Here's one for you. It happened to me at Meacham Field, Fort Worth, Tx in 1970. I was taking an instrument training ride. The instructor and I were in a C-172 in the runup area at the west end of the east-west runway. A C-150 to my left, a C150 to my right and a C-172 to his right. Just finished my runup and was receiving my clearance when the airplane started to shake. Instantly we were standing vertical on the spinner. the airplane rotated 90 deg left and fell over on its back just missing the C-150 to our left. During this time there were at least 14 hands trying to turn pull the mixture to cutoff, turn off the mag switch and the fuel valve. Only two people got out of the plane. Witnesses said a dust devil came from behind and flipped the plane. The airplane fell exactly flat all damage was symetrical. That was a fun day. After a couple hours with the FAA, we tried again and had a good flight.
John Melvin El Paso In a message dated 8/22/2010 9:44:08 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time, kenhender...@q.com writes: I fly out of KALM in Alamogordo, NM, alt.4200, DA usually 6000 and UP. We have a lot of whirlwinds, dust devils we call 'em. These things can extend 1000 ft. or more into the atmosphere and pack a nasty surprise for the unaware or unsuspecting pilot. They are like mini-tornados with a top of 200 ft. or more in diameter. That is the "visible" top that can be seen from the airborne dirt, the affected area is much larger. I remember reading that the wind velocity can be 100 mph or more at the top. I can remember as a kid running into these things to get to the "eye", and yes there is an "eye", but it is small and hard to keep up with on foot. Of course, the "devils" are smaller and slower on the ground than they are at flight level. While these things can be unsettling at altitude, they can be disastrous during the takeoff or landing. If there is no available loose dirt, these things can be damn near invisible with the only clue being the movement of ground cover. Imagine a sudden 360 degree circular crosswind of about 25 mph or more gathering you up as you get light. That's what I think Mike experienced. If you're flying in the west these babies are an occupational hazard. AOPA website probably has some info on this but the best advice is "see and avoid". Ken _______________________________________ Search the KRnet Archives at http://www.maddyhome.com/krsrch/index.jsp to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html
