55 kt Gusts Force Super Cub Tow Planes To Takeoff From The Ramp

"Chris Clarke" (shiftsandgiggles)
06/27/2014 at 12:59 • Filed to: planelopnik, mad props

Pilots of these Piper Super Cub glider tow planes were forced to act quickly and get their aircraft in the air to avoid danger to nearby ground handlers as a microburst passes over the airfield creating wind gust up to 55 kts.

Notice other students, pilots, and handlers sitting on a parked sailplane to prevent it from also blowing away.

All aircraft and personnel managed to avoid injury at the USAF Academy Airfield in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

DISCUSSION (87)

ttyymmnn > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 12:13

That's pretty intense. I didn't know that the AF used gliders for training. Makes sense, though.

Jayhawk Jake > ttyymmnn
06/27/2014 at 12:30

They do demos at air shows

For Sweden > ttyymmnn
06/27/2014 at 13:32

I think gliders are the first step in USAF Academy flight training, which occurs in the 3rd year. Gliders are a great way to start flight training; it's unfortunate that more pilots can't use that route.

PCD > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 13:32

That's nuts. Can't believe the wind was so strong it almost looked like they just floated upward.

Almost A Wooden Bird > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 13:36

Wait, were there people in the yellow planes?

Travis Okulski > Almost A Wooden Bird
06/27/2014 at 13:39

Yep!

RidgeR5 > PCD
06/27/2014 at 13:42

Piper Super Cubs need very little to get going. They are used a lot in STOL landing competitions in Alaska, where they can stop within just a couple plane lengths.

Borden > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 13:42

Cool! Check it out! A video didnt get ruined by GIF! Rare these days.

SmithersonFarm88 > ttyymmnn
06/27/2014 at 13:45

shit shit shit

vrooooom

rUDy Flyer 41 > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 13:46

That was a hell of an effort by all those pilots.

ChristinaETucke > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 13:52

last pay check was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My neighbour's sister has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can't believe how easy it was once I tried it out.

This is what I do,,,,,,,,,,

www.bam80.com

Ash78, voting early and often > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 13:54

I love all the people sitting on the upwind wing of the sailplane (looks like a Grob 103, which I flew a bit as a young teen). A Cub will get aiborne at about 45kts, but a good sailplane only needs 15-20. Scary stuff.

Chris Clarke > Ash78, voting early and often
06/27/2014 at 13:56

Lots of good stuff in the video. Seems like everyone has their shit together.

Brian, The Life of > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 13:57

That was actually kind of neat to watch since no one was hurt. I can attest to the glacial stall speed of J3s. My dad had one when i was a kid and once we were flying into >40mph headwinds and he says, "Wanna fly backwards?" "WHA - ?" "Just look out your side window and use the wing spar as your visual reference." He backed off the throttle slowly until we gradually lost forward ground speed and were moving backwards. :)

Chris Clarke > Brian, The Life of
06/27/2014 at 14:01

I remember flying backwards, its a pretty good demo to wrap your head around the difference between airspeed and groundspeed. Like when that second cub takes off while still going backwards.

Coulierthanyou > Almost A Wooden Bird
06/27/2014 at 14:02

Really?

Eric the RC guy > RidgeR5
06/27/2014 at 14:03

Damn you, I saw this comment and started looking for a link to this very same video and you got here first.

Benjamin V. Wells > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 14:04

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Speedmerchant > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 14:06

Tow plane pilots did an outstanding job!

ronmancvu > RidgeR5
06/27/2014 at 14:07

Today I learned this is a thing.

CALLAAA > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 14:08

Second Tow, you are not cleared for back taxi.

Mr Joshua > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 14:12

First V/STOL super cub.

Apexed > Ash78, voting early and often
06/27/2014 at 14:16

The gliders are DG Flugzeugbau DG-1000, or a TG-16 as the USAF calls them.

nealsoad > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 14:16

Someone had a microburst event in their pants.. holy shit..

mpiersd > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 14:18

It can get pretty nuts the way the Chinook winds ramp up over the Rockies and then come back down on the front range and Colorado Springs areas.

Mulberry > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 14:19

Not trying to be an asshole but shouldn't it either be pilot's or pilots' instead of pilots's

Benjamin V. Wells > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 14:20

http://www.jobs700.com

Almost A Wooden Bird > Coulierthanyou
06/27/2014 at 14:29

Yup, really! When one has a question, or a hunch to an answer, it's still worth asking for clarification sake. Now I can talk about this video with accuracy and not false information. Have a good one, buddy! :):):):):):):)

Kaufmania: Mark Webber's Stunt Double > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 14:39

Been there, cool place. My dad's best friend is retired air force and teaches at the academt and denver. I got the behind the ropes tour.

