I've never shared this story but its time to come clean.
There I was. All alone. It was my first time solo in the Cirrus. Why I chose to fly from Florida to Colorado on my first solo, I really don't know in hindsight. Why as a VFR pilot, I opted to fly into IMC, I just cannot say. Why didn't I turn around? I dunno maybe cause you have to make a standard rate turn and I didn't know what that was so I just maintained standard rate level flight.
I felt bad because I had left my CSIP and father on the ground back at the field in Ocala but not bad enough to go back for them.
Blinded by surrounding clouds, I started to hear it. "tick" "tick" "tick" the ticks seemed to get faster. I know what you are thinking.
"This is when you started flying into the ice right?"
No, it was just a clock. They make this ticking sound. Really this is something I feel you of all people should know.
Better to keep your mouth shut and people think you are a fool than to open it and they realize you don't know about clocks.
It was getting darker, hours had passed and I felt dizzy. There were 2 Gatorade bottles on the floor.
Only one was full of Gatorade and the other urine. Not my urine. I don't pee in Gatorade bottles.
My color vision was fading but I was thirsty.
It was a 50/50 shot and I went for it.
OH GOD!!!! I made the wrong choice. My mouth was full of the most foul tasting swill ever.
Lemon Gatorade. Ugh I hate that stuff. It was terrible.
At least the bottle of urine was still untouched and available in the event of a jelly fish sting.
It was at that moment that I realized I had a problem. I could suddenly hear my mom's voice in my had "You need a weeping wing"
She always used to shout that me when I was 6 and I have no idea why. I mean she was way into aviation and a clairvoyant but it was 1981 for God's sake and I was a child. Most kids moms were yelling "Don't forget your coat" My crazy-ass mom was always shouting future plane technology phrases at me.
It was in this moment that I finally understood why. It was a warning. As I thought about this moment of my life as a child, I slowly glanced outside the window and saw the most horrific sight.
The wings had ice all over them. Quick what do you do. Climb for Ice and starve a fever. Wait! No ice on swelling but feed a cold. I CAN"T DO THIS!!!! I shouted but again I was all alone. Just me, half a jug of Gatorade, and a full jug of my grandmother's urine. Its all we have left to remember her by after the "Triangle shirtwaiste Catheter disaster of 1911"
Anyway, there was ice everywhere. They said never fly into ice and so I turned the autopilot on.
I closed my eyes, held my grandma, and went to sleep.
That was the last thing I remember.
Nobody has heard from me since. My CSIP and Dad are probably still standing there at the FBO waiting for me to finish my first solo circuit.
Now I'm just going to tag some people because this is a great and true story that is buried in a thread.
People like
@eman1200 ,
@Checkout_my_Six ,
@Sac Arrow ,
@AggieMike88 , Ragin
@Cajun_Flyer ,
@Ravioli ,
@Timbeck2 ,
@Fearless Tower @themonkey,
@G-Man ,
@Matthew @MyGrandma,
@Captain @Cpt_Kirk @Captain Kangaroo,
@Captain Crunch,
@Captain Morgan, @Morgan Freeman.
Yeah those guys.
True story.
