AvGas

I knew it was going to be a challenging flight when I got up this morning…as the wind was really blowing (usually the wind is fairly calm in the SF Bay Area in the mornings). I got to SQL at 0730 and was surprised at how strong the wind was. I checked the ATIS…and winds were 260° at 15 kts, runway 30 in use. Lorne thought that the wind would make for some good crosswind practice, and I agreed that I was up for the challenge (it never hurts to practice crosswind T/O and landing). Once we were in the air I quickly realized that it was going to be an extremely difficult pattern day…the wind was tossing us around an maintaining controlled flight was very hard. Here is the summary:

• Circuit 5: Slightly assisted…and ugly

It was absolutely brutal. I have never been tossed around like that or had to work so hard. However, given that we were exceeding the crosswind component of a Cessna 172SP, I thought we did pretty well.

I felt vindicated as I watched (cigarette in hand and back on the ground) the last remaining plane in the pattern bounce and go around for about 20 minutes.

Twice in one week…wow…two more times next week and I have myself a 2006 flying frequency record! My friend Chris came along today…with three 200lb+ guys and 34 gallons of gas we were pretty much at max gross weight…which made for two things I had never done before (passenger & max gross). With the temperature at 90°+ today, 54JA’s climb performance was less than amazing…but overall the plane felt more stable at max gross. Needless to say, we headed over to Hayward (KHWD) for some touch-and-gos…and then Lorne suggested that we do a Bay Tour.Our Bay Tour took us parallel the 880 freeway over Oakland, and then along the Bay Bridge, out to Alcatraz, over the Golden Gate bridge, down to Half Moon Bay, and back to San Carlos (KSQL). At 1500 feet most of the way, we got a good view of the various sights.

I had a really good time out today.

The last time I flew (before today) was on March 11, 2006. Today is May 11, 2006…which means it had been two months since I last flew. This was due to a combination of things, including (but not limited to), work (and work travel), vacation, illness, weather, and scheduling. When a person only flies every two months, it is similar to moving about 3 or 4 flights back in their flight training. This is what has been happening to me nearly all year. I was flying a ton up until December 2005…and then circumstances prevented me from flying as frequently. I have yet to get back to the place where I was at in December 2005 (cross country flights) in 2006 because the infrequency of my flying means that:

• My skills are rusty…which means I have to practice basic manuevers nearly every time I fly
• I have lost my solo flight endorsement…which means I need to prove to my instructor that I am worthy again
• It has been so long since I have covered my ground materials that I am having to learn half of the stuff again in prep for my FAA written test.

Needless to say, it was fun to get in the air and go over to Half Moon Bay today. Even though I was rusty, most of the things were coming back to me by the end of the lesson. I (crossing fingers) should be back out this weekend…and with the weather turning nice, should be able to get back on a twice weekly schedule.

Lesson of the (YEAR) day: Fly often…or you’ll be wasting a lot of money re-learning the basics.