Matronics Email Lists :: View topic - We lost Scott Crossfield today

Matronics Email Lists
Web Forum Interface to the Matronics Email Lists

Get Email Distribution Too! FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register

Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in

We lost Scott Crossfield today

Matronics Email Lists Forum Index -> RV-List

View previous topic :: View next topic

Author Message

bicyclop(at)pacbell.net
Guest

Posted: Wed May 10, 2006 5:18 pm Post subject: We lost Scott Crossfield today

Regarding the weather that day, I left Nashville, Tune that morning in

our 6a bound for Raleigh. My brother-in-law said he'd rather risk fiery

death than spend 2 more days in Nashville. Looking at the nexrad and

talking to the briefer, it was obvious that it would be IMC over the

mountains so we chose to go around the south end under the overcast. The

briefer asked me if I had weather radar on board. Most airports along

the route were calling 9 or 10 mile visibilities and ceilings about 2k.

I bought a couple of sectionals as I didn't think WACs would be adequate

for what we had in mind. It had stormed big time that morning with hail

and we bailed in the calm between cells and headed south and later

southeast when it was more doable. We hop scotched from airport to

airport for awhile. Having 2 GPSs was very handy. I left one set up on

the airport we'd just passed in case we needed to turn back and set the

other to an airport maybe 10 or 20 miles ahead. When we needed to divert

for improved visibility, we'd just reset the destination in one of the

GPSs. It was also very good having my navigator following the charts and

suggesting possible interim destinations based on which way the

visibility was better. We were constantly tuning in new AWOSs for

ceiling and visibility reports. By the time we turned the corner down

near Atlanta about noon, the ceiling was up to about 3000 AGL and the

vis better than ten. In the Carolinas, there were no significant clouds,

just sorta hazy.



About a week later, at the Smithsonian, I saw a memorial poster for

Scott Crossfield on an easel under the X-15 and had to wonder if he'd

still be with us if he'd decided to run under the weather and around

instead of over the hills. 



I'm still planning to get my IFR ticket (I've got one big hour of dual

so far), but in the entire trip from the west coast to east, up and down

the coast and home, I don't really think there was one situation where

we'd have been better off IFR. Underneath at least we could see and

avoid the precip from the storms.



Pax,



Ed Holyoke



--

- The Matronics RV-List Email Forum -

Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:

http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List

khorton01(at)rogers.com
Guest

Posted: Wed May 10, 2006 6:03 pm Post subject: We lost Scott Crossfield today

On 10-May-06, at 10:12 PM, Ed Holyoke wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   About a week later, at the Smithsonian, I saw a memorial poster for

 Scott Crossfield on an easel under the X-15 and had to wonder if he'd

 still be with us if he'd decided to run under the weather and around

 instead of over the hills.



 I'm still planning to get my IFR ticket (I've got one big hour of dual

 so far), but in the entire trip from the west coast to east, up and  

 down

 the coast and home, I don't really think there was one situation where

 we'd have been better off IFR. Underneath at least we could see and

 avoid the precip from the storms.


	




It all depends on the weather, your attitude, and a whole bunch of  

luck.  Yes, scud running can keep you out of the CBs.  But, it can  

also suck you into a corner where you lose your VFR options because  

the weather has closed in behind you.  Towers that aren't on the  

charts can be a killer also.  Lots of guys get killed while scud  

running too.



No matter whether you go IFR, or VFR, there will sometimes be  

conditions that can suck you into going where you shouldn't.  It is  

very easy to pat yourself on the back and say that you wouldn't be  

stupid enough to do whatever it was that killed that other guy.  But  

we never really know how well we would do at avoiding the trap until  

nature springs the test on us.



Be careful out there,



Kevin Horton

RV-8 (Finishing Kit)

Ottawa, Canada

http://www.kilohotel.com/rv8

do not archive

- The Matronics RV-List Email Forum -

Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:

http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List

bicyclop(at)pacbell.net
Guest

Posted: Wed May 10, 2006 8:56 pm Post subject: We lost Scott Crossfield today

Kevin,



True, we could have sat it out, but I'm not sure I would call what we

did scud running either. We were never below about 1k AGL (and for most

of it, higher) and we were never closer than 500ft or so to the cloud

bases. Visibility was probably 4 or 5 when we started and improved to 9

or 10 within a few minutes. VFR in other words. We maintained outs at

all times in the form of nearby airports with known decent weather. Your

point about towers is well taken. We do have a Garmin 296 with terrain

warning, but as you say, a tower might not be in the database. I was

happy to have my #2 handling the charts and radio frequencies so I could

focus on the outside. I was also showing landing lights to be more

visible if anybody else was out there. In the early portion of the

flight, before the visibility improved, I was also throttled back to

give more time to identify potential obstacles. I have found that

sunglasses with sort of a brownish tint really help pick out the edges

of clouds and make it much easier to distinguish them from the haze. As

to attitude, I was willing and ready to divert, turn back and/or land if

at any time the conditions had worsened. Fortunately the conditions

continually improved (as briefed) and we were able to continue.



