BBQ Bash 2012

It's too late at night to do a proper write-up, isn't it?  Especially of three days.

Saturday morning I was supposed to get up at 6 a.m. and fly with the Yaks for some formation stuff, getting done by 11 a.m., which is when T-6 rides were going to start being sold.  Instead, I woke up at 6 a.m. to heavy fog.  So I went back to bed for an hour.  ;)  The Yaks were still going to go when it burned off, but I said no, because it would put me back too late.  This is our fundraiser for our organization, and I need to be here, and the airplane needed to be here too.  When the fog burned off, and the last of the lingering clouds were hanging around, I ran to Kokomo to pick up the T-6 and bring it to Glenndale.  I got in the plane and the winds were 12 knots.  I took off and the winds were 17 knots, variable from 250 to 290, which is unhandy on a 18/36 Runway.  The other problem was that it was gusty, and as I was coming down final, I just didn't feel like this was a good plan--it was hard to get stabilized.  So I made it a slow low pass, circled up and thought about trying it again, decided that we weren't going to be giving rides in those conditions anyway, so why risk it.  I went back to Kokomo and did a couple takeoffs and landings in the 40 degree crosswind.  I could feel the wind picking up, but it wasn't too bad.  And then there was the 3rd landing...after I got it down, which took more effort than about anything else I've done in a while, I pulled off the runway, stopped, and checked AWOS to hear "peak gusts 29".  I put her away. 

The weekend we did formation with Duane and Trey in Walt's T-6, we had steady 28 knot winds about 30-40 degrees off the runway, and we even did element takeoffs, and it just wasn't an issue.  Saturday's winds, the gusts and the variability, it made all the difference.  That was sorta tricky.

I drove back over to Glenndale, and it was pretty quiet.  The two PTs canceled for rides, the helicopter canceled, the skydivers canceled, the taildraggers couldn't go, but there were a few intrepid riders and pilots willing to take the 172 and the 180 up, even though the winds kept climbing.  We saw some truly sporty landings going on. Finally we called off any more rides, and for awhile the winds were gusting up to 37 knots, and most of us huddled in the big heated tent.  :)    One nearby equestrian place brought out a donkey with airplane wings on it and gave 25 kids a ride.  That was the only thing with wings in the air--and if he'd have faced into the wind, that donkey might have been able to get some actual lift.  ;)

Our pitch-in dinner went pretty well for as quiet of a day as it was.  We stayed out in the tent until 11 p.m. or so, just hanging out and enjoying the evening. This was the first BBQ Bash day in the history of us having it that we weren't able to get flights in and many people out there on a Saturday.  Even when it's rained in the past we've been okay.  But that fog followed by chill followed by fierce winds...yikes.

Yep, it's too late to get into any more.  I'm fuzzy and tired and it's past midnight and we have to get up in the morning for school.  So...

To be continued.  :)