When the wind catches up
Five hours. I soloed in five hours. And it wasn't in one of these tricycle-gear airplanes that just about everybody uses these days to take their initial flight training. I did mine in a honest-to-goodness Piper PA-18 taildragger. And to compound matters, I could only afford one hour a month for lessons.
| The author (right) meets up with his flight instructor Stanley Anderson almost 50 years after learning to fly. |
It was the early 1960s and I had fulfilled my obligation to the Air Force. I applied for an air traffic control job with the FAA, but because of the relocation and combining of several Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs) such as Pittsburgh and Richmond (remember those?), there was an oversupply of controllers. So my wife went back to work and gave me one hour of flying a month while I waited for my number to come up with the FAA.
I was living at the time under the flight path of Patrick Henry Airport in Newport News, Virginia. It was therefore logical that I take my training there, even though I would have preferred a less complex airport. This "huge" airport had a control tower and two long, wide runways that seemed to go on for miles. The flight school was located on the north side of the airport and gave instruction in a variety of aircraft. Several new or nearly new aircraft were lined up and waiting when I drove up for my first lesson. Included in this group was a PA-18, to which I was assigned. There was also a Piper Tri-Pacer, which at the time I thought had more dials and gauges than a B-52.
My instructor turned out to be a tall drink of water named Stanley Anderson. He was building time so he could get on with the airlines. He was a natural, and we hit it right off. Before I knew it he was climbing out of the back seat and telling me to, "Take it around the pattern." Before the day was over I had made three of the most beautiful takeoffs and landings that you could ask for. I had slipped the surly bonds of Earth and soloed after just five hours of instruction. I was the talk of the flight school.
Well, things just went fine up to my eleventh hour, and then old mother wind caught up with me. If you remember, my wife gave me one hour of flying a month. Since I lived next door to the airport I picked the days that the winds were calm, or right down the runway, in which to fly. By the time I had left home and arrived at the airport for my eleventh flight hour, a rather strong crosswind had developed. My instructor met me at the airplane and suggested that I put off this flight until another day. We discussed my ability and rechecked the crosswind. He then released me to stay in the traffic pattern, and said that if the winds got any worse to, "Pack it in."
The taxi to the runway was uneventful, but things were going to change soon. I asked the tower for permission to stay in the pattern and shoot touch and goes. The tower came back with the winds, which were now a credible crosswind, and cleared me for takeoff. Events were still going as planned until the tailwheel left the ground and the airplane started to turn left. I started to overcontrol by putting in too much right rudder and the airplane started hopping back and forth on the main gear. I glanced at the airspeed indicator, and it read 45 mph and shaking. I pulled back on the stick and told the airplane to fly or both of us were going to be very unhappy. The responsible PA-18 hopped once more and then staggered into the air.
It's surprising how quick your outlook can change when things go right for a few minutes. A bumpy downwind was not as bad as expected, so I called the tower and requested a touch and go. This was approved, and before I knew it, I was on the ground. But I didn't stay there. I was on the ground and in the air, and on the ground, and in the air, each time harder and higher than before. It was then that I did the unforgivable. I took my hand off the control stick and covered my face, fully anticipating that the next bounce would take the gear with it.
By now I was asking a higher authority for help in getting this bucking bronco on the ground. He must have heard me, because after the last bounce, the airplane leveled off on its own and gave me a chance to grab the stick and regain control. I had been taught what to do when I had a bounced landing. I was now going to be given a chance to demonstrate it. I advanced the throttle enough to stop the bouncing and give me some control of the aircraft. Quickly I then cut the throttle and used stick and rudder to salvage the landing. I then taxied off the runway at the nearest taxiway. I called the tower and told them to cancel the touch and go, this would be a full-stop landing. The tower shot back, "One-Two-Mike, when you have everything under control I have a message for you."
Fearing the worst, but not knowing what to expect, I answered, "Go ahead, tower."
"One-Two-Mike, I have a message from your instructor who was behind you in the pattern with another student. He said that if you asked to take off again to 'shoot you down.'"
From that time forward at Patrick Henry Airport I was known as "Shoot 'em down Shipley." I couldn't wait to start my job with the FAA at Logan Tower in Boston and leave this nickname behind.
Did I learn something from this, besides how to recover from a hard and bounced landing? You bet. The weather at the airport can be 100-percent different from what you are experiencing at home, even though you live minutes from the airport. And when you do get to the airport and find that the weather is worse than you expected, don't be tempted to try to tackle something that's beyond your skill level at the time.
"Learning Experiences" is presented to enhance safety by providing a forum for students and pilots to learn from the experiences of others. It is intended to provoke thought and discussion, acknowledging that actions taken by the authors were not necessarily the best choices under the circumstances. We encourage you to discuss any questions you have about a particular scenario with your flight instructor. E-mail submissions to [email protected].
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