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RETIREMENT...OR TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS?
For anyone who has flown with me...I hold a fascination for the clouds. Its the one area of the world that only pilots can "play" within. But with all freedoms come responsibilities. We are as recreational pilots - VFR (Visual flight Rules). We must abide by a strict set of rules that are there to keep us safe. In the rules (VFR Flight Rules)...can be obtained free of charge or downloaded from.CASA
In the rules it states..At or below 3000ft or 1000ft AGL (whichever is higher) ...visibility must be 5kms, clear of cloud and able to see land/water. Below 10,000ft, 1500ft horizontal. : and 1000ft vertical clearance. That looks like this:-
OK does that mean to say we cant enjoy the clouds ...of course not. They are in my opinion...play things. But with some thought.
I was watching some clouds building up at the back of my home and they beckoned me to tell you about themselves. Here are three images I took.
  
They do look imposing don't they? BUT summer time is CB time. Be warned!! They are often seen around the Adelaide Hills. they dont seem to be prevelant in the Murraylands most times...but they can be there!
Cumulonimbus clouds are thunderstorm clouds that form if cumulus congestus clouds continue to grow vertically. Their dark bases may be no more than 300 m (1000 ft) above the Earth's surface. Their tops may extend upward to over 12,000 m (39,000 ft). Tremendous amounts of energy are released by the condensation of water vapor within a cumulonimbus. Lightning, thunder, and even violent tornadoes are associated with the cumulonimbus.
Next take a YouTube visit here and see them in action. They congregate. They usually start out as one large cloud and before too long they find "friends" to hang with and before long you have this awesome menacing CB (Cumulonimbus clouds). NEVER ever get any closer than 10+ miles from them and never fly under them. The action of the updraft will suck you up at up to 5000ft per minute, destroy the aircraft and you inside and them once up at 20-30,000ft, spit you out and throw you to the ground. Bye bye you!
Conversely if the cloud is a Cumulus cloud and its not "churning" then they are a delight to visit and fly around. You want the cloud to be stable. So when next you see lovely white fluffy things and they are within the CTA height allowed for the area...go visit. here is a short video I took of my grandson some years ago "playing with the clouds". These are the babies you want to seek.
Till next time. Fly safely. The sky is the limit!
And remember
Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go near the edges of it. The edges of the air can be recognized by the appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly there.
Cheers
Ian McDonald
PS if at anytime you don't want to receive this email then please use the unsubscribe link. I'll cry but will understand!!
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