Kaufmania: Mark Webber's Stunt Double > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 14:44

While the fact these little birds made it into the sky is a remarkable achievement, I fail to see why getting them into the sky was the smart move. Why not just kill engine, drop flaps and air brakes (if they have them) and point the stick into the ground. Seems like a safer move then going up in an aluminum box with a 55 mph tail wind.

Ground crews saw the problem also, and ran away fine, into more danger to save the gliders, who most likely had cadets in them.

So I just don't get it.

Poundingsand > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 14:53

Downwind takeoff in 55kt gusts.

HUGE balls.

davedave1111 > Kaufmania: Mark Webber's Stunt Double
06/27/2014 at 15:06

I'm not a pilot, but I think it's because it's safer to be off the ground - those planes are quite capable of riding out the high winds in the air, whereas on the ground they might be lifted a bit and smash back down, or roll over, or whatever.

It's similar to the way a ship can be safer offshore close in during a storm because it can ride out the weather fine and there's nothing to hit.

chucchinchilla > Travis Okulski
06/27/2014 at 15:07

Have to admit, I originally thought the planes were sitting vacant on the tarmac and took off on their own. Only after I saw them peacefully sailing away did I realize I missed something.

18holeduffer > Almost A Wooden Bird
06/27/2014 at 15:15

and they said that's the shortest runaway I've been on....but look how wide it is...

Buckner > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 15:20

I know that field well! I was in a USAFA mentoring program and got to try out the gliders and tows there. Good times, good times.

JDIGGS > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 15:23

May I suggest a rope, where are the sailors.

Nick Dina > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 15:24

I know those planes are light, but I can't believe they took off so quickly carrying those pilots with such huge brass balls.

Copperbottoms > ttyymmnn
06/27/2014 at 15:28

It's really just a shitsandgigs thing the Acadamy does, not a formal flying training thing

Copperbottoms > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 15:32

That was an INCREDIBLY dangerous decision those guys made. I don't see how anyone wins if one of them dies versus damaging a plane and possibly some property. It's a lot easier to accidentally hurt someone else in an uncontrolled crash... Microbursts are no joke.

grahamrh808 > Almost A Wooden Bird
06/27/2014 at 15:39

Did you think they were flying away on their own?

Ohdeargawk > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 15:40

Thats how I fly planes in grand theft auto!

KennethAOlsonrh > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 15:40

This is what I do,,,,,,,,,,

www.bam80.com

Ash78, voting early and often > Apexed
06/27/2014 at 15:48

Thanks for clarifying, I never would have been able to tell them apart from that distance.

KillerRaccoon - Group J's Sébastien Loeb > PCD
06/27/2014 at 15:48

Supercubs are also famous for their ridiculously low stall speeds. With a few mods, a 10ft takeoff or landing is not out of the question.

rs2942 > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 15:50

I wonder, if the gust stops right after the plane with ground speed 0 takes off, will it just fall to the ground hard? Isn't it risky to use the gust to takeoff then?

Bad Idea Hat > For Sweden
06/27/2014 at 15:52

I talked to one guy that told me he learned more in a year of flying gliders than 10 of flying Cessnas VFR.

I'm going to attribute that to having to always know all of your options when you don't have a powerplant.

llll > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 15:54

Where is this place exactly, its beautiful !?

Clevis Pinn > Kaufmania: Mark Webber's Stunt Double
06/27/2014 at 15:56

"So I just don't get it."

Because you don't know much about planes, certainly not about Cubs. J-3s do not have flaps. If those were Super Cubs (and I'm sure they were) they did have flaps, but flaps are there to increase lift as well as increasing drag. Dumping flaps would simply help the wind lift the plane off the ground. And you only find air brakes on high performance aircraft, not glider tugs. Oh, and Cubs aren't aluminum boxes, they're steel tubing and fabric, very light.

Chris Clarke > rs2942
06/27/2014 at 16:12

That's very possible, and using a gust for takeoff is not recommended, but the planes became airborne inadvertently, so continuing to fly the plane was the only option. If the gust were to quit, the aircraft might have had sufficient power and altitude to recover.

justanothertechie > Brian, The Life of
06/27/2014 at 16:15

I've watched these fly backwards after taking off from College Park Airport (after climbing to about 1200 feet)- neato.

MarkDLucerojour > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 16:16

This is what I do,,,,,,,,,,

www.bam80.com

PCD > RidgeR5
06/27/2014 at 16:31

Wow

GanjaTwister > llll
06/27/2014 at 16:39

Likely Colorado Springs, CO

Kaufmania: Mark Webber's Stunt Double > davedave1111
06/27/2014 at 16:44

I'm no pilot either, but my theory in life is the closer and slower you are in respect to the ground the better off you are*. Little plane getting jerking around even in the air like that, yikes. Let the plane jump up 3 feet and flip any day compared to a microburst slamming me into the tarmac from 100 feet. You know, my neighbor used to work for the FAA as an accident re-constructor. I'll ask him sometmie and get back to you. Be interesting what an expert has to say.

