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Turn around a point

Vlad

Well Known Member
Do you remember when you did a perfect "turn around the point" maneuver by PTS? I did it nearly perfect only once about three years ago during my private pilot check ride. Or so DPE said.
On our recent Maine run I had a commercially rated meat servo in right seat. We saw a good reference point Mt Washington in NH and he wanted to orbit it. Go ahead show me the superb airmanship. Winds were howling at the altitudes and we were approaching the Mount sideways.

Holy Crab!!! Approaching with drift almost 40 degrees, harnesses and seat belts tightened couldn't breath ...







First ellipse was sloppy. Wind blew us far from the reference point. Fail.







Next turn was better and looked like a circle.







Upwind bank was too steep and on downwind we flew with negative bank angle :)







Nice view of the observatory.













What a perfect place to click a round number on tachometer.







The fun was still ahead...
 
We were downwind of that point. It nearly launched Jenny out of her seat! The wind was very unpredictable that day. Nice pictures!

:) CJ
 
Mount Washington

Vlad,
I've hiked to the summit many times in February and know that it can be COLD and windy. I was tracking your flight and at the same time logged in to the Mount Washington Observatory site. As you were circling, it was -12 F on the summit with 80 mph sustained winds. No wonder you were doing some crabbing!

Jim Diehl
7A
Lock Haven, Pa.
 
Mt Washington is just a little over 6,000 feet MSL. Although not particularly high as mountains go, it gets high winds and poor weather fairly often.
 
Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. The summit of Mt. Washington (elevation 6,288 feet) holds the world record for the highest surface wind gust of 231 m.p.h. and the highest sustained 5 minute wind speed of 188 m.p.h., both from a southeasterly direction recorded during a fierce New England storm on April 12, 1934. During that storm the 24 hour wind speed averaged an incredible 128 m.p.h. and included one hour when the wind averaged 173 m.p.h. With wind numbers like these, it is not surprising that Mt. Washington is also this nation's windiest location, averaging about 35 m.p.h. annually.
 
As you were circling, it was -12 F on the summit

Only -12? Shockingliny warm for this time of year.

My parents can see Mt. Washington from their house and I've flown into Mt. Washington Airport quite a few times to visit them. Gorgeous area.
 
Welcome to the "ROCK PILE"---NO trees above 4000 ft---the RV-8 and 90HP J-3 have visited many times---you NEVER want to lose your respect for that mountain---great shots V-man---John Fleurent
 
Next turn was better and looked like a circle.



The fun was still ahead...

That place looks like Dr Evil's lair from a James Bond movie. Good thing they didn't shoot you with lasers or a tractor beam or something. :D
 
Found on Google :D


Few outside NH's North Country know about Carmen Onofrio (from Milan, NH) and his 43 successful landings and take-offs from the summit of Mt Washington. All flights were during the 1940's, in his Piper Cub, carrying people, equipment, and supplies. Most landings were on a 40' by 125' strip in a parking lot on Home Stretch, near the tank farm and the turn on the Cog RR track.

Actually he made a 44th flight, crash landed and walked away from it. After his plane was repaired, Onofrio took off from the summit and almost crashed in the Great Gulf. The cause being snow blew into the entire tail section during repairs and no one realized this. He wisely retired from these summit landings.







http://s447.photobucket.com/user/N666BK/media/Daily%20Pictures/wash4.jpg.html
 
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Vlad, don't be too quick to assume August would look different than Febtuary on Mount Washington. I've climbed just three weeks later than this and had 50mph gusting 80 with horizontal ice and snow. The Mountain is not forgiving and holds no prisoners.

BTW: you should see the observatory and weather station up close. It's an experience.
 
I used to run the road race to the top on Father's Day in June.
It would be 80 degrees at the bottom and sleet, snow & high winds at the top.
The top is dead center of the storm track.
The huts would have giant chains over the top of them so they would't blow off the mountain.
 
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