Animosity2k Posted May 13, 2021 Report Share Posted May 13, 2021 So maybe it's just been a while since I've flown mid day during a nice warm sunny day but yesterday I experienced some insane thermals. I took off after about a 150 ft takeoff roll at 800ft MSL. I'm on a 5,000 ft runway and by the time I was at midfield I was already struggling to stay anywhere near pattern altitude (1800ft). I think at this point I was about 500ft over it and at a pegged climb rate of 1,000fpm seemed to have no chance of staying near it. Ultimately I decided to just come back in and land, which was also quite eventful as every time I got close to touching down I'd hit a nice thermal and climb 100-200 ft again almost instantly. I've got damn near 200 hours in this airplane now and this is the first time I've struggled this badly to maintain altitude or get down and land. Does anyone have any tips or pointers? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Cesnalis Posted May 13, 2021 Report Share Posted May 13, 2021 Where there's lift there is also sink. It can be helpful to envision the thermals and their drift. Thermals can be avoided where mountain wave lift can trap you into a climb to the flight levels (probably not in Ohio) In cruise I rely on trim for vertical and my AP to keep me on course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animosity2k Posted May 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2021 1 hour ago, Ed Cesnalis said: Where there's lift there is also sink. It can be helpful to envision the thermals and their drift. Thermals can be avoided where mountain wave lift can trap you into a climb to the flight levels (probably not in Ohio) In cruise I rely on trim for vertical and my AP to keep me on course. I went power completely idle as soon as I hit downwind and trimmed the plane as far forward as I could go and I was still climbing. Wasn't fun at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Cesnalis Posted May 13, 2021 Report Share Posted May 13, 2021 48 minutes ago, Animosity2k said: I went power completely idle as soon as I hit downwind and trimmed the plane as far forward as I could go and I was still climbing. Wasn't fun at all. How big, (diameter) are these thermals? Thermal lift is momentary at a mile per minute with sink in between thermals. Maximum flaps and a full rudder slip are available to get down quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdarza Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 Could be worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warmi Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 With thermals that are particularly strong ... I don’t think there is much we can do in our small planes but just ride it out and wait for the inevitable sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdarza Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 I fly out of a large airport and the heat generated from the cement on a hot midday can really pump up those thermals. I once flew my open cockpit ultralight in these conditions and got this blast of hot air on my face along with what felt like a super charged elevator ride up even with the stick so far forward. I dont do ultralights midday anymore lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animosity2k Posted May 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 11 hours ago, cdarza said: I fly out of a large airport and the heat generated from the cement on a hot midday can really pump up those thermals. I once flew my open cockpit ultralight in these conditions and got this blast of hot air on my face along with what felt like a super charged elevator ride up even with the stick so far forward. I dont do ultralights midday anymore lol. Thats how my scenario is. My home airport is the headquarters for flex jet so we've got a giant runway and tons of ramp space that heats up quick. I guess I'll just have to get more used to it. If they dynon could read more then 1,000FPM I think I would have seen more! I've never felt such a rush in my life it was like a reverse rollercoaster. Are there any particular dangers in these situations? I felt like the updraft was so much it was going to rip a wing off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennM Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 My Dynon reads more than 1000fpm. That was probably all if it read 1000fpm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animosity2k Posted May 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 5 hours ago, GlennM said: My Dynon reads more than 1000fpm. That was probably all if it read 1000fpm. I'll have to pay more attention next time. All I remember was seeing it pegged at 1000FPM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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