Accident Assistance Fund (AAF)

Members helping Members in Times of Need

The AAF is the first initiative launched by the recently created Development Committee. The AAF will help cover medical and other expenses resulting from free flying accidents*. If you’re interested in helping your fellow pilots in times of need, please consider making a taxdeductible gift to the AAF. To kickstart the AAF, two generous members have agreed to donate $5,000 each, for a total of $10,000 in matching funds. This is an incredible opportunity to double the impact of your contribution to the AAF.

Scan QR code for more details on the AAF and how to make a tax-deductible donation.

* The AAF will only have access to funds donated by members and earmarked for the AAF. The AAF is not insurance and is not intended to be a replacement for insurance, but rather to help with insurance deductibles and unforeseen medical and other expenses in times of need. USHPA encourages all pilots to practice safe flying and stay current and maintain proper medical insurance coverage. Details of the AAF are available on USHPA’s website including eligibility requirements, application process, and fund management.

Clouds dropping out [previously published in Cross Country Magazine]

: When cumulus clouds start producing visible precipitation, it is often a sign that the flying might start to shut down in the immediate surroundings. However, precipitation beginning to fall out of a cumulus cloud does not always have to mean that the flying day is over or that it is immediately time to land. Developing a sense of the level of danger, or lack thereof, concerning cumulus clouds starting to drop out is not trivial. Several factors have to be considered when evaluating cumulus clouds that are starting to precipitate. These include the altitude and dimensions of the cumulus cloud, the time of day, the type of precipitation, and the density of the precipitation. It is also important to consider how the rest of the sky looks. Are we witnessing a single cumulus cloud dropping out, or are many others doing the same thing in the vicinity? If airborne, it is important to try and evaluate how far away the cloud is and how fast it is moving. The position and movement of cloud shadows on the ground can aid with this assessment.

Apart from the inconvenience of getting wet, the danger of flying through rain also depends on our aircraft. Some higher aspect paragliders are known to have a tendency of dropping into constant stall when wet. If you are on this type of glider and get rained on in the air, it might be wise to fly with a bit of bar until you dry out.

In most cases, a rain shaft indicates sinking air. Near cloudbase, the sink rate will usually not be that drastic if we are dealing with a small to medium-sized cumulus. This is because the downward acceleration has just begun. It is possible to be in a thermal going up and still get rained or snowed on because the updraft and the precipitating downdraft can be in close enough proximity that some of the precipitation is swept back up into the thermal. If the sun is off at an angle, and the precipitation is not frozen, it is sometimes possible to see a full-circle primary rainbow and, in rare cases, a full-circle secondary rainbow. These are not the diffuse rainbows of a glory that appear when you cast your shadow on a cloud. These full-circle rainbows are the same rainbows that earth dwellers would see when the sun is low on the horizon. The main difference is that, from the ground, they only see half of the full 360° arc because the rest of the rainbow is effectively underground. The situation quickly turns far more serious as we move from a benign cumulus to a towering cumulus congestus or, worse, a full-blown cumulonimbus. In such a scenario, the rain and its associated downdraft can be quite strong, even at cloudbase, as there has been a greater vertical distance within the cloud over which to accelerate downward. However, if it is starting to overdevelop anywhere near your immediate vicinity, you should not be flying at cloudbase because you might enter powerful lift and unintentionally white out. Additionally, you should be doing your best to get away from the area of overdevelopment and, in most cases, try to land.

If a large cloud starts dropping out and the rain shaft is wide and dense enough that you cannot see to the other side, then you have to be aware that there is a likelihood of a gust front. If you have lingered in the sky this long, you might have already made several misjudgments regarding how fast the conditions are changing. Without dwelling on the past, you now have to hyper-focus on what might be a game of survival.

Shafts of rain so dense that you cannot see to the other side are indicative of a whole lot of fast-sinking air. Once this air slams the ground, it must go sideways, resulting in a gust front. In mountainous areas, this is best imagined as the avalanche of the sky or a burst dam. The cool, dense air will run fast down the slopes and down the valley. In the process of getting on the ground safely, it might be worth considering landing up high and waiting for the storm to pass. Getting down to a valley will take longer, and it is down in the valley where a channeled gust front is most likely found. In some cases, it is possible to fly far enough away crosswind and completely escape the area of overdevelopment. Nonetheless, it is most prudent to avoid flirting with overdevelopment in the first place.

In dry areas where cloudbase is high, a dense rain shaft will often evaporate before it reaches the ground. Such virga can produce a microburst. All the sinking air in the evaporating rain shaft is becoming ever denser with respect to its surroundings. It, too, will slam the surface and locally cause very strong surface winds. Given the high cloudbases in dry areas, it might be best to top off and fly well away from any region of pronounced virga. This helps ensure that your landing area will not be affected by a violent microburst.

Lastly, it should be noted that there are times when small cumulus clouds up high appear to have a disproportionally large amount of virga dropping out. If it is early in the day, these cumulus clouds are usually not the tops of thermals. Rather, they are a result of upper-level instability or upper-level convergence. In these cases, the virga is composed of minuscule ice crystals that appear optically dense, but their fall rate is extremely slow. If there is any level of wind shear at their altitude, the virga will take on a curved or comma-shaped appearance. Such clouds do not present any immediate danger. If they do appear in the morning hours, they serve as an indication of a moist air mass aloft. Given enough heating and humidity in the lower layers of the atmosphere, it is good to be vigilant for afternoon thunderstorms.