Flight 29

03-23-96
1975 C-172M
TEB
Local

"Breezy; cold; cold front w/snow approaching from W"

1.2 dual
1 landing

"Normal t.o. & lndg, slow flight, CATs, pwr on/off stalls, R&R"

Well, it's been a long, hard, broke winter for me... haven't been able to fly in almost four months, largely due to lack of funds, but also having been stymied by weather the few times  I was able to book a lesson.

But my freelance career is expanding rapidly the last month or so: I'm turning down work! Still have a lot of bills to pay, but now that cash flow has improved somewhat, I want to forge ahead right away, at least until I'm past the stage check.

As it turns out, the 172s are all at Teterboro today, so I meet J. there.
It's good to be back. I'm a bit tired from working so much lately, and I haven't done much chair-flying or studying, but I feel ready to continue.
Today's mount is 453... I like this one, mostly because she has handholds and footrests for climbing up on the wing to check the fuel. There's also a push-to-talk switch on the yoke! Luxury!
Preflight goes okay, until after startup, when I notice that something seems to be wrong with the avionics power switch, or the buss itself. Revving the engine a little seems to remedy that for some reason, the main buss ammeter shows nothing amiss, and J. seems confident it will be okay, so I put it out of my mind. Should we lose the radios departing TEB, we can easily just go to Lincoln Park and leave the plane there.
The avionics power holds steady, and soon I'm ready for departure. I don't feel rusty at all with my Class D radio procedures; no mistakes on the way to the active runway.

The weather is odd today- cold and quite breezy, with a fast-moving cold front barreling in from the west, pushing a herd of snall moisture-laden clouds ahead of it. I can see a little snow swirling about as I take off, crabbing heavily.
Departing the airspace, I get my first taste of (legal) scud-running. But I'm not intimidated, despite the 4-month hiatus. I'm ahead of the airplane and eager to continue as we skirt hazy fringes of clouds at 3000 feet. For a brief moment it seems we are in a cloud, or at least the horizon ahead is obscured, but I can see the ground quite well and feel no disorientation.
The only thing bothering me is the thought that if there is another aircraft nearby at our altitude, I wouldn't see it in time. After a little zigging and zagging, I find a large clear area to practice in... a drifting corral of small snow clouds. We both check to the west to see the progress of the main body of clouds, and decide there's time to practice some maneuvers. A couple of steep turns, then it's time to look for another spot, as our openingcloses at the whim of the drifting clouds.
A little MCA, stalls, then it's time to head back as the squall line finally threatens to cut us off from TEB.

I have a brisk tailwind as we approach the Class D airspace, and have to circle a few times after intitial contact to avoid drifting right over the airport before receiving a landing clearance.
I'm still feeling very good as we get a straight-in clearance for 19. The crosswind is pretty intense- just about at my limit- but suddenly my hands and feet have found oneness with the secret of a perfect sideslip!
453 comes down straight for the numbers as I cross-control pretty heavily, not worrying about the right wing being quite low, just feeling it out and working rudder as needed.
I pull of a fine landing: upwind main squeaks on, followed by the other, and I hold the nose off with sufficient opposite rudder and full aileron deflection, tracking straight down the runway as we roll out.
J. is very pleased with my performance, considering my hiatus,and I'm pretty pleased myself. I'm flush with cash as well as pride, so as I settle up for the 1.3 hours, I schedule another lesson for the next day, so that we can work on navigation and landings.


Next: flight 30