Mountain Air and Rime Ice

That is a spectacular picture, thanks.

 

Yeah, that's awesome.

 

Great picture!

Was "chilly" last week.

It is way beyond that today... Don't know if the high in the area hit 30 degrees today.

 

Do you guys have a house up there? That photo looks like a painting.

 

Ya' know, I never saw stuff like that in Florida and I never saw it in Washington State either. I knew an old airmail pilot who flew Boeing 40's up and down the west coast and he told me of how ice would build up on the wires and struts in the winter. They used to kick the airplane sideways and pitch up and down to get things vibrating and to break the ice. I was told of similar incidents and procedures by an old Curtiss Condor pilot. He also flew Pitcairn Pa-5's and 7's for Eastern Air Express and he told me of getting caught in a thunderhead at night. He didn't know exactly what was going on until he realized that he was inverted and going up at an astronomical rate. He could taste the ozone from all the lightning around him. He figured that he was going to bail out until he realized that he would be going up at the same rate as the airplane , so he buckled up again and rode it out. He said that he was finally "spit out" of the thunderhead at an unknown altitude and was covered with ice. He somehow made it back down to a safe altitude and continued his route. He was blinded in the crash of a tri-motored Stinson and I used to describe my paintings in the Flying Circus book to him by tape recorder. I have started another book to relate all of the stories like this that I have encountered from those who I have met along the way.They were of a breed no longer with us and will never be with us again.

 

Beautiful picture!

 

Looks like the golden days are over for those Aspens. Very pretty photo.

 

very cool picture...

 

Don't think they're aspens since they are in NC, but man, what a beautiful picture!