Wow, what a spell of great flying weather. Hard to believe we’re almost halfway through December and the temps are in the high singles on the plus side of zero. I’ve managed to get airborne 5 times since the end of October in both the Cessna 140 and 195. Ok, I know there a few of you that have been up more than that but that’s pretty good for me. I’ll take what I can get.

A couple of times the winds were forecast to be 15-25 knots late in the morning/early afternoon, so Stu and I canceled our flying plans for the day. However, contrary to the forecast, the high winds never materialized. We’ve realized that even though the forecast may not be favourable it doesn’t hurt to head to the airport and see what the winds are like there. The Windy App has been quite accurate with the wind forecast – I’m really impressed with it.

One day the winds were blowing about 15-20 mph from the west. I decided I would practice some crosswinds takeoffs and landings in the 140 on Runway 16/34. I took off on Runway 17/25 without any problems and figured if I couldn’t keep the airplane under control on final approach and landing on 16/34, I could always switch to 17/25. I seem to be much more relaxed practicing crosswind takeoffs and landings in the 140 than the 195. Maybe it’s because the 195 is worth ten times more than the 140. Hmm!

Anyway, I had a blast and sure improved my crosswind skills. It’s nice to have an alternate runway if the winds are too strong. So, if you have the opportunity, get out and practice your crosswind skills – there is a good chance some day you will not have a choice.

Another day the winds were straight down 16/34, so I took the 195 out to practice wheel landings. Wow, does it ever climb out with half fuel and a 20-mph wind on the nose. A mile south of the airport I was at circuit height. That’s landings I decided to go for a little cruise. At points I had a 30-40 knot headwind however it was smooth as glass. On the way home it was really nice to have that tailwind. It seems that at this time of the year even though the winds may be blowing the air can be really smooth.

Stu and I did a run to Coronation for lunch at the end of November. My passengers were Rory and Phil Coggins. Again, the air was smooth as silk even with winds aloft at 10-20 knots. We felt a slight burble as we descended to circuit height as the winds on the ground looked less than 5 mph. The restaurant is a pleasant 20-minute walk from the airstrip and we enjoyed the food and great service. Coronation is a good destination to keep in mind for a flight and lunch. On the way home I gave Rory the controls and he did a very credible job handling the airplane.

Last week I flew down to Rick Appleton’s strip CAP9 which is just southeast of Langdon by Eagle Lake. He had just taken possession of a Fairchild 24 CF-DRW and is trying to figure out the Jacobs engine operation. I flew down with Bob Zabolotney to see if we could give him some pointers. His strip is quite narrow at 40’ but is 3000’ long, more than adequate for the 195. You just have to really pay attention to directional control. We visited for a while then headed home with a 20-knot tailwind. We just found out that Rick and Glenn Tinkler’s bid to enter the Vintage Air Rally from Argentina to Florida was unsuccessful.

All in all, it was a great couple of months to go flying. With some good weather in the forecast hopefully we’ll get more flying before Christmas and into the New Year. It certainly would be nice to fly every month of the year. This year February was the only month I didn’t fly – rats!

Safe landings to all.