The weather was OK, low pressure with cumulus and scattered Cumulo-Nimbus with attendant showers. Needless to say as I was setting off to the airport from work that evening, the mother of all CuNim’s came across – it was huge and looked like something from the film ‘Independence Day’, just at the bit where the mother saucers burst our of the cloud! However, I carried on as it would soon clear.
Checked the aircraft out in the hangar as the showers blew over. The wind was within the limits set for me, so I booked out.
Fuelled up and took off from runway 27 heading IFR (I Follow the River) to the south west. The RV6 was agreeably sprightly with only one person on board and before I knew it I was at 3000’ over the bends in the river. I wrote out a list of things I wanted to do, among them was playing with the avionics. So I tuned the VOR to BCN and tracked in for a bit. Then I played with the GPS and the ‘goto’ function. By this time, I was over Ross on Wye and could see another shower ahead, so I turned and headed towards the Malverns.
Around the Malverns, I started with the steep turns. The RV absolutely loves them! Before long, I was poling 70 – 80 degree angles of bank with a couple of G to maintain altitude. The plane really does love it (and so do I!).
The showers seemed to start to close in. It was annoying because I just knew that by sunset, the clouds would disappear for a lovely clear night (exactly what happened), but that is not now. So I decided discretion to be the better part of valour and around Bredon Hill, contacted Gloster Approach for rejoin (I didn’t want to chance gusty and variable direction winds with a limited sign-off on a taildragger.
I was given direct in to final for 22. I had trouble spotting the airfield in all the shadow, although I knew where it was from the surrounding landmarks. I flew through a small shower, just enough to give the canopy a nice ‘power shower’! The wind wasn’t a problem, at about 240/08. My approach was OK (not great, but OK). I rounded out, pulled the power and started to flare. I touched earlier than I wanted (slightly misjudged my height), but very gently and tried to ease back on the stick to bleed the speed off and fly level. But the RV is very sensitive in pitch and I ballooned it a bit. I recovered this, but bounced on the next touch – that’s it, I’m out of here! Power on for a go-around – maybe I could have landed off that, but what’s the hurry and why press the position?
Next approach was better, but I still didn’t get all of the flying out of her before we touched and was punished with another bounce. I recovered this, added a blip of power before touching down again and held her on this time.
Why is it that with the instructor, I can punch the into wind landings out like shelling peas, but by myself it is not so good (could be the lighter weight of course)? Maybe I need a blow up dummy in the right seat, maybe I’ll ask him for a picture – that would work!
She is an absolute pleasure to fly, and I think that solo practice and landing consolidation is called for. I am sure I have got a few lessons ahead on crosswind landings once my instructor returns from holiday in mid-May. No hurry – I’ll get there and undoubtedly be a better pilot for it.
