I had talked the wife into flying with me, but then told her she couldn't come - winds predicted at 12 gusting to 14 would make for a miserable first flight in a Champ!
Not that it stopped me, though. I took the camera with me and just shot randomly out of the open left window and the closed right one, as I had to fly the plane!
I hate waiting! But Jim was teaching a student and making money two ways at once (as an instructor and renting me the Champ). It was an almost perfect crosswind, but slight - the advertised winds hadn't come to pass.
I put the tail to the runway and did pre-flight checks, turned, and rumbled out after they took off.
He went north to the practice area up yonder, so I went to the east.
Pretty chilly to be on the water, IMHO.
But then again, it sure was pretty!
I stayed clear of the Talledega race track:
And just flew around, enjoying the sites. Pretty good job on the ground tile set, though the fields should have bigger hedgerows:
I felt pretty good just tooling around, though when I slipped once the air came through the window it was kind of chilly. Well, I guess it was!
The wind wasn't as bad as predicted on take off, but I could tell things were gusting up based on being bumped around; my decision to leave the redhead at home was the right one. I used an Alabama windsock to get an update on the wind:
Hmmm, that would be what to the runway?
Well, straight across, of course! Switched over to the weather radio and heard wind at 11 from 110. Runway is 3/21. Dealer's choice! I picked 3 just because.
Out and around and into the pattern, taking a closer look at that fire on the way:
Landing was fun! I took the Champ left, then right, then left and then swooshie dippy swoosh to the right, gave her a little throttle and wound up with a really pretty wheel landing right down the center! Suprised me in that the main just kissed the runway.
Oh, now that rocked! Up and around for another!
Lots of burbly crap on final and then the wind just gave up at the numbers; I three pointed without any fuss. Humph. Up and around!
I heard Jim and his student coming in and knew I had plenty of time; it also confirmed my hour was about done.
Three pointed it with zero drama and got off the runway at the first turn off past the numbers, just in time to see Jim's student do a two-fer. Just weird, though, how my last landing was without having to do anything pilot-y.
We settled up the bill, chatted, and I had to stop and take a picture of the windsock. No wonder that last landing was cake!
Oh, and she stalls around 35 or so, at least with my skinny butt in the plane.
