When Did This Happen ?

[Mark_]

Friday here in Banff trees were blowing down left right and centre...even saw someone's skylight tumbling across the road...the wind was crazy.

 

Mark

[helidude]

Was on the ski hill in Grande Prairie on Friday afternoon when a sudden wind/hail/snow/lightning (yes, lightning) storm hit. They had to evacuate the hill and ski lift.

First time I've ever seen lightning light up a dark hail cloud in February.

[Heliman2]

ABE is an Eagle Machine being leased by Icefield and this did happen on the 30th of Jan 2009.

[Rosco P C]

Was on the ski hill in Grande Prairie on Friday afternoon when a sudden wind/hail/snow/lightning (yes, lightning) storm hit. They had to evacuate the hill and ski lift.

First time I've ever seen lightning light up a dark hail cloud in February.

 

Skiing in GP..... WHAAAA ? Are you sure? ;-)

[Guest Angry Egg Driver]

Its more of a mole hill.

[3BX2]

Grand Prarie ! 145 vertical meters of "Dream Powder"

 

[Zazu]

On the 30th I was doing 178 kts by the GPS and 100 on the indicator east of Peace River around 1500 AGL. Pretty smooth up there but trying to vertical into a pad was a bit bouncy...cutters took one look at the trees bending over by Cadotte and decided they were not going to be cutting trees that day...with the RPM fluctuating that way on the flats (never mind the rocks !) I don't blame them! I was in a B2! One guy got sick and I spilled my coffee!...funny though, it was smooth as glass at the airport although slow going in...55 kts by the GPS at 80 TQ. (100-110 IAS ). Mountain Wave, LLWS? Kind of weird.

 

Fly Safe

Zazu

 

[Freefall]

Thats quite the wind! Good thing you didnt have to longline in that headwind that would be awful.

[southoftheborder]

A few years ago PHI had a 407 that was tied down on a platform when a squall line went through the area. The pilot was downstairs having lunch when he saw his 407 go by the window into the ocean. We all thought that he had not tied down the a/c like your suppose to but sure enough when they fished in out of the ocean the tie-downs were attached to the a/c along with the anchor clevises from the platform deck. Years of corrosion had takens its tole. The wind can be your friend on a hot and humid day but can sure bite you in the *** if you don't have a little respect.

 

Just my 2 cents

SOB

[sirlandsalot]

Yup, I bellieave you. I saw a pic of a 206 that blew over and off a pad. The blades where tied down with 5 gallon buckets of sand. the wind turned the blades 90 degrees and that is what stopped the machine from landing on it's side. It just stopped when the blade tip hit the ground below the wood pad. Good'ol 206 blades, it bowed the blade but didn't wreck anything and they actually flew it away!! after several hours of uprighting it. Old Ralphy won't be happy!

There was also a 212 down the pad that was facing into wind. the front of the skides where rocking 6 inches off the ground in the gusts!

 

It looks to me that that 44 crash was on the same day! Grand Cache is just North of the Cline River where that jet box tipped over....can't imagine it being easy flying a 44 in those winds, along the mtns east of the divide sure can get nasty!!

 

The wind would deffinetly be one of those love/hate relationships