Jim,
The nasty thing about hail is that it is ejected from the side, near the top, of a thunderstorm (it's one of the reasons to say at least 20 miles away). You can think you are safely in clear air, beside a storm and, whambo, hail.
That's a scary story but a pretty happy ending, all things considered. Often hail takes out the windshield and can pound the leading edge back against the spar turning the wing into a lifting device on a par with a Popsicle stick.
I don't even want to think about what it could do to the fabric covering of a Clipper...
Best regards,
Rick
