What was the worst rain or snow storm that any of you have flown in?

[Shultzie]

A RAIN STORY FOR "G-MAN!"
About half way through my first pattern at SanPoint NAS 1967 in rainy Seattle.

The rain in Spain...did not fall mainly in the  plain...BUT ON THE PLANE!

Just as I started the square 8's the good lord above opened the heavens and let the rain come down in sheets..... Luckily that old "water-cooled" Merco 35 kept on tickin'.....

although the lines were getting pretty stickity-do-day-day on the level laps...plusI had to really LEAD the heckity out of that model through every faze...

I still can't believe the line drape with all that water flowin.

My hat was no help at all...and talk about rain in the eye balls...I flew most of the flight with one eye or the other.
Even more amazing yet..our beloved judging staff...keep right at it...except that they had a horrific time writing scores onto the wet score sheets.

The landing was somethin out of a cartoon.
That was my First String Ray that sported those long inward tapered main gears...and that rakish' swept nose wheel were never designed for flying in a rain squall.
WOW! THOSE  GEARS REAALLY KICKED UP A SHEET OF WATER when it was touch down time.

The Sting Ray gear was designed to be landed at considerable air speed. The rather soft sprug gear...worked awesome in dry weather and on DRY TARMAC ONLY! NOT A TARMAC WITH 3 INCHES OF STORM WATER!

That day...I ended up again as usual...in 3rd spot behind ED KNUTSON...

(HEY AL!  (if you are lurking?) WAS THAT THE YEAR YOU TOOK FIRST PLACE WITH THAT BEAUTIFUL 1ST BEARCAT OF YOURS WITH THE EAGLE TALON CLAWS painted onto the main gear cover doors?

I am not sure if that was in 67 or 68?
brain dead and exiled in Gig haaaba..

this story dedicated to all the fellow stunt grunts that have had to endure motha'natures wet fits of rage.

[Richard Grogan]

Don,
Does that mean you had "Water Wings" during that flight? 
                                                                                     
                                                                                         

BTW, VERY NICE B&W!!
Richard

[Randy Powell]

Don't think it was the worst rain, but we thought it was pretty funny. Bob Smiley flying at the Northwest Regionals in 2004. This was Saturday Classic event. It was beautiful Sunday.

[George]

Was Winter flying one time when it started to snow. Came up fast and HEAVY. Could not see my plane, only about ten feet of lines to guess where the plane was. Kept it somewhat level until the engine quit. Didn't break it. 

We've all probably finished off a flight in the rain...while the others are in their cars laughing...

George

[Leo Mehl]

 I have flown in some terrable wind storms but the worst weather I ever did anything in was a golf tounament I played in in Havre Montana. That day there was frost on the ground when I teed of at the first hole. The frost turned to snow and then it began to sleet and then it tuned to rain. to end the day we had hail. I almost frose all my fingers that day. Since then I have been  mostly a fair weather everything. Last year at the regionals was the worst rain I have ever seen at a contest. Nothing stayed dry.

[Joejust]

Back in the 70's when I was the sponser of a control line club inside the walls at Walla Walla prison we held a racing day. It was raining so hard that the area where we were flying behind he kitchen inside the prison began to flood out. There had to be two inches of standing water as the events sarted.
The drains plugged up and then it started to rain so hard that I simply could not see any of the three planes flying. By luck my son Jay landed right in front of me and I grabbe ed the plane,refuled it and started it while it was still werm.Unfortunately Jay couldn't see me and didn't know his plane was ready to fly, so I just held it in my hands until the fuel ran out. I have in the past fallen through thin ice in winter, played in a college football game where we had a guy almost drown in a pile, but that was the worst rain I have ever seen and it was the wettest I have ever been in my life. However it was one of the best fun days I have ever spent.

Joe Just

[Shultzie]

WOW! What a story.....Joe!
Knowing how a control line model tends to really stir up some weird vortex patterns during a flight pattern in a small confined space and especially walls that would block any prevailing winds....that must have been quite a challenge.
 In the early 70's I flew my old Avenger in the Boeing Delivery center hanger on 2nd shift. Even though I had a muffler...that old ST 46 really kicked up some strange bobbles n' wobbles, lots of noise and a lingering blue haze. The night shift security Capt. and our general supervisor stood by to watch this demo during our 8:30 pm break.
The engine was running a tad slow but still managed some pretty fun stuff...I wish that I could have flown another flight, but that would be pushing the guest envelope a bit.

 After that first flight...we had quite a crowd appearing...wondering what kind of test was being conducted in that big empty north end of the Flight center. All in all..that was not a great place to fly...because of those bank of bright lights from the ceiling, I kept losing sight of that model during the overheads and vertical 8's. Also due to the dark metallic maroon body this made it especially hard to see. Anyone who has flown under mercury vapor lights can testify just how that "flickering" can really change your visual picture...especially at night.

The first time that I Joe Dill and I ever flew under mercury vapor lights ...were those  at the Aerospace parking lot at night.
 HOW SHOCKING WHEN YOUR STUNT MODEL FLYS HIGHER THAN THE LIGHTING FIXTURES...AND INSTANTLY HOW YOUR MODEL TOTALLY DISAPPEARS FROM VIEW...and amazing just how your reflexes are tested when your model suddenly reappears back into the light again.
However that night....the security guards told us to knock off the toy airplane crap and go home.