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 author, an aeronautical engineer, initially learned that using updrafts from fair-weather cumulus clouds for fuel saving was inefficient due to reduced ground speed and delays.
- During a later flight, he experienced an extremely powerful and dangerous updraft when flying under the shelf of a cumulonimbus (thunderstorm) cloud.
- Upon attempting to exit the storm cloud's influence, he encountered violent turbulence, including an abrupt 90-degree bank, which provided him with a critical practical understanding of the severe differences between fair-weather and storm clouds.
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