I got a late start today as expected. The lineman who gave me a ride the night before was there again, and helped me get started for the day (they were kind enough to pull Cleo into the hangar for a few hours to warm her up).
I departed on an IFR flight plan from Reading (KRDG) to Rostraver (KFWQ). It was only 127 nm, and wouldn't have even been a stop normally, except for some fierce headwinds that I had to fight through. It took my 135 kt cruising speed down to about 85 kts, and the trip took nearly two hours. Just to be aggravating, it was also pretty bumpy over the Alleghenys, enough so that I started contemplating what the effects of having a wing bolt fracture would be. Apart from those issues, it was a pleasant sunny day to be crusing along.
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| Leaving Reading, PA | Allegheny Mtns nr. Harrisburg PA |
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After topping off at Rostraver, I had intended to continue on an IFR flight plan to Bloomington. However, the forecast was for deteriorating weather along the way, and while that normally would encourage me to go IFR, I decided to fly VFR for a couple reasons - first, I could fly lower and maybe avoid some of the winds. Also, I wanted nothing to do with cold clouds, so by going VFR, I'd have to avoid them instead of being routed through them, and could make a snap decision to go somewhere else if necessary (not that you can't divert on an IFR plan, but it gets a bit more complex). An inoperative pitot heater also contributed to the decision - pitot heat keeps ice from forming on the little probe you see sticking out of airplanes that is used to measure airspeed. If it ices up, you lose your airspeed indicator, which makes life more challenging.
I passed just north of Columbus and Dayton OH, and south of Indianapolis. Once again, it was dark by the time I arrived at Bloomington. The trip that was supposed to take a little less than 4.5 hours got dragged out to nearly 6 because of the winds.
Arrival at Bloomington was interesting from a pilot perspective. They were landing runway 35 with winds 270 @ 15. This put a strong 15 knot crosswind right on the left wing. At the time, I couldn't remember precisely what the demonstrated crosswind capability was for the Tiger - the numbers 12 and 15 ran through my head. While not a hard limit on what the airplane can handle, it does represent the limit to which a test pilot flew during the aircraft design and certification. The typical procedure for crosswind landings is to bank into the wind with the ailerons, and use the opposite rudder to keep the nose aligned with the runway (referred to as cross-control). Landing is made on the upwind wheel first. If the wind is strong enough, you run out of rudder and won't be able to maintain a straight approach to the runway.
I felt strangely comfortable with things, so instead of asking for the shorter secondary runway 24 (which was more closely aligned to the wind), decided to give 35 one attempt. I had to carry a significant amount of cross control to stay aligned with the runway, but still had a little margin to work with. I did bounce softly once before gently settling down, and have to admit that I was quite pleased with myself. Later, I looked up the demonstrated crosswind, which was 16 knots, so I didn't enter test-pilot status (not generally something you want to do).
The FBO (Cook Aviation) was top notch - with free courtesy cars (a big fat Caddy) - so for once I got to my hotel quickly. I decided to be nice and put Cleo up in a $35 hangar given the winds and snow in the forecast. I figured it'd compensate for the free car and $3.05 avgas here.
It looks like I won't get the early start I'd hoped for tomorrow - The forecast has low cloud cover into the afternoon, and with forecast high at 22F I may very well not go anywhere tomorrow. If it does clear out, I'll probably try to make one hop to get another couple states further west...