The experiences highlighted the critical practical difference and inherent dangers between benign fair-weather cumulus and hazardous storm clouds.
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