LOGBOOK Dec 15th 2010
LOGBOOK Dec 15th 2010
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LOGBOOK Monday, December 15th, 2010
It was the best at times... It was the worst at times.
Todd and I fly to breakfast, and encounter a little surprise on final to Pueblo on Runway 8 Left, a wind shift from 3 knots off our nose to a 20+ knot crosswind .
5 miles out, Pueblo tower reported 3 knots out of the east , basically right down runway 8.
I checked weather before departure. There is an Airmet for moderate turbulence above FL 180 (18,000 ft.), but all the reports below 180 are smooth. Light surface winds are forecast until 11 am, with a wind shift and wind increasing out of the west forecast for after 11am.
WRONG. The wind and storm front arrived a little early.
That grey thing down the middle of the screen in the video on final to Pueblo, is the right door pillar.
We were weather vaned over 45 degrees left to maintain runway centerline track in our steep decent.
I considered a go around and request for Runway 26, but after evaluating the decent and velocity, I decided to go ahead and land.
The wind blew us a little past my intended turnoff, but no big deal in the Xenon. We only had another 5000 feet of Runway left.
I expected it to be a little windy on the return flight, I just wasn't expecting it so early.
YouTube - 12-15-2010.wmv
As we were departing, we requested Runway 35. Taking 35 at the 26/08 intersection, we basically took off into a
20 knot sustained wind in about the width of the runway (150 ft) then are hit with a 30 knot gust pushing us a little to the right.
With a little correction , we are climbing out sideways and not moving very fast over the ground in the climb.
I told Todd I would alot rather be in the Xenon in that wind than my old Cessna 150/150 Aerobat, or a Citabria.
The Xenon flew home steady as a rock. (with a little rock and roll thrown in a few times.)
10 miles south of Meadow Lake, the consolidated Space operations center at Shreiver AFB (AKA Restricted Area 2602)
Fountain Creek, the Denver and Rio Grand Railroad tracks, I-25, PPIR Raceway, and the Sangre De Christo mountain range in the background.
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Todd spots a speeder.