And I think you got the ship thing backwards. Ships what to be inshore during storms. Harbors, you know.

*One exception is track days. "faster faster till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - The Good Doctor, HST

Kaufmania: Mark Webber's Stunt Double > Clevis Pinn
06/27/2014 at 16:56

1) No need to be dickish, alright. Never said I was an expert, thus my statement, "I Don't get it."

2) Thank you for explaining things

3) Good point about the flaps.

4) Concerning air brakes note I said 'If the have them', because see point #1 above.

5) a roll cage covered in fabric vs. an Al tub. Let me check something. BALL PARK... 100 ft fall you are traveling at 75-90 ft/sec. Thats something like 50 to 60 mph on impact, right. Yeah. I'll take the roll cage.

Bonus Round - I actually stood there before belore the USAFA's tower looking up at Pike's Peak. Even the behind the ropes tour doesn't tell you those details.

dannocaz > ttyymmnn
06/27/2014 at 17:31

Don't know how they screen the cadets for prospective pilots now, but back in 70's and early 80's we used T-41's which was a C-172 with 210HP engines. We used to take the cadets (juniors/seniors) and give them about 20 hours of flying time up through solo. If they unable to solo, then they usually got their pilot training slot axed. The gilder club was a separate entity and voluntary but flew out of the same airfield at the academy.

When gusty wind conditions popped up (frequently) all airborne T-41's usually diverted or waited somewhere. Those that were taxiing and not tied down, where pointed into the wind and kind of ground flown until cadets could come out with the swings. These attached to the wing tie downs and 4 (2 on each) cadets or instructors would sit in them till the winds died down and you could taxi to the tie-downs. And if it was Friday, we'd cancel flying and head to the ski slopes! A fun time for all.

Kinja'd!!!

Porsche924GTR > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 17:33

Air Force Academy.

The Artist Formerly Known As... > RidgeR5
06/27/2014 at 17:46

What is that funky machine around the 1-minute mark. Looks like a biplane—is that a J3 mod? Very cool.

ttyymmnn > dannocaz
06/27/2014 at 18:02

Great story, thanks for sharing. Interesting that the Cessna has USAF marking and civilian registration. Despite the roundel, it's still civilian?

tehllama > ttyymmnn
06/27/2014 at 18:38

I never did gliders at the Academy, it's really just a for fun thing that people can do, and doesn't affect who becomes pilots or not. But "Sully" Sullenberger did do it at the Academy, and kept it up afterwards, and when he came and spoke at the Academy he attributed his gliding experience with helping him land the dead jet on the Hudson.

tehllama > dannocaz
06/27/2014 at 18:39

No more screening direct for cadets, just competing by overall standings, the powered flight program isn't mandatory and most don't even get any flight experience at the Academy anymore. There's a pilot screening program down in Pueblo flying DA-20s that prospective pilots go to after commissioning and can get washed out from there.

Timeforjeans > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 19:51

NSFW - language warning.

MooseKnuckles > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 20:20

How can we fight what we cannot see!!??

RidgeR5 > The Artist Formerly Known As...
06/27/2014 at 21:16

It's not a Piper Cub variant. Fuselage shape is all wrong. Looking up the tail number N1169R, it appears to be a one-off airplane called an Ellis Wendell Kirk Workhorse, and is owned/built by Ellis Wendell Kirk of Valdez, AK

willmederski > Chris Clarke
06/27/2014 at 21:35

wait. so their reaction was to hop in the plane and get into the air?

so being in the air, with a human life on board, is deemed the smart thing to do?

i'm pretty sure that's what insurance is for. let 'em blow away.

HijoDePuta > Almost A Wooden Bird
06/27/2014 at 21:47

He was confused by this:

Kinja'd!!!

The Artist Formerly Known As... > RidgeR5
06/27/2014 at 21:49

No wonder I didn't recognize it! Thanks for the info.

Stang70Fastback > Kaufmania: Mark Webber's Stunt Double
06/27/2014 at 23:19

He actually got the ship analogy right as it pertains to this situation. A ship in a harbor is the equivalent of a plane in a hangar. It is protected from the elements (though wind can still screw with the ship and slam it into things.)