Please don't think I was trying to say that I'm better or smarter than

anyone else and certainly not better, smarter or more experienced than

Scott Crossfield. What I was saying is that, as always, we try to make

the best choices we can based on all the info that's available at the

time. From what I was seeing on the nexrad at the airport and what I was

hearing from the weather briefers (I made 3 calls before we decided to

go), the routing we chose was the only viable one. I guess Mr.

Crossfield made what he thought was the best decision at the time also.

I'm not second guessing him, just wistfully observing the difference in

outcomes.



Pax,



Ed Holyoke



P.S. I can't imagine tackling a flight like that one without a moving

map GPS and I made good use of 2 of them. I also kept my NAV receiver

tuned to the nearest VOR to our course. If GPS had become unavailable, I

would have landed and reassessed the situation.

--

- The Matronics RV-List Email Forum -

Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:

http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List

PFolbrecht(at)starkinvest
Guest

Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 6:45 am Post subject: We lost Scott Crossfield today

With embedded CBs about, unless you have onboard weather of some sort,

VFR is really the only sane option - and not sane under many

circumstances, of course.  You cannot rely on ATC, in my experience.  My

IMC experience is quite limited and yet I had a good scare only a couple

months after getting my ticket, in northern IN.  I came quite close to

flying into a group of cells, essentially unforecast and nothing there

at all an hour prior.  I think flightwatch may have saved my bacon that

day, or saved me from a bigger scare at least, but it was too close for

my liking.  Diverted north to Gary and grabbed a car to Indy.

Eye-opener, that was. 

--

- The Matronics RV-List Email Forum -

Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:

http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List

tedd(at)vansairforce.org
Guest

Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 3:56 pm Post subject: We lost Scott Crossfield today

 	  Quote: 	
		   With embedded CBs about, unless you have onboard weather of some sort,

 VFR is really the only sane option


	


That's sort of true.  But if you can fly IFR in VMC (e.g., on top of a stratus

layer) where you can see the CB or CVD cells, that's still "sane."  (Accepting,

for the purpose of argument, that you consider IFR in a single-engine airplane

sane in the first place.)



There is the possibility that you can't get ATC to clear you to deviate from

your routing to steer around CBs (been there, due to radio failure).  But in

theory there's nothing wrong with it.



Tedd

- The Matronics RV-List Email Forum -

Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:

http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List

khorton01(at)rogers.com
Guest

Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 5:41 pm Post subject: We lost Scott Crossfield today

On 11-May-06, at 8:54 PM, Tedd McHenry wrote:

 	  Quote: 	

> With embedded CBs about, unless you have onboard weather of some  

> sort,

> VFR is really the only sane option

 That's sort of true.  But if you can fly IFR in VMC (e.g., on top  

 of a stratus

 layer) where you can see the CB or CVD cells, that's still  

 "sane."  (Accepting,

 for the purpose of argument, that you consider IFR in a single- 

 engine airplane

 sane in the first place.)

 There is the possibility that you can't get ATC to clear you to  

 deviate from

 your routing to steer around CBs (been there, due to radio  

 failure).  But in

 theory there's nothing wrong with it.

Radio working or not, there is nothing ATC can say that would  

convince me to knowingly go into a CB.  I'll take my chances with  

conflicting traffic by declaring an emergency and violating my  

clearance, if I have to.  If I can't get them on the radio, I'll  

deviate and tell them about it later.  They aren't flying the  

airplane, I am.

Kevin Horton

RV-8 (Finishing Kit)

Ottawa, Canada

http://www.kilohotel.com/rv8

- The Matronics RV-List Email Forum -

Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:

http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List

Bruce(at)glasair.org
Guest

Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 6:20 pm Post subject: We lost Scott Crossfield today

It's surprising what squawking 7700 will do.



Bruce

www.glasair.org

 



--

- The Matronics RV-List Email Forum -

Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:

http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List

Display posts from previous:

	Matronics Email Lists Forum Index -> RV-List	All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1

Jump to:

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum