Short video of a typical windy ass summer afternoon in the salinas valley. It blows here every afternoon about 20-25 mph, with a slight right crosswind maybe 10-15 degrees.
Now that I have this super cub my departure procedure consists of: 1. Pull plane out of hangar 2. Turn into wind 3. Takeoff
My father-in-law (who is a far better pilot than me) tried for years in the PA-11 to do what I'll call a "Wyoming landing"--where his wheel tracks in the snow went backwards rather than forwards after landing.
He never found the perfect day for it (plenty of wind, but always too gusty). The best they ever measured was 4 feet of forward wheel track in the snow.
His son-in-law generally doesn't fly on days like that.
Back in my skydiving days. The Wyoming jumpers said they would use a length of chain for a windsock!! If it got too windy to jump they would just add another length of chain!! They were hard core.
Checked one of our students out in a rental 7EC yesterday morning. Wind was 190 at 19, gusting to 23. Runway in use: 13. Kid did 16 or 18 near perfect landings, so I signed him off. Slightly breezy day in NW MN.
Oh, yeah....the young man has about 50 hours total time...
A rule to live by in the Arctic, and for damn good reason, was, "Never fly into a place named Cape or Point anything. You will die."
Always true, and except for icing encounters, some of my most terrifying flying experiences have been into Cape or Point something-or-other in high winds and low visibilities, and thinking I was gonna get swatted out of the sky. Not to mention landing/take-off. Thank the gods for gravel and ice. No way on pavement.
12.22.2013 - Initial article format Operating aircraft on skis and negotiating a snow-covered landscape is an entirely unique skillset and environment.…