Crosswind Landing: Now I'm Really Impressed.

[SkySteve]

I was out flying yesterday and decided to land at a particular local airport. I had not originally planned to land there so I hadn't checked their local weather. The airport is in a fairly tight valley that opens to a large canyon that is known for its winds.

When I entered the downwind I could feel my plane speed up and it wanted to fly sideways. Turning base was, well let's use the word "exciting" as a large gust hit me. I turned final and thought to myself, "Wow, the wind is really squirely" as I fought towards the threshold. Put the plane into a slip, wing low into the wind and literally fought my way to the ground. I did notice a group of people about mid field watching me land but didn't give it much of a thought because hey, what pilot doesn't watch every plane land.

It was after I taxied all the way down to midfield, exited the active and turned the plane off that I finally realized how much wind there was. When I slithered out of the plane a gust hit and one wheel started to lift off the ground. Pulled the old iPhone from my pocket, fired up the wind meter (there's an App for that). It was blowing a quartering crosswind of 18mph gusting 25mph!

A Supercub driver and a Cesna 182 were sitting there waiting for the wind to calm down. My little Kitfox is light enough that I was concerned it would flip over or the rudder would break off as both seemed to be trying to happen at the same time!

After waiting for about 20 minutes with the wind not changing, and knowing that just over the mountain the wind was only 10mph I decided to make a run for the other side of the mountain. Fired that baby up and got out of there. Wow, our Kitfoxes sure do get off the ground fast when hit with a 20 or 25 mph gust of wind. Flew thru the canyon with a 20 mph headwind, then broke out on the other side to find a beautiful and calm day.

If the wind had been blowing like that at my home airport I would never have left the ground. Gotta say I'm sure impressed with the performance of the little Kitfox on that particular landing. Again, not something I would choose to do, but I am certainly impressed with our birds!

Sorry, no photos. I was just a tad busy flying the plane.

[GWright6970]

A very good, well-written piece... thanks for taking the time to write, and post it!

[leptronjohn]

You wrote that knowing I was lerking and reading about flying. with mine not in colorado with me, i am feeling a bit let down. thanks for that article, I think.. :-)
john

[SkySteve]

Hey, Johnny. Want to come home, yet? You know the place I was writing about. Not too far from where the Griz was kilt dead, pard. Really missing my flying buddy.

[leptronjohn]

I have not hugged my fox for a while. I am finding no place to put the fox in colorado.. seems everyone has a plane but no one flys. thinking i will build a trailer for it. should have done that some time ago.
I will live my flying life through you for now.. :-)
jo

[DesertFox4]

Good story Steve. Felt very familiar from several experiences past. The Kitfox is very capable in crosswinds that thwart larger craft.


P.S. - Shout out to John. Hey John. Long time no talk.

[IVPleasure]

Congratulations on both your flying and your 300th post.
IV-1050, slowly building

[SkySteve]

Wow. 300 posts. That's a lot of holes!

[leptronjohn]

ah, no wonder it has been so quiet in the office, yak, yak, yak 300 whow
lets see ya do that in a tail dragger dude.. :-)
i sure miss your face at my flyin zones..
I see there is someone in Arvada that is building a fox, maybe he will let me touch it, i will feel better.

[SkySteve]

Hey, wait a minute. If I remember right, didn't we first meet here?