Windy!

Flew up to Deer Valley for lunch with a supplier. Good flight in and nothing to report. Had a nice lunch and a good flight back. A little bumpy but that's the desert for you. When I checked the ATIS for Falcon Field on my way back, they mentioned that the winds were ar 17kts gusting to 26.

Where did this come from? I had variable at 5kts on the way out an hour ago! This would be interesting. I had to come in and manage the crosswind. I made my landing and quite frankly I think the winds were overstated... I was tying the plane down and a couple of gusts actually moved the plane an inch or two.

When I walked into the FBO, my instructor was there. He took one look at my headset bag and asked if I just flew in this. I said that I did but it was relatively calm when I took off. He shook his head and said that he was glad I was safe but he didn't want to know any more about it.

When we finished talking, I went back outside in time to see a Cessna 150 scrape his wing on the runway while landing. I guess I'm glad to be heading to my car no worse off than being reprimanded by my instructor!

Flight time: 1.0

Total time: 71.8

Personal Limits

Went up to do some practice work today. If you read enough of the rags and talk to enough pilots, you will hear a lot of talk about personal limits. Today I met one of mine. Wind and turbulance. As soon as I left the ground I was getting kicked around. It didn't get any better out in the practice area so I did what was prudent. I came back to the airport. Simple enough. Unnecessary risks are not a part of my flying M.O.

On another note, I did pass my FAA written test today. It wasn't that hard - 68 multiple choice questions. Basic stuff.

Flight time: 0.5

Total time: 65.5

Mother Nature Won

Today I decided to try some touch and gos. After taking off, the ATIS information changed and I came to learn that the winds were 17kts gusting to 22kts. Not good. Land and go home.

Flight time: 0.8

Total time: 56.9