I was out at the field yesterday with my Skylark 70. I had not been out flying in about 5 weeks.

I fueled up, fired up the engine, range checked, and decided it was time to fly. The wind was coming from the southeast, blowing about 12 to 15 knots.

So, I put it down on the runway, walked back to the flight line and took off. The takeoff roll was longer than I remembered, but it went airborne and flew just great. I did some simple orbits so I could get myself back in the mode, then did some maneuvers. Sloppy, but most pilots could recognize them as loops, rolls, 1/2 cuban eights, and so on.

Time to land. So, I orbited a couple times to get the lay of the land, and then did my usual square approach, downwind, base, then final. The landing sequence was basic and done correctly. But, the darned plane was going much faster than I thought it was, or as I remembered from previous flights, and I decided to go around and try again because the landing would have been a tad long.

I went around and finally got it on the ground, but it was very long and I ended up having to taxi about 100 yards.

I changed props, put an APC 14-6 prop, and refueled and went back up. Again, the takeoff was long as was the landing. What gives here?

One of the instructors had arrived by now, and we chatted a bit. I put the Skylark back up, and asked Bob if he wanted to fly it. Of course, he did, so he flew it for about five minutes, then handed the TX back to me. I flew a few mintues then brought it in. As I was making my approach, Bob asked me why I was landing with the wind instead of with the nose into the wind? With the wind, I said? I AM headed into the wind.. oops, I was not!!! Wow!! I never really noticed that I was both taking off AND landing with the wind!!! I simply misread the wind and didn't even realize it.

My point here is that there are many things we take for granted, even something as obvious as wind direction, and even for someone that has been flying RC for around 9 years or so now. Some newer pilots would not have been able to handle a landing lilke this. So, for you newbee's out there, take a minute to look over the environment before flying and make sure all is correct before you fly.

Lucky for me, I was able to handle the fast approach and landing, but it was not comfortable. Once I corrected my direction (thanks to Bob) my landings were nice, predictable, and as Bob said, "Man, you really greased that one".

Oh, and I managed to get in seven flights yesterday. A good day. For those that were discussing battery packs, my 1200 mah 6 volt NiMH pack still indicated flashing the on the two far left green LED's (back and forth) on the Voltwatch (looking left to right, the far left is the highest reading).. meaning that I had plenty of reserve battery even after 7 10 minute flights.


CGr

OOPS!!

I use the little red flag on the antenna to help me out, as the wind here changes directions a number of times while flying. Kind of makes me pay sheepish attention when one of the kids pointed it out to me one day when I having a hard time like you...

Dick,

Betcha you won't forget that lesson for sometime to come I usually try to check the wind sock each time I takeoff as our winds vary quite a bit. Sometimes I get surprised when landing if winds are variable and gusty. Glad to see you handled it well. Good post!

The great advantage of age is long ear hairs. I can tell where the wind is coming from like a cat.

After making the same mistake you described, landing with the wind, I decided to do it more often, intentionally, so that I had more experience with it. This year the wind has been exceptionally strong at our field, and erratic. Many times it has changed direction 180 degrees. Now I recognize the problem a little sooner.

Oops is right, Bruce.

Steve.. I looked at the wind sock, and just thought, "Well, that's the wind direction" cuz that's the direction it was pointing. After the downwind flights, and after Bob noted the wind direction, I looked at the wind sock again and, as Bruce said, OOPS! I decided to paint a mental arrow on the wind sock pointing towards the center, towards the pole, that would indicate WHERE THE STUPID WIND WAS COMING FROM !!!

This is something that many new people would do, and I suppose, even some of us that have been around a while, still do on occasion. What was strange was that a club member came in, followed the same things that I did when I arrived.. then started his engine, put it on the flight line and took off in the opposite direction that I did. I thought, "Why is he taking off in the wrong direction" not even thinking that it was ME that was taking off in the wrong direction.

Lesson learned. That thing under the hat is a head, and inside the head is a brain. And in side the brain is some flag that comes up when we make mistakes. That flag came up, but I didn't realize what it was until Bob pointed it out. Thanks, Bob!!!

We all have a "Bob" in our clubs. We also all have what's called a brain. We also should be listening to what that brain is saying to us.

Heh, stuff happens. Just sit up, recognize it, realize that it's not a bad thing to admit it, correct the problem, and move on. I learned a lot this past weekend, I can tell you that!!

CGr.

I'm sure that you actually did this on purpose just to demonstrate your magnificent flying capabilities. Yeah, that's what I would say anyway.

I remember having a deadstick with my piped/retracts ballistic pattern model. It's insanely fast anyway, but I was low and the engine quit upwind of the runway. I didn't have enough energy to cross the length of the runway and line back up, so I had to make a downwind approach with an already REALLY fast (and had a very thin wing with very low drag - a real 'slippery' airframe) airplane. I opted for a gear up grass landing because I knew it would be ugly and didn't want to tear the gear out of the foam wing. That was the scariest landing I've ever made. I must have still been going 50 miles an hour at touchdown. No damage, but that was an experience I don't wish to repeat.

Nathan, I would give that a " PUCKER " rating of 10....

Well, I wasn't nervous at the time because I was so busy thinking about the situation; however, afterwards I was really shaken. It ended up being a bad glow plug.

That's funny.. that story gave me flashbacks of working on my private pilots ticket.. I was out on a "solo" flight doing touch and go's one afternoon.. Uncontrolled airport, and I was the only one there.. Anyway, I was at Clearview airport which also happens to be the shortest paved runway in Maryland and trying to land with a 10-15 knot tailwind.. Flew that stupid pattern about 5 times and kept going around thinking "geez, this dang thing keep eating up the whole runway.." how embarassing.. Your not the only one CGr!

Ha.. well, Bruce.. I thought I would make a story of it..

You know, Geardaddy, what's wierd was that I wasn't scared until all was said and done and when I started to land with the wind. Then I realized how really stupid it was and how it could have all ended up somewhat different. Man, did that thing land long!! [:@] And, on top of that, some jerk (maybe more than one) did donuts with his truck (guess it was a truck.. ) and tore up the landing area to the left... but way down, so if I had been landing correctly, I would not have noticed it. But, when landing long, and when I was on the ground, I turned the plane to taxi back to the flight line and hit one of those darned berms caused by the jerk and his truck. So, I had to schlep on out and carry that plane back about a hundred yards or so. And, I STILL didn't realize that I was landing long cuz I was landing with the wind. Jeech.. Live and learn, I guess.

CGr

Eeeww, gross!