Caveman
Well Known Member
Dan Horton posted a great RV travel experience that he had recently and he mentioned landing in the wind in Oklahoma. I didn't want to induce thread drift so I'm starting a new thread on fighting the wind and invite you to share your experience.
I've attended two general aviation fly-in events at Vance Air force Base in Enid, Ok. At one of them one of the officers made a statement that Vance has the reputation for putting out the best crosswind pilot's in the USAF due to the strong crosswinds in the area. I didn't think too much about it then because the wind is a fact of life out here on the great plains and frankly we natives don't even mention it unless the wind is blowing 30 mph or more (or more likely if it is down to 5mph or less). After all they didn't surround our small town with all those wind generators for no reason.
I work at an airport West of Enid and transient pilots and their passengers often comment on how windy it is and we usually come back with "this ain't nothing". I could tell some stories about trying to pop helium balloons with the prop during some local fly-in events but I'll save those for another time.
Recently, I have to admit that Oklahoma has been dethroned as the wind capital of the contiguous U.S. Here's my story. This took place a few months back. I sent this story via e-mail to my OKie RV buddies when one of them mentioned he had installed a parking brake during his condition inspection.
A couple of them suggested I repost it here on VAF. I was reluctant because, well....
The wind was howling at Odessa Friday when I landed and pulled up to the self-serve gas pump. The tip up canopy acted like a sail on a clipper ship and without Carey there to hop out and hold the airplane from moving, I suppose I put on quite a show. Here's the break down:
o Hold toe brakes firmly while twisting around to access baggage compartment.
o Throw baggage around with one hand to uncover tool bag. (Arthritis sucks).
o Cuss decision to bring canopy cover, jackets, and other **** that I threw on top of tool bag.
o Stomp brakes because airplane starts rolling towards yellow pump guard posts during cockpit ballet.
o Retrieve light weight plastic chocks from said bag.
o Wipe sweat from brow.
o Stretch to get cramps out.
o Look up and stomp brakes again because airplane is rolling. Cuss the decision to delete barking brake to save weight.
o Formulate plan on how to release brakes and get this 60 year old body out of the airplane, around the wing and in front of the wheels without busting my A$$ or getting run over by the plane.
o Take a deep breath, vault over the side (yeah right) nearly fall on my face. Drop a plastic chock and watch a 50 mph gust blow it across the ramp at the speed of light.
o Gracefully go to plan B and throw the remaining chock at the tail wheel while holding on to the horizontal for dear life.
o Whew it worked? sorta. Well, long enough to retrieve a big white rock (read boulder) from beside the fuel farm and place it in front of a main tire while saying three ?Hail Mary?s??.
o Retrieve another rock, watching plane from corner of eye and turn and catch the wing tip as the tail wheel jumps the plastic chock and starts to pivot around the rock placed in front of one main tire towards the yellow post.
o Wait for a lull in the gusts (seemed like about 20 minutes) to let go of the wing long enough to place another boulder at the other main tire.
o Say four ?Our fathers? in thanks for not getting a crushed leading edge.
o Cuss the realization that I could have called Unicom and asked for help before I got out of the airplane.
o Try and decide whether to sit down and rest before I have a heart attack or hurry up and get the blankety- blank airplane refueled and taxi to parking.
o Refuel aircraft without incident.
o Decide it would be too embarrassing to call Unicom for help now. (Really-really dumb!)
o Ok how do I pull chocks and rocks to taxi away from pumps?
o Play musical rocks and move boulders from mains to in front and behind of tailwheel. Smallest boulder in front.
o Reopen canopy, hoping the sail doesn?t launch the RV over the rocks like a kite.
o Retrieve chocks, throw them in the plane while gracefully vaulting over the side and closing the canopy with one hand as I land in the pilot?s seat and simultaneously apply brakes. (Hah!)
o Fire up, Gun the engine, jump the tailwheel over the boulder while using professional piloting skill to avoid a prop strike.
o Taxi to parking. Select an area that is clear for about a mile in any direction and basically repeat the above without the rocks or yellow posts.
o Chain down airplane, yes chain it down. The light bulb comes on. Now I know why they don?t have tie down ropes at that airport.
o Realize that Woodward has lost its long standing reputation as windiest airport in the west.
o Wife, daughter and granddaughter pull up and wonder what the **** PaPa is doing setting on the ramp under the wing in the shade covered in sweat, head in hands, totally winded.
o Lie to them that I had decided to jog around the airport for exercise while waiting for them to show up.
p.s. Watch out for white boulders on ramp at KODO. I was too weak to walk the 200 yards back over to the fuel farm and throw them out in the grass. Besides, I thought another RV without a parking brake may appreciate them.