In this situation, the aircraft were exposed to the full fury of the storm, much like a ship would be if it was docked but not in a harbor. Most ships (unless the storm is really too dangerous to risk the lives of the crew) will go ride the storm out at sea, where they can float over the waves without issue, rather than stay tied up to the dock, where they will inevitably be smashed up and sunk. Same thing here - the pilots decided to take off, where they could ride the currents of air without running into anything, rather than sit on the ground, where it would be very easy for them to be tossed like tumbleweed if the wind shifted momentarily.

Dadu > ttyymmnn
06/27/2014 at 23:53

F-4E Glide ratio 1 foot forward 1 foot down...F-15 10 to 1.... F-16? errrr.not so much....

Steven Phillips Photography > Chris Clarke
06/28/2014 at 00:45

Finally, something incredible happens and it wasn't captured with a portrait-potato.

dannocaz > Dadu
06/28/2014 at 01:12

I know the F-4 gets a bad rap for gliding like a brick but actually it's glide ratio is close to 7 to1 assuming you jettison every external store that's hanging. This image is straight from the F-4E Dash One which is the Bible for reference and operation of the Phantom. 6 nautical miles (36,000 ft) for every 5,000 ft of altitude. Do the math.

Kinja'd!!!

Kaufmania: Mark Webber's Stunt Double > Stang70Fastback
06/28/2014 at 01:50

So seeking danger is a way to survive danger. I am in the wrong line of work.

Dude, that's a great explanation. Hat Tip!

mshefler > Kaufmania: Mark Webber's Stunt Double
06/28/2014 at 03:09

I can guarantee you that the winds put the planes outside of their operating limits. I'm assuming, though, that there was an IP on board who made a judgement call and decided it was best that they take off and ride it out vs an emergency egress. The biggest problem that I see is that microbursts are some of the most dangerous weather conditions that you can fly a plane in and they are at an incredible risk of losing all lift and dropping like a rock out of the sky. Amazing that no one was hurt or killed.

Kaufmania: Mark Webber's Stunt Double > mshefler
06/28/2014 at 03:40

I agree, but Stang70 replied to me with the best explanation.

Piero Giorgi > Almost A Wooden Bird
06/28/2014 at 04:44

Wait, you ARE kidding, right?

montego > Chris Clarke
06/28/2014 at 07:26

Microbursts are crazy strong. Watch this one spin a parked jet like it is a toy.

K317H > Chris Clarke
06/28/2014 at 10:25

I'm sure #3's commentary was something along the lines of "c'mon you b58ch fly damn you fly"

aggie107 > ttyymmnn
06/28/2014 at 12:02

If you're going through Colorado Springs on a warm day, look towards the Academy. There will probably be gliders riding the currents around the hills there.

CaptainSlow650 > Brian, The Life of
06/28/2014 at 16:47

Did this with my uncle when I was a kid, in a rather alarmingly unplanned fashion. He had a small 2 seater float plane (can't remember what it was specifically) but we were just leaving for a short buzz and a random wind burst stirred up when we were just putting away from the dock. We were probably only 100 ft away from the mooring/launch, started getting blown directly backward inland towards other planes that were moored. So my uncle maxed the throttle, pulled up and we disturbingly popped up airborne almost instantly. Next thing I knew we're over the the parking lot, thankfully gaining altitude quick but flying backwards.

Dadu > dannocaz
06/28/2014 at 19:53

Just repeating what the Seat to Stick Interconnect told me.... That incentive ride in the Alaskan Air Command F-4E over the January tundra was.....well ,a jaw dropper.

Dadu > Dadu
06/29/2014 at 21:29

The pilot asked me "How tall are you?" cause over 6' the backseater loosed the kneecaps if they have to eject...

feather-throttle-not-hair > Chris Clarke
06/30/2014 at 01:48

Thats fuckin hairball

AstraXR > Chris Clarke
06/30/2014 at 12:43

This is stupid... This is why we tie down planes. Risking you life to save a plane is nuts. If the wind stop while they are up with not much airspeed they would fall like a rock.

Chris Clarke > AstraXR
06/30/2014 at 13:46

The pilot's were already in the planes, with the engines running, about to taxi for takeoff. Tie downs had nothing to do with this incident.

dannocaz > Dadu
06/30/2014 at 14:19

He was pulling your chain. There were several WSO's in our squadron that were over 6'. I don't remember the cutoff, but 6'4" sticks in my mind. That being said, we were always warned in case of ejection to make sure our butt was snug in the back of the seat.

Dadu > dannocaz
07/03/2014 at 20:33

I was stoked low and fast over the frozen snow covered tundra with both of those J-79's in burner.....

Dadu > dannocaz
08/11/2014 at 23:01

Which Squadron? 343rd FW, 18th FS Elmendorf AFB 1981 for me....and 21st EMS Phase Inspection.