PandaCub
Active Member
We've all been there, I imagine: that out-of-the-blue headwhack against the canopy during an otherwise routine flight - similar to driving placidly along the interstate only to be jarred out of our reverie by an unseen, Texas-sized pothole.
I was recently flying in light chop at 9500 ft with my RV-14A when - BAM! - the airplane dropped from under me and my head hit the canopy with a force that would have had me seeing stars had it not been for my trusty flight helmet. The bottom edge of the instrument panel hit my left shin hard enough to skin it through the pant leg.
Call me conservative, but I've gotten into the habit of throttling back even in light chop to keep IAS well within the green just in case something like this happens. I doubt this was anywhere near the -14's +6/-3g limit, but the hit was enough to make me glad I was far, far away from the yellow arc.
Can any WX buffs explain the phenomenon here? It's almost like colliding with a random invisible object, only the impact is vertical not horizontal.
I was recently flying in light chop at 9500 ft with my RV-14A when - BAM! - the airplane dropped from under me and my head hit the canopy with a force that would have had me seeing stars had it not been for my trusty flight helmet. The bottom edge of the instrument panel hit my left shin hard enough to skin it through the pant leg.
Call me conservative, but I've gotten into the habit of throttling back even in light chop to keep IAS well within the green just in case something like this happens. I doubt this was anywhere near the -14's +6/-3g limit, but the hit was enough to make me glad I was far, far away from the yellow arc.
Can any WX buffs explain the phenomenon here? It's almost like colliding with a random invisible object, only the impact is vertical not horizontal.
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