I don't know about you, but I prefer to get up early and enjoy flying in the still air of the morning. In desert areas, by afternoon, it is so bumpy that it is hard for me to enjoy the flight.

Now, I'm flying a low wing load plane (8#/ft2), so maybe you folks with heavier birds aren't bugged as much. Mine isn't that different from a J3, though.

Of course, the glider captains are all asleep 'till noon, since they don't play until the thermals are going.

What's your practice?
tom

Savannah-Tom wrote:...I prefer to get up early and enjoy flying in the still air of the morning. In desert areas, by afternoon, it is so bumpy that it is hard for me to enjoy the flight.
...Of course, the glider captains are all asleep 'till noon, since they don't play until the thermals are going.
What's your practice?
tom

Even the lighting is better in the early morning. The low angle, amber light of dawn accenting the topography of the red sandstone cliff faces, and smooth air! Also, there seems to be a primal affinity for the first light, when darkness turns toward day. Especially for passenger comfort, it's important to get off early...'course anytime there's more than one person to coordinate the take-off time with, it gets more complicated in actually making that happen.
With my old 145 hp bird, the thermals, and orographic lift is essential to get any kind of climb in the heat of the afternoon, but then the barf bowls are soon in use by the passengers. (Not a pretty sight).
Enjoy, Berk

Nothing can make a pilot feel more like a superhero than super smooth air. It's especially important around here when flying over the mountains. Everything just works better, you climb faster, maintain target airspeeds easier, control response seems so much more precise.

I took a friend out last august for a scenic flight over Squaw Valley and Donner Lake, Lake Tahoe, Mt Rose, etc. We left really early and never encounter a bump. Entering the pattern for landing, it has never been so easy to slow it down and nail 80 kts for downwind, then down to 60 kts for final (this 172 has sealed flap gaps, she'll balloon if you approach any faster.)

But, it makes a wussy pilot of out ya, as enjoyable as it may be.

Just after sunrise or just before sunset for VFR tooling around. If I'm traveling long distances then I'm always IFR and I perfer to do that at night.

There is little better than starting a trip before dawn and watching it color the snow in the mountains around you. For that matter, there are few better ways to corect a crappy start to a day than leaving work and getting up in the plane for a litlle head straightening first thing in the morning. Sunsets are pretty cool too but I really like the sunrise.