LOW ALTITUDE Flying after diving

[Trace Wilson]

It's not the Florida East Coast, but the Gulf Coast. Out of Panama City is some good diving (I recommend Panama City Dive Charters, and the Steel Slinger), and can be done relatively cheaply.

@T.C. Unfortunately, that's as far away for me as Jupiter/West Palm Beach. It's great to have another option, but still doesn't put me closer to good diving. My main goal is to try and keep my interest up in the sport, while Life does it's best to get in my way.

 

[Trace Wilson]

Of all the perils you listed above...weather(which you didn't list?)would still be my concern in the summer tropics...in my 40 years of flying only lightening and icing gets my attention....all else I can deal with

Honestly, for me, in the planned scenario, weather is my least concern. While we do have thunderstorms pop up in the afternoons, and they can come up quickly, they take an hour or two to form. I haven't (yet) seen one form from a clear sky in a matter of minutes. And if I see one along the east coast, then I would plan to veer over to the west coast. Granted, there are Miami & Orlando Class B's, but at 2000 ft it's pretty easy to stay clear of those. In the worst case of a line of storms across the entire state, I'd look for an air port to wait them out. Generally they don't last too long, and that just gives me a bit longer SI before continuing the flight.

From the context of @Altamira's posts, I too get the impression that he spends a good bit of his flight time in significantly more complex aircraft, at low levels, in hostile territory, going like his hair is on fire. In that environment, I can absolutely think that any of the items on his list, and probably many more, would make me climb like a bat out of Hades.

But, to your point, having only one engine, no hydraulics, and not requiring electronics to stay in the air, and being VMC, the only situation I've come up with so far where I would immediately start a climb would be if the engine began to stumble over hostile territory (Okefenokee, Ever Glades). At that point, I would want to attempt a shallow climb only because of the altitude=time. In my plane, 1000 ft = 2 nm of glide distance (roughly, in calm conditions). Being in FL, it's hard to throw a rock and not hit an airport, although it may be a private strip (any port in a storm), so even an extra 2-4 nm could be the difference between an on-field vs. off-field landing.

@Altamira Oh, don't I WISH I had the option for excessive airspeed. Thanks for your insights. I always find other pilot's points of view helpful. And, thanks for your Service!

 

[gr8jab]

Hey Trace,

1. I'm jealous. I wish I had this dilemma. I used to live in St. Pete, Lakeland, and Daytona. Now in Oregon, nowhere near warm water diving.

2. New idea: What about going to X51 (Homestead) and grab a car at Budget? You could be in Key Largo soon enough, and out on the reef for an afternoon dive.

 

[Trace Wilson]

Hey Trace,

1. I'm jealous. I wish I had this dilemma. I used to live in St. Pete, Lakeland, and Daytona. Now in Oregon, nowhere near warm water diving.

2. New idea: What about going to X51 (Homestead) and grab a car at Budget? You could be in Key Largo soon enough, and out on the reef for an afternoon dive.

1. Yeah, there are a lot of perks to being here, that's for sure.
2. The trip in question that started all this is being put together by my LDS which is to Jupiter and the dive schedule is set by them for the group. Flying would save a little time, but not really much after the SI and tucking the plane away when I get home.

For a longer weekend to the Keys, I expect the actual itinerary would be fly down Fri after work, dive Sat morning & afternoon, MAYBE Sun morning, then fly back that afternoon/evening. That would be ideal, but I haven't calculated what those extra two dives would do me, so it may turn into diving Sat morning/afternoon, then just fly back Sun early afternoon. That would give me about a 20-22 hr SI, which seems like it should be negligible additional risk.

 

[KevinNM]

What would a proper study cost? Maybe it is something that could be crowdfunded?

These studies are outrageously expensive when done right.

 

[KevinNM]

Now that I think about it, wasn't the original impetus for Bruce Wienke's work to come up with dive tables to allow very rapid jet airplane flights after a dive? I think it was all in support of the NEST mission.

 

[T.C.]

These studies are outrageously expensive when done right.

I'll volunteer my time as the control diver. I'll dive with my buddy, then you can take him up in the plane to see if he gets bent while I do my SI.

My expenses aren't that much, and we should conduct this study somewhere like...Bonaire.

 

[KevinNM]

Yeah, but no. The problem is that this kind of study requires lots of divers and dives, with careful control of the dives and the elevation and times, and has the potential to injure your divers.

 

[T.C.]

Yeah, but no. The problem is that this kind of study requires lots of divers and dives, with careful control of the dives and the elevation and times, and has the potential to injure your divers.

Lots of dives; check.
Carful control; meh.
Potential for injury; Whoa, whoa, whoa.

I'm not volunteering as the experiment diver, just the control diver. You need someone on the same dive profile to confirm that DCS wouldn't normally occur.

I have minimal expenses. If we do this in Bonaire, I'll live in a cardboard box as long as you bring in good food. And let me dive.