Richard
Final Approach
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2005
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- 9,076
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- West Coast Resistance
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Ack...city life
I landed at KAJO after a long x/c to go to the Aircraft Spruce will call desk. AWOS, FSS, other nearby ATIS all agreed: winds 04014
Hmmm, doable, but knowing what happens when the winds are out of the north to NE.... On right downwind 45 entry RWY 7 I'm holding a 35* WCA. That's my first clue. Downwind I am cooking along so begin my turn to base early but without a changing bank angle to correct for changing GS. I end up about 3/4 mile for turn to final. I was 2000 RPM the whole way.
All hell breaks loose, I'm having 30* per side uncommanded roll changes and +/- 50' in alt. My crab with appropriate aileron doesn't result in the stable approach I was hoping for. I'm 80 KIAS flaps 10 and still the stall light is steady illuminated. I change crab to the other side and that helps a lot but it's opposite to the observed winds. Then, the winds calm and I continue. About 20 agl above the threshold I suddenly roll into a 40* left bank. And I'm sinking fast. I go full power, pitch to level, roll level, and am still sinking. I expect to be slammed into the rwy but the touch down is fairly mild. I bounce while in a climb attitude and I'm off in a positive rate climb although my climb rate was inches/hour because of severe downdraft. I'm also being pushed to the north so I act quickly to counter that. I came close to touching down again, this time in the grass. In this case, that would have meant trouble because I would've touched with a high side load and little room to correct.
Winds die completely and I have about 2,000' of rwy left so I begin to land. I touchdown right next to a windsock and am able to clear at the next taxiway. The windsock appears to be broken because it's sticking straightout although I am in calm air only 40' away. I am certain I saw the windsocks blowing in 180* opposite directions. I shut down and sure enough, both socks are blowing opposite directions.
I filmed a C-310 landing behind me and a Glasair behind him. The twin was heavy and didn't have too much of a problem although my conversations with that pilot indicate he was very concerned about his landing. The Glasair looked like a low time student pilot at the helm, he was all over the air, just like me.
The gusts were unreported but I assumed there would be gusts due to LLWS reported across the region. I finished my flight 28 minutes later at an aprt 12 nm away and the winds were 26005.
Approaching KAJO from the northwest it would have been natural to drive for a final to RWY 7 but I made for right traffic instead so I could view the windsocks on my overflight. Didn't help much. AJO always gets bumpy on final due to heavily forested area under the approach path to RWY 7 but this was the most gusty I've experienced by far.
The aprt worker who witnessed my landing said it was nothing unusual that day, he had been seeing pretty much the same thing all day. I am happy to report nothing got bent or broken and I stayed, uh, calm, through out. Optimum sensory awareness, yes. Panicked or scared, no.
Hmmm, doable, but knowing what happens when the winds are out of the north to NE.... On right downwind 45 entry RWY 7 I'm holding a 35* WCA. That's my first clue. Downwind I am cooking along so begin my turn to base early but without a changing bank angle to correct for changing GS. I end up about 3/4 mile for turn to final. I was 2000 RPM the whole way.
All hell breaks loose, I'm having 30* per side uncommanded roll changes and +/- 50' in alt. My crab with appropriate aileron doesn't result in the stable approach I was hoping for. I'm 80 KIAS flaps 10 and still the stall light is steady illuminated. I change crab to the other side and that helps a lot but it's opposite to the observed winds. Then, the winds calm and I continue. About 20 agl above the threshold I suddenly roll into a 40* left bank. And I'm sinking fast. I go full power, pitch to level, roll level, and am still sinking. I expect to be slammed into the rwy but the touch down is fairly mild. I bounce while in a climb attitude and I'm off in a positive rate climb although my climb rate was inches/hour because of severe downdraft. I'm also being pushed to the north so I act quickly to counter that. I came close to touching down again, this time in the grass. In this case, that would have meant trouble because I would've touched with a high side load and little room to correct.
Winds die completely and I have about 2,000' of rwy left so I begin to land. I touchdown right next to a windsock and am able to clear at the next taxiway. The windsock appears to be broken because it's sticking straightout although I am in calm air only 40' away. I am certain I saw the windsocks blowing in 180* opposite directions. I shut down and sure enough, both socks are blowing opposite directions.
I filmed a C-310 landing behind me and a Glasair behind him. The twin was heavy and didn't have too much of a problem although my conversations with that pilot indicate he was very concerned about his landing. The Glasair looked like a low time student pilot at the helm, he was all over the air, just like me.
The gusts were unreported but I assumed there would be gusts due to LLWS reported across the region. I finished my flight 28 minutes later at an aprt 12 nm away and the winds were 26005.
Approaching KAJO from the northwest it would have been natural to drive for a final to RWY 7 but I made for right traffic instead so I could view the windsocks on my overflight. Didn't help much. AJO always gets bumpy on final due to heavily forested area under the approach path to RWY 7 but this was the most gusty I've experienced by far.
The aprt worker who witnessed my landing said it was nothing unusual that day, he had been seeing pretty much the same thing all day. I am happy to report nothing got bent or broken and I stayed, uh, calm, through out. Optimum sensory awareness, yes. Panicked or scared, no.
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, but got in trouble anyway. 
It just never seemed fair. 
It was AWFUL! 