Lesson Fifteen, Cross Wind Landings

Saturday morning was absolutely perfect, clear skies, light winds from the south, cool temperatures.  I arrived at Riverside airport just before Noon with butterflies in my stomach, today was going to be the day I would solo!  Melodie and her Mother met me at the Roadhouse Aviation flight school building, and I showed off the Cessna 152 that I am training in as I did the pre-flight inspection.  Bob was already out by the plane, getting a couple of gallons of fuel added to the tanks.

As we got the latest ATIS information, we learned that the wind had shifted to the south east, and picked up to about 8 knots.  I got the plane started up, and got clearance to Taxi to runway 19L.  After the run-up checks were completed we got onto the runway and took off.  The wind was starting to pick up even more, the wind sock was showing at least 10 knots, and still swinging around from south to east. 

I took off, and got clearance from the tower for a landing on 19R, with the option.  As we climbed through the pattern, the wind conditions continued to deteriorate, to the point that I overshot my turn from base to final quite badly due to the tailwind on the base leg.  Compensating for the wind, I landed the plane, but didn't apply enough right rudder at the touchdown, so it was a bit rough. 

We did another several patterns, getting blown around by the wind the whole time, until Bob asked me "Well, it's up to you, we can call it quits, we can just keep going for crosswind practice, or I can get out and you can solo."  I thought for a minute about what I wanted to do, the wind was still getting rougher, and my last few landings hadn't been very good, calling it quits was coming rapidly to the top of the list. 

Then I thought, if I give up for the day now, then I will have ended in a bad mood, with a bad landing, and without having figured out how exactly to handle this kind of wind.

I told Bob that although I didn't feel comfortable solo-ing in these conditions, if it was OK with him, we could continue to do pattern work until I got some acceptable landings done. He agreed with my decision, and up we went again.

By this time, the wind had swung so far around to the east, that it was giving us a slight tailwind on Final, Bob suggested that I try the approach using 20 degrees of flaps, instead of 30, and an airspeed of 65 instead of 60, that way we would have a little less resistance and shouldn't get blown around quite so much.

I got us lined up on Final, with the wind still trying to push us away to the west, lowered the second notch of flaps, and tried to keep us lined up on the runway.  Bob had explained that as we approached the runway, I should use the rudder to get the nose of the plane pointed straight down the runway, and use opposite ailerons to prevent the plane from being blown sideways.  This time, I managed to get the plane down nice and gently.  We decided to do another landing before calling it a day, and that one went just as well.

So although I didn't solo again, I still ended the lesson on a high-ish note.  Bob told me after we got the plane tied down, that delaying the solo again was the right call for me to make, as conditions really weren't very hospitable.

I have booked a flight tomorrow morning, Sunday the 29th, from 7am to 9am, when the winds should be gentler, so maybe I will finally get to solo tomorrow.
Wish me Luck!
-Gareth