Wet in the air

It's been dry for so long. We're lucky to be as close to the coast as we are, but the rain shadow starts at about our distance. It's been like a desert back west.

So it's nice when it rains. Not when you're flying though. Showers are ok. You can see the beginning and end of them. But good soaking rain just goes on and on.

I didnt have my flying gear with me when S called. I'd ridden my motorbike in to work. Even though rain was forecast. Heard that before. So help me pick up an aeroplane from the LAME at Cessnock? Oh ok. I could borrow a chart and there are spare headsets at the flying club.

The radar picture was peculiar. A fast moving band of blue (light rain) moving in from the west. Extensively. Oh well, the met forecast was ok. Windy in two hours. Light rain. Sweet.

Fuel up first? Half a tank. Rain. Yeah, better. Just in case.

The delay put us closer to the winds, especially flying west, into it. Climbing to 1500 feet, the picture was pretty darn grey.

Press on S? Looks iffy? Yeah.... Then Air Traffic hands us off into uncontrolled airspace, and oh what the heck. We can see Kurri, the highway below us. Greyness ahead. We're flying in full on rain.

Is that the cloud base? Going down to the ground?

No. Veils of rain.

More rain behind it. We'll be in it in a minute.

The cloud base is up there. Somewhere...

The GPS is in my flying bag. At home in the 4WD. Below me and behind. And of all days this is when I might actually need it.

There's Cessnock. The town. Cant make out the airport. That's the hangars isnt it?

Traffic Cessnock, Robin joining crosswind three five.

Put down ok after a way too high and hot approach – too close to the field (didnt want to lose sight of it). Though I really didnt want to go around either. Wonder if the runway's slippery because it's been teeming like it has been since Thornton. Nope, pull off at the first taxiway and park. Wait for S but he needs to refuel. The plane he's picking up is working ok, so go on ahead back to work. I'll come back if you need.

I give my calls and launch underneath a Cessna 152 that's overflying low for downwind. Wanting to get out of it. I'm going back into it. How's that cloudbase? I stay at 1000 feet as I turn east north of the field. Point the nose at the Auto Direction Finder set to Williamtown and keep it level. Work the radio frequency changes for airways clearance in the bouncy grey wetness.

Clearance Delivery, Centre, Tower, Surface Movement Control.

I am alone, me in my 120 knot rain lashed bubble canopy and the air traffic controller's instructions through my headset. I can make out the Kurri smelter. It's the only thing big enough to stand out from five miles in this murkiness. Almost at the boundary.

I am flying over the farm. I like this trip because it takes me over the top. Not seeing much now though. Rain streaming all the way down to the rapidly filling swamps nearby. Nice to see rain going down...far below.

I am sequenced in to land. Tower asks if I can see the field. Affirm. He mustnt be able to see me. But I am much smaller among all these rain drops than he is on the ground. The air trafficers shut down their controlled air space after I land. Leave it up to pilot discretion. The weather's not much good for any actual work. Well, I helped bring one of our planes back. That's work. One hour command time in the log book.

That's the worst VMC I've ever been in. And it was mad fun.