Since the weather has been pretty decent in Virginia, you would expect me to have dedicated significant time to the Cardinal and working on my flying. You would be wrong. This month I have added a measly 2 hours to my logbook. One bumpy and windy flight from Lynchburg to Richmond.
I had a meeting and the weather seemed to suggest a good excuse to mix business with pleasure. The take-off and climb out from LYH was great and with a tailwind going west, the flight to Richmond was quick. Upon arrival things got interesting. First, I botched my descent from cruise altitude to pattern altitude. This necessitated a spiral just north of the airport. Thankfully it wasn't busy in the pattern so I was able to join at 1200 ft as required. I immediately noted a stiff direct crosswind (approx 15-18 kts)and I started to sweat. My pattern was brutal and the approach on short final was just as bad. The winds were gusty and I was having real trouble tracking the center-line. I decided to carry some extra speed (despite knowing that the Cardinal hates this) and found myself over the numbers at about 95 mph. I was trying for about 80 mph so I was far too fast, in gusty crosswind conditions and trying to force the Cardinal to land. Well...let's just say that I decided it was time to abort and go around. Full throttle brought a quick response and the Cardinal began to climb out of ground effect. The stiff wind made the second attempt challenging, but a safe (and ugly) landing was the result.
With the Cardinal in one piece, but my confidence shaken, I rolled up to the terminal ashamed of such shoddy pilotage. This is one of the great things about flying. It keeps one really humble. I attended my meeting and then departed for Lynchburg. The climb to cruise was busy with lots of traffic. Having flight following by ATC, I was thankful that they were watching out for me. A Mooney flew directly in front of me about 1000 feet above and even though we were both looking for each other, it wasn't until the last few seconds that we saw each other.
It was bumpy at 8500 ft but with all the traffic I decided just to stay put and ride it out. The airplane was flawless and despite the bumps, it was an enjoyable but longer flight home. A stiff headwind kept my groundspeed down around 85 kts. Upon arrival in Lynchburg the wind was gusty but almost straight down the runway. With 150 feet of width to work with, even I couldn't botch that landing.
As I shut down, fueled and covered the Cardinal, I was kicking myself for all the mistakes and my poor piloting skills. The crosswind landing in Richmond was outside of my comfort zone and would have challenged a really experienced and skilled pilot. I promised myself that I would not push the envelope that way again unless I am able to get in some dedicated crosswind landing practice in the meantime. That's exactly what I need...more time in the air to practice.
For the rest of this month I have been swamped with work and running low on funds. The boys school year is almost over so once that bill is finished I will hopefully be able to afford to get back in the air and ideally, start my Instrument Training.
Lord-willing I hope to complete my Instrument Training this summer and also make several trips to Southern Ontario to visit my parents. With work, seminary classes, and a busy family, it looks like it will be an interesting summer. Thankfully, my health is good and my wife is supportive. Great blessings abound.
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