Hobobiker
Line Up and Wait
So, my planned mission today was to get in the club plane (that I've only soloed once in the pattern last night for 6 touch-and-go's) and do a short 52NM XC to get the feel of the Garmin 650, her cruise characteristics, have dinner, etc. I wanted to depart around 4:00/4:30pm EST, and I shot my friend/CFI a txt saying that I hated how the winds looked. Runways are 11 and 29 at KIDI:
SA 17/10/2014 20:55-> METAR KIDI 172055Z AUTO 24010G20KT 10SM CLR 19/09 A2967
SA 17/10/2014 20:35-> METAR KIDI 172035Z AUTO 25011G17KT 10SM CLR 19/08 A2966
SA 17/10/2014 20:15-> METAR KIDI 172015Z AUTO 24011G20KT 10SM CLR 19/08 A2967
SA 17/10/2014 19:55-> METAR KIDI 171955Z AUTO 24010G16KT 210V270 10SM CLR 19/08 A2967
SA 17/10/2014 19:35-> METAR KIDI 171935Z AUTO 24011G20KT 10SM CLR 19/09 A2968
His response: "Right down the runway...Go for it, you can do this no problem."
Okay, 40 or 50 degrees off is NOT right down the runway - we all know that. But I read between the lines as he knows I'm a "fair weather flyer" and my personal minimums/limits are still fairly conservative. We've done some strong crosswinds together and he had confidence in me, but I needed to have confidence in me - which was what he was getting at. Well, I took off just before 4:30pm without a hitch. Bumpiest ride I've ever experienced to KOYM and my head still feels it, but I used flight following as always, arrived safe, had dinner, and then had a much smoother flight back to KIDI.
My point in this long-winded diatribe? I'm thankful to have a friend and CFI who challenges me while also keeping a subtle eye out for my safety as well. I earned a little more experience tonight because of his not-so-subtle "go get em." Lots of "bad CFI" stories out there, so I thought I would take a little time to thank one of the good guys...
SA 17/10/2014 20:55-> METAR KIDI 172055Z AUTO 24010G20KT 10SM CLR 19/09 A2967
SA 17/10/2014 20:35-> METAR KIDI 172035Z AUTO 25011G17KT 10SM CLR 19/08 A2966
SA 17/10/2014 20:15-> METAR KIDI 172015Z AUTO 24011G20KT 10SM CLR 19/08 A2967
SA 17/10/2014 19:55-> METAR KIDI 171955Z AUTO 24010G16KT 210V270 10SM CLR 19/08 A2967
SA 17/10/2014 19:35-> METAR KIDI 171935Z AUTO 24011G20KT 10SM CLR 19/09 A2968
His response: "Right down the runway...Go for it, you can do this no problem."
Okay, 40 or 50 degrees off is NOT right down the runway - we all know that. But I read between the lines as he knows I'm a "fair weather flyer" and my personal minimums/limits are still fairly conservative. We've done some strong crosswinds together and he had confidence in me, but I needed to have confidence in me - which was what he was getting at. Well, I took off just before 4:30pm without a hitch. Bumpiest ride I've ever experienced to KOYM and my head still feels it, but I used flight following as always, arrived safe, had dinner, and then had a much smoother flight back to KIDI.
My point in this long-winded diatribe? I'm thankful to have a friend and CFI who challenges me while also keeping a subtle eye out for my safety as well. I earned a little more experience tonight because of his not-so-subtle "go get em." Lots of "bad CFI" stories out there, so I thought I would take a little time to thank one of the good guys...
