Thread: Passenger: "never seen a landing like that before"

Recently my passengers have been making this coment: "i have never seen a landing like that before "

Yesterday it was "i have never seen a takeoff like that before "

i try not to take it personally but i do have this ego problem when it comes to landing a ctsw. i typically fly about 3 times a week and that currency really keeps the feel up. in this 'little ice age' of a spring we have been having has resulted in less flying and and my feel aint up to its usual standard.

that being said i see my technique becoming more abrubt, the wind gods have been angered and smooth wind is seldom granted these days. yesterdays takeoff began with a steep bank at rotation and the bank went from steep to 15 degrees back to steep 3 times before reaching the departure end of the runway.

more abrupt input has truly been called for lately. the landing i just did had all the warning signs, the asos claimed winds were variable in direction and gusting from 5 to 20. every turkey vulture in the county was working thermals on approach, whattaya goin do? how do you look good? some of the other aircraft that have the good sense to way a ton or more can make stable approaches.

back in the 80's and early 90's when my rotax was a 2 stroke it was common practice for the fbo to make a lot of wise cracks about mistaking me for a flyin weed wacker. i have a long standing reputation to uphold and its hard to do in a ctsw and serious mountain winds committed to my demise.

i'm learning that wind sheer is serious business in a slippery light sport and sometimes you have to move the controls and even the throttle abruptly to the stop. whatever it takes to keep the airplane where it needs to be and to maintain safe airspeed and angle of attack.

and why is it that every time i struggle with conditions on landing that as soon as i shut down and my passenger exits it is inexplicably dead calm? what do you say then?

Move to the flat lands.

500 hours in light sport now and it occurs to me that I have only seen myself land. Yes, there have been instructors in the other seat, but I always did the deed. Am I good or am I bad? I really don't know! It would be interesting to ride with another CTer and watch them do it! Maybe I should fly up to mamoth and sign up for a CT lesson with CT? WF

your more than welcome to come buy, we will even put you up.

i don't have the certificate to take your money but i would be more then happy to sit in the right seat and criticize

Ed, I hope you are coming to McCall next month, I would really like to have you go around the pattern seveal times with me in my CT2K.

Spud.

spud,

i / we really want to come. the economy is causing me pain and changing my lifestyle. i might have to work if things to improve here.

Ed, how about I put up a tent and you bring your sleeping bags? Just kiddin, (maybe) but there are a lot of flyers doing that at the Johnson Cr. airport about 25 miles east of here. Bob Deurloo did that just a while ago and joined a bunch already there and had a great time. Been raining too much lately to enjoy that. We need the weather to return to normal, as you mentioned, little ice age going on. I haven't flown now for several weeks. Annual this next week too.

Working on firming up a better rate at the Super Eight motel.

Spud