Zeta

The remnants of Hurricane Zeta came through Kokomo today.  As such, the forecast was for 100% chance of rain all day.  Because of that, I didn't expect to have to fly today, so I took 1/2 of a Zyrtec before I went to bed.  That's just an allergy pill, but it's an allergy pill that 1) knocks me on my butt and 2) is illegal to fly after taking because of Part 1.  I took 1/2 of one because I was having allergy issues, and I only took 1/2 of one because I didn't want to be groggy all the next day.  Good thing.  

First, I slept 8 hours in a row two nights in a row.  I mean, I woke up at 4 am according to my FitBit, but I didn't remember it, so it wasn't for long.  That felt GOOD.  Secondly, I woke up groggy, as Zyrtec does to me.  But after lunch, it had worn off, and my 2 pm flight was going to be good to go for weather.  It is cold, and the back seat of the Champ is very drafty, and I was wearing gloves and a coat and still freezing back there with the cold air blowing on my hands and face and about everywhere else.  But we did our thing, did some crosswind landings in the Champ.  There wasn't much wind, like 8 knots, but that's enough to make you do something about it in the Champ when it's 90 degrees off.  Good practice.

Next up was a lady who hasn't gotten to fly in a month because of the weather, and a month before that for the same reason.  She is a nervous flier, and only likes it calm and easy.  No steep turns in the air, or maneuvers. So we go up just to fly around and get her used to it again the last two times we could actually go.  Today the winds were right down Runway 5, at 7 knots.  Calm.  We went up for 45 minutes and just did straight and level, shallow turns, talked, did a turn about a point, easy stuff.  Then I said we'd go around the pattern a couple times without landing just to get used to the process there.  First one is uneventful. Wind sock is normal.  Second one, suddenly winds are obviously really strong aloft, but it's still smooth. I'm noticing we're having to crab really far over to not get blown over the runway.  I say "We'll land on this one and put it away for the day."  She's trying to line up on final and it ain't happening, but I'm talking her through it and she's getting there. We're on short final, when suddenly the right wing is thrown way up, left wing way down, like past 60 degrees. I grab it, rudder and aileron in to pick up the wing, a bunch of power because we're suddenly dropping fast and hard, and we are getting tossed around like popcorn kernels in a heated up bag. It was *rough*, just BAM. She throws up her hands and says "THIS IS NOT FUN. THIS IS NOT GOOD." I land, and it is requiring some actual effort. Sporty. After I landed, I gave it back to her to taxi in, and I called AWOS, and it had swapped to a 50-60 degree crosswind gusting to 26 knots with a big gust factor. We're in the Champ, so that's even more fun. Some days you have high winds but it's smooth, some days you have low winds but it's rough, tonight it was like God was up there shaking the globe around like an angry two-year-old. I've had 40+ knot wind days that weren't that rough.  Now I have to convince her that wasn't normal and to come on back.