P.s.s. If any linemen from KODO read this? please destroy all ramp video security tapes. If you turn them in to a ?YouTube? video and post them I swear I will, I will, well I?ll think of something?.
I've attended two general aviation fly-in events at Vance Air force Base in Enid, Ok. At one of them one of the officers made a statement that Vance has the reputation for putting out the best crosswind pilot's in the USAF due to the strong crosswinds in the area. I didn't think too much about it then because the wind is a fact of life out here on the great plains and frankly we natives don't even mention it unless the wind is blowing 30 mph or more (or more likely if it is down to 5mph or less). After all they didn't surround our small town with all those wind generators for no reason.
I work at an airport West of Enid and transient pilots and their passengers often comment on how windy it is and we usually come back with "this ain't nothing". I could tell some stories about trying to pop helium balloons with the prop during some local fly-in events but I'll save those for another time.
Recently, I have to admit that Oklahoma has been dethroned as the wind capital of the contiguous U.S. Here's my story. This took place a few months back. I sent this story via e-mail to my OKie RV buddies when one of them mentioned he had installed a parking brake during his condition inspection.
A couple of them suggested I repost it here on VAF. I was reluctant because, well....
The wind was howling at Odessa Friday when I landed and pulled up to the self-serve gas pump. The tip up canopy acted like a sail on a clipper ship and without Carey there to hop out and hold the airplane from moving, I suppose I put on quite a show. Here's the break down:
o Hold toe brakes firmly while twisting around to access baggage compartment.
o Throw baggage around with one hand to uncover tool bag. (Arthritis sucks).
o Cuss decision to bring canopy cover, jackets, and other **** that I threw on top of tool bag.
o Stomp brakes because airplane starts rolling towards yellow pump guard posts during cockpit ballet.
o Retrieve light weight plastic chocks from said bag.
o Wipe sweat from brow.
o Stretch to get cramps out.
o Look up and stomp brakes again because airplane is rolling. Cuss the decision to delete barking brake to save weight.
o Formulate plan on how to release brakes and get this 60 year old body out of the airplane, around the wing and in front of the wheels without busting my A$$ or getting run over by the plane.
o Take a deep breath, vault over the side (yeah right) nearly fall on my face. Drop a plastic chock and watch a 50 mph gust blow it across the ramp at the speed of light.
o Gracefully go to plan B and throw the remaining chock at the tail wheel while holding on to the horizontal for dear life.
o Whew it worked? sorta. Well, long enough to retrieve a big white rock (read boulder) from beside the fuel farm and place it in front of a main tire while saying three ?Hail Mary?s??.
o Retrieve another rock, watching plane from corner of eye and turn and catch the wing tip as the tail wheel jumps the plastic chock and starts to pivot around the rock placed in front of one main tire towards the yellow post.
o Wait for a lull in the gusts (seemed like about 20 minutes) to let go of the wing long enough to place another boulder at the other main tire.
o Say four ?Our fathers? in thanks for not getting a crushed leading edge.
o Cuss the realization that I could have called Unicom and asked for help before I got out of the airplane.
o Try and decide whether to sit down and rest before I have a heart attack or hurry up and get the blankety- blank airplane refueled and taxi to parking.
o Refuel aircraft without incident.
o Decide it would be too embarrassing to call Unicom for help now. (Really-really dumb!)
o Ok how do I pull chocks and rocks to taxi away from pumps?
o Play musical rocks and move boulders from mains to in front and behind of tailwheel. Smallest boulder in front.
o Reopen canopy, hoping the sail doesn?t launch the RV over the rocks like a kite.
o Retrieve chocks, throw them in the plane while gracefully vaulting over the side and closing the canopy with one hand as I land in the pilot?s seat and simultaneously apply brakes. (Hah!)
o Fire up, Gun the engine, jump the tailwheel over the boulder while using professional piloting skill to avoid a prop strike.
o Taxi to parking. Select an area that is clear for about a mile in any direction and basically repeat the above without the rocks or yellow posts.
o Chain down airplane, yes chain it down. The light bulb comes on. Now I know why they don?t have tie down ropes at that airport.
o Realize that Woodward has lost its long standing reputation as windiest airport in the west.
o Wife, daughter and granddaughter pull up and wonder what the **** PaPa is doing setting on the ramp under the wing in the shade covered in sweat, head in hands, totally winded.
o Lie to them that I had decided to jog around the airport for exercise while waiting for them to show up.
p.s. Watch out for white boulders on ramp at KODO. I was too weak to walk the 200 yards back over to the fuel farm and throw them out in the grass. Besides, I thought another RV without a parking brake may appreciate them.
P.s.s. If any linemen from KODO read this? please destroy all ramp video security tapes. If you turn them in to a ?YouTube? video and post them I swear I will, I will, well I?ll think of something?.
