I was flying the Seneca today and there were some weird Phenomina, strong winds in the south of the UK flying down to Plymouth with overcast clouds while deep blue one hundred miles North and hardly a drop of wind.The air too was strange with silky smooth air but some quite violent patches of clear air turbulence.I came across this strange depression carved out in the clouds. The picture is untouched and I cant remember the line running down it.I presume this is some shadow effect or light change due to the camera.Flying over the depression there was a massive sink rate with the aircraft on autopilot.Any ideas?

These two pics show the difference in weather over a hundred mile span the black whole was taken this morning these two pics on the return this afternoon

I would imagine that if you flew over the same spot tomorrow that you would find a crop circle there! :-lolGreat pics,Mike T.

PeterI

Well I am just a stupid simmer and really can't tell you what this is, but the hell, it looks damn great :-hah!!! :-eek :-hah :-hah

Well, that certainly is strange! I've never read about anything like that before. With you being a far more qualified pilot than I probably will ever be then I would defer to your greater knowledge of met.I really want to know the answer though!This looks like the same kind of thing from the ground:http://www.floridatoday.com/news/columnist...1200larimer.htm

Does ActiveSky wxRE support this? :)

http://brianc.vip.warped.com/kpwk_sig.gif

Hi Peter,Out of suspicion, I hacked your computer and retrieved the UNTOUCHED ORIGINAL print from your digital camera:http://ftp.avsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3e00cd857e59e855.jpgI don't know why you chose to hide it, but now all of us can prepare for the invasion!:-)Elrond

ElrondNow my secrets out :-halo Dont let this out to the press about the imminent invasion or the later photo which you hacked showing me landing into an aperture in that craft...New years eve....or so they told me (the little green men although I thought they were clones of Tom)Infact the craft had Avsim painted on the top side :-)Peter

Yes, that could be the effect as seen from above. As I said I dont remember seeing the ridge line in the indentation and it wasnt as dark! but it was there.Maybe it had strange effects on my camera as the ADF needle started spinning, the gyros went haywire and we lost all radio contact for at least five minutes.Before you think this is a hoax shot it isnt, not quite what I saw with my eyes but close.Peter

>...>>Flying over the depression there was a massive sink rate >with the aircraft on autopilot. >>Any ideas? The "massive sink rate" is consistent with the lack of cloud because descending air warms and dries. A relatively small area of descent, such as implied by the pictures, is a little unusual, but most likely explained by the high altitude wind pattern. If the air at high levels happened to be converging at that spot, there is nowhere for it to go but DOWN.Art.

ArtI tend to agree I feel this was caused by some strange vertical air movement.Before flying over the indentation there was areas of quite heavy clear air turbulence followed by super smooth air.What has puzzled me is why the camera took the indentation in that form.This shot has genuinely not been touched but i cant remember seeing that ridge in the indentation which is clear in the picture.I will have to put it down to "strange but true".And no folks this isnt clever artistry on my part Peter

Hi Peter,The ridge in the depression actually looks like a reflection on the windscreen of the inst. panel glare shield.Cool looking though.Cheers,JohnBoeing 727/737 mechanic

Kool! nice pics ;-)

and thank you for asking....my idea is that we build a spherical vehicle completely covered with rocket engines, the nozzles on the rocket engines are made from a high durometer elastomer, forming a huge rubber ball with the ability to produce propulsion from any point on the sphere. The "cabin" in the sphere will be suspended in a super gimbal type arrangement surrounded by gyroscopes that keep the user in a stable orientation regardless of the movement of the sphere. The entire contraption will be guided by a computer with a gps guidance system. All you'd have to do is enter the address of your destination, and the computer maintains a constant update as to which rocket engine is exactly opposite to the destination. That way as the vehicle bounces, tumbles, rolls, or whatever, a constantly changing rocket engine is fired, which maintains thrust constantly toward the desintation.This vehicle could replace the automobile AND the airplane, with potential to also replace motels.. Once universally adopted, companys will begin to consist of towers with "ports" or "sphere docks", putting a new "spin" (if you excuse the sphere-pun) on the concept of telecommuting.Best,Bob BernsteinEdmonds, Wa