Thanks Fella,s
think you might enjoy this.
SHORT FINAL
Overheard in IFR Magazine's "On the Air"
While on a trip in a Grumman Cheetah from Marathon, Florida Keys to Exuma in the Bahamas, I ran into a large area of clouds hanging over Andros Island. They'd been classified as benign when I'd received my weather briefing about an hour and a half earlier. I penetrated with a warning from Miami Center:
Miami Center:
"Grumman XXXXX, I show a large area of weather ahead of you. How would you like to proceed?"
Grumman:
"My Stormscope shows it's not active. I'll continue on course."
[a few minutes later]
Miami Center:
"Grumman XXXXX, say flight conditions."
Grumman:
"It's a little bumpy, but other than that it's fine."
[a few minutes later, after it suddenly turned active]
Grumman:
"Miami Center, Grumman XXXXX, experiencing ... severe ... turbulence. Request ... lower."
[I went up and down at about 2000 feet per minute. The Stormscope lit up all around us. We were tossed on our side.]
Miami Center:
"Grumman XXXXX, unable lower at this time. I'll have to call Nassau to get lower."
I righted the airplane. Everything flew around the cockpit. I saw a hole and aimed for it.
[a few minutes later]
Grumman:
"Miami Center, Grumman XXXXX, we're out of the weather now. Sorry about the deviation, but I could not hold altitude or course."
Miami Center:
"Not a problem, I understand."
A passing airliner overheard this ...
Airliner:
"Miami, Airliner XXXX, that guy that penetrated the weather over Andros — what kind of airplane did he say he was flying?"
Miami Center:
"A Grumman."
Airliner:
"Like a big Grumman?"
Miami Center:
"No, like a little Grumman Cheetah.
Airliner:
"A Cheetah? Wow, he's got a lot of balls."
Miami Center:
Airliner XXXX, I'm sorry, sir, you broke up. Say again?
Airliner:
"I said, he's got a lot of balls."
Miami Center:
"Airliner XXXX, I'm sorry, sir, you are coming in broken up again. I believe you said (ahem) that he was a very brave man?"
Bob Brayman Marathon
Florida Keys