Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

I’m beginning to take the weather personally now. Today was just nasty and completely uncalled for. It started off really promising. The usual plan, solo if the winds permit if not then practice area and have a go at precautionary landings.

I’m in a good frame of mind flying-wise at the moment. Confident that I’m developing sound skills, both in flying and judgement. It’s been a good week at work and I’m generally I’m quite upbeat. A fact which  became readily apparent to the poor souls walking along the lakefront this morning as I sang my way along with the music on my phone! Sometimes I forget to check if there are people around.

By the time I got off the ferry there were a few suspicious flakes of the white stuff in the air. Hmmm. Not good. Flight school ops call for no precipitation if a student is soloing, so that looked like being out of the question. Bob and I agreed that I’d do my walkround and then I’d call flight services and see what their take on it was. At this point I was still confident that I’d at least be flying.

I did my walkround, queried a slightly underinflated tyre on the nose wheel and strapped my stuff in. Flight services were a little more pessimistic than the METAR and TAFs. In fact they started off by saying “not VFR” conditions. That is not a good start. The precipitation just seemed to come out of nowhere. No one predicted it at all.  Flight Services still reckoned I’d be good for circuits though. So Bob and I discussed a plan of action revolving around dual circuits, mostly looking at improving my landings! No surprise there.

Trouble was it seemed to be getting worse. We delayed slightly to see if the snow could clear. It was coming down harder at this point and accumulating on the planes outside. Bob shared his concern that our plane was warm and snug in the hanger. When we pulled it out, any snow hitting it would melt instantly but then probably freeze again on takeoff. Ice and wings are not a good combination.

We waited some more, I was in no hurry. I kind of like being around when there are people coming and going. Eventually we had to admit defeat. The snow was accumulating on the ground by now. A centimetre or so here and there. I stuck around for a while, Bob and I walked through some theory stuff (more on that in another post) then I faced the yucky trek home in my light summer sneakers that were never designed for trudging through the snow.

Seriously weather, WTF?