Narrative:

I arrived at ZZZ on jun/fri/03 in a world war ii vintage aeronca L-3B spotter aircraft to participate in a special event. Aircraft has no electrical system -- no transponder and hand held radio only. Jun/sat/03, was a total washout with no flying. Sunday's pilot's brief promised VFR for air show and departure. During the day I made several calls to FSS as well as checking WX with other pilots at ZZZ flight school. As the day progressed the forecast for my northeast route home continued to indicate good VFR, but the pilots who were flying south became increasingly concerned about WX moving in from the south. Because of these concerns, the air show air boss arranged for us to depart as a flight of 4 'left-birds' before the show ended. WX brief just before takeoff still showed VFR. I taxied out and took off as the 4TH aircraft in a flight of 4 on runway X. My radio was a hand held with the push button numbers I had borrowed for the event. As we took off in trail the controller instructed a left turn out and a frequency switch to departure control. As I began my left crosswind turn I attempted to tap in the departure frequency on the push buttons, but botched it. Almost at the same time I saw the 3 aircraft I was following vanish into white. As they were departing south (right) I stopped climbing while trying to keep sporadic contact with the ground below and repeated tries to clear the radio. The radio had become a major distraction. What I was punching on the keypad wasn't what was displaying on the screen. I told myself to forget the radio for now and just fly the airplane. I continued to circle to the left trying to keep sight of the ground and regain sight of the airport. I don't believe I was ever more than 1/2 mi outside the airport fence. Finally the airport came into sight on my 10 O'clock position. I was almost perfectly set up for a short final onto runway Y. I could see fighters flying along runway X in the clear, midfield. I wasn't a factor so I took what I felt was likely my last and only chance. I landed on the north end of runway Y and exited at the 1ST turn off -- said a quick thank you prayer, straightened out my radio and reported to air boss on his frequency. He responded and directed me to stay clear of runway X. The fighters then aborted because they couldn't see each other as WX closed in. The fighters and 1 l-bird recovered at ZZZ in addition to me. Later I was told temperature and dew point were within 2 degrees! Flew out of ZZZ next afternoon in clear sky.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER LAUNCHING WITH A GROUP OF 3 OTHER L-3B AERONCAS AFTER AN AIR SHOW, THE PLT RPTR LOST HIS ABILITY TO CHANGE FREQS FOR DEP CTLR WITH HIS HAND HELD RADIO. LOSING VISIBILITY, HE CIRCLES BACK FOR A NON COM APCH AND LNDG WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: I ARRIVED AT ZZZ ON JUN/FRI/03 IN A WORLD WAR II VINTAGE AERONCA L-3B SPOTTER ACFT TO PARTICIPATE IN A SPECIAL EVENT. ACFT HAS NO ELECTRICAL SYS -- NO XPONDER AND HAND HELD RADIO ONLY. JUN/SAT/03, WAS A TOTAL WASHOUT WITH NO FLYING. SUNDAY'S PLT'S BRIEF PROMISED VFR FOR AIR SHOW AND DEP. DURING THE DAY I MADE SEVERAL CALLS TO FSS AS WELL AS CHKING WX WITH OTHER PLTS AT ZZZ FLT SCHOOL. AS THE DAY PROGRESSED THE FORECAST FOR MY NE RTE HOME CONTINUED TO INDICATE GOOD VFR, BUT THE PLTS WHO WERE FLYING S BECAME INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT WX MOVING IN FROM THE S. BECAUSE OF THESE CONCERNS, THE AIR SHOW AIR BOSS ARRANGED FOR US TO DEPART AS A FLT OF 4 'L-BIRDS' BEFORE THE SHOW ENDED. WX BRIEF JUST BEFORE TKOF STILL SHOWED VFR. I TAXIED OUT AND TOOK OFF AS THE 4TH ACFT IN A FLT OF 4 ON RWY X. MY RADIO WAS A HAND HELD WITH THE PUSH BUTTON NUMBERS I HAD BORROWED FOR THE EVENT. AS WE TOOK OFF IN TRAIL THE CTLR INSTRUCTED A L TURN OUT AND A FREQ SWITCH TO DEP CTL. AS I BEGAN MY L XWIND TURN I ATTEMPTED TO TAP IN THE DEP FREQ ON THE PUSH BUTTONS, BUT BOTCHED IT. ALMOST AT THE SAME TIME I SAW THE 3 ACFT I WAS FOLLOWING VANISH INTO WHITE. AS THEY WERE DEPARTING S (R) I STOPPED CLBING WHILE TRYING TO KEEP SPORADIC CONTACT WITH THE GND BELOW AND REPEATED TRIES TO CLR THE RADIO. THE RADIO HAD BECOME A MAJOR DISTR. WHAT I WAS PUNCHING ON THE KEYPAD WASN'T WHAT WAS DISPLAYING ON THE SCREEN. I TOLD MYSELF TO FORGET THE RADIO FOR NOW AND JUST FLY THE AIRPLANE. I CONTINUED TO CIRCLE TO THE L TRYING TO KEEP SIGHT OF THE GND AND REGAIN SIGHT OF THE ARPT. I DON'T BELIEVE I WAS EVER MORE THAN 1/2 MI OUTSIDE THE ARPT FENCE. FINALLY THE ARPT CAME INTO SIGHT ON MY 10 O'CLOCK POS. I WAS ALMOST PERFECTLY SET UP FOR A SHORT FINAL ONTO RWY Y. I COULD SEE FIGHTERS FLYING ALONG RWY X IN THE CLEAR, MIDFIELD. I WASN'T A FACTOR SO I TOOK WHAT I FELT WAS LIKELY MY LAST AND ONLY CHANCE. I LANDED ON THE N END OF RWY Y AND EXITED AT THE 1ST TURN OFF -- SAID A QUICK THANK YOU PRAYER, STRAIGHTENED OUT MY RADIO AND RPTED TO AIR BOSS ON HIS FREQ. HE RESPONDED AND DIRECTED ME TO STAY CLR OF RWY X. THE FIGHTERS THEN ABORTED BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T SEE EACH OTHER AS WX CLOSED IN. THE FIGHTERS AND 1 L-BIRD RECOVERED AT ZZZ IN ADDITION TO ME. LATER I WAS TOLD TEMP AND DEW POINT WERE WITHIN 2 DEGS! FLEW OUT OF ZZZ NEXT AFTERNOON IN CLR SKY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.