R.I.P. Scott Crossfield

The first really in-depth look at weather I read was Bob Buck's Weather Flying. You can probably still find a copy on Amazon or Alibris. No matter how much you read about weather flying, nothing truly prepares a pilot better than doing it.

I was lucky enough to get a baptism of weather flying when I flew low-level commuter aircraft in the Southeast with Sunbird Airlines back in the early '80s. We were in Cessna 402s and 404s and Beech 99s ... it doesn't get more intense weather-wise than that. The Southern states are thunderstorm-prone and the weather can change pretty quickly. On the other hand, unless the boomers line up into clusters and lines, they are pretty well isolated and it's easy enough to fly around them. Which brings me to the death of a legend, Scott Crossfield.

Crossfield died in the crash of his Cessna 210 in a north Georgia accident last Thursday, April 20th. The immediate verdict was weather -- there was a lot of thunderstorm activity in the area. It's hard to imagine an experienced pilot like Crossfield getting killed by a rookie mistake - pressing ahead into weather that he or the airplane just couldn't handle - but there are other instances of that very thing. Weather killed the World War II hero and actor Audie Murphy not too far from where Crossfield died. Weather is one of those things that smart pilots just don't take for granted.

Having just written what I just wrote, we flew back to New York from California today and landed in some really crappy rain and wind. Yep, it just gets that way from time to time. There seems to be a perpetual crosswind at White Plains (I am not a friend of White Plains) and when it is lousy outside, it is really lousy at HPN. Tonight the crosswind was from the east and the Citation ahead of us reported wind shear plus or minus 10 knots on final. Not too bad, but enough to get your attention. Plus, it was raining to beat the band. I hate weather like that. It begins to get your undivided attention. John did a great job and got the Gulfstream stopped in a relatively straight line and in a decent amount on runway. He's good. I like flying with John. He keeps me alive.

When the weather really turns to the nasty side of nasty, I like having the airplane myself. Rain, ice, wind, it's a challenge that any pilot worth his salt respects. I've done my share and can't think of a better airplane to joust with the elements than a Gulfstream. Mark and I once pulled a trip that brought us into HPN with a howling crosswind from the west ... ice on the runway was so bad we were slipping and sliding. I think we finished up a little sideways, but managed to clear the runway and taxi over to the apron using the thrust reversers to keep us from skating into the soft stuff. Not the first time I had done that. Ray and I once had to use the TRs just to maneuver on the taxiway .. brakes were useless. It was like maneuvering a boat.

I once read a story by Ike Isenhauer, a legendary corporate pilot, who saved his bacon and his DC-8 with a novel technique for stopping on an icy runway. In the simulator the instructor had me land at Vancouver on an icy runway - braking action nil. I landed, used the TRs, as usual. When we were about to depart the far end of the runway I stowed one TR and spun the airplane around so we were moving backwards. Pushed the power up with both TRs stowed and came to a stop at the edge of the pavement, pointed straight down the runway from whence we came. Shut 'er down right there. . The instructor couldn't believe it. I passed (and hope I never have to do it for real). Thanks Ike.

No need for fancy stuff tonight ... we hopped to the home field from HPN and the day was done.

Life goes on when you respect Mother Nature. Weather is nothing to play with. All the luck and all the skill goes out the window when you decide that bad weather is a ho-hum, non-event, and it will eat you alive. R.I.P. Scott Crossfield.