Always a Time to Fly - Greg Herrick
By AircraftOwner Online
A good friend of mine from Jackson, Wyoming, always closes his e-mail messages with the simple line, “Fly often!” I think that’s good advice. With winter coming, many of us, particularly those in northern climates, reduce their hours in the air. Sure, some of it is due to the weather, but is there also something of a sedentary mindset that comes with cooler air?
After all, in terms of performance, winter is
actually the best time to fly. In fact, I learned to fly in
November and December. I remember the cold, ice, frost and snow I
had to contend with – but it was fun. In particular, I remember
hoping the snow would lighten up enough to make the airport VFR
so I could take off and practice. Because I became accustomed to
it, it did not seem to matter. I remember thinking the best
crosswind landing practice was on a runway glazed over with ice.
That way the airplane really slid sideways if you didn’t have
your technique just right. Maybe it was impetuous youth but it
was fun and I learned a lot.
Try Cockpit Flying in February
These days when winter comes, I promise myself to fly as much as
possible: cross-country, local and just fun flying. One thing I
avoid is open-cockpit flying in the winter. I will confess that,
on a whim, I did take my open cockpit Fairchild (on wheels) for a
flight last February and landed on a few frozen Minnesota lakes.
It was pretty cold, but at least the sun was shining. It was a
flight I won’t soon forget.
One important reason to go flying is to brush up on your winter flying skills. You can start by studying winter weather patterns and behavior. Then review the winter flying considerations for your aircraft and yourself. Fortunately, these include smoother air and better performance. Sure, it’s colder, but once you get in the plane and go somewhere you will have a lot better time than you would just sitting on the couch, watching TV.
Then there are the adventure trips you can plan. I love to take my Husky out to fly in the mountains of Wyoming and Idaho in the winter. The scenery is spectacular and completely different from what you see in the summer. Of course, if I’m going any distance from the airport, I make sure I have winter survival gear, a handheld radio, locater beacon and a SPOT satellite tracking unit. Being prepared and careful does not detract from the fun of it all.
Plan a Warm Weather Flying Trip
Another joy of winter flying is heading warmer weather to do some flying. Personally, I always try to get two or three trips south under my belt before Sun ‘n Fun. These include trips into Sonora and Baja Mexico as well as some Arizona and Florida flying. Once a winter I get in the Husky and fly from Wyoming to Arizona. I have a T-hangar at the Glendale (GEU) airport near Phoenix so the Southwest is my oyster! There is nothing more fun than flying around the desert in January.
Another wonderful winter flying experience is the Caribbean. Literally hundreds of thousands of pilots fly from Florida to the Bahamas ever year. I did it with a few friends last year and we had an absolute blast. You can arrange the trip by yourself or join up with a flying adventure company like Air Journey (www.AirJourney.com).
There is quite a bit of information out there on flying the Caribbean so if you start studying now you could be ready for your trip when cabin fever really starts to set in.
