Quiet

KFAM 291356Z AUTO 29004KT 10SM CLR 24/19 A3013

It felt stronger than that, judging by the flags and the windsock.

It was almost a direct crosswind, which was good. I shot some crosswind landings a few weeks ago and I sucked at it. The grass was long and wet, so I used the paved runway and quickly saw that I had gotten sloppy. When you land on grass, there's some drag on the wheels and it helps keep you straight, a little.

Today, I took advantage of the crosswind to practice basic fundamentals. Line up with a little extra energy in the budget. Keep the nose aligned with the centerline. Use the ailerons to control lateral position. Watch the airspeed, as flying cross-controlled means a little more drag.

It was all good.

This time of year, it pays to get the flying done early. The thermals start building by late morning and it makes for a less-than-fun ride. I took a newbie up last week; we met at the filed at 8:30 and were tied down by 10. Smooth air all the way. An hour later, it would have been like driving down a corduroy road.