Thorp Air Command - T18.net

As is our custom, several of us from the local airport (LAL) fly out to breakfast somewhere on Sunday morning. Yesterday, two Thorps and an RV took off for a short hop to a neighboring field where they have a great breakfast. The weather couldn't have been better -- calm winds and blue skies.

Upon landing, each of us performed one of the worst demonstrations of aerial prowess in recent history. We were all reasonably proficient and, after admitting our shortcommings to each other, in a total quandry as to what had happened.

Each of us were set up on-speed, lined up with the centerline, and had the right sight picture. Each of us in three different planes with varying gross weights, preceded to touch, bounce, and crow hop to an inglorious stop.

After some coffee and eggs, we concluded that we were victims of the great day. Our landing runway is 150' wide blacktop. The wind was dead calm. The sun was up. This set up a perfect scenerio for air to be heated by the runway causing local updrafts in the ground effect region unreported by AWOS, windsock, or any visual clue.

By the time we finished eating, the breeze had picked up and any lingering thermals created by the heated runway were long gone. Each of us were vindicated by making fine landings back at home plate.

Moral of the story: No day is perfect and and don't assume something's wrong with you or the airplane when you get a less-the-ideal landing.

_________________
Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

Yes Sir ! I won't fly on Sunday mornings ! Most of my better landings involved some sort of wx distraction to keep me on my toes ! Even an Airline Captain can't make perfect landings all the time ! F/O's...yes, Captains no !

RB

It was a pleasure to fly on your wing at T-82 this year !

RB