The International Cessna 170 Association

I'm still amazed that you say you can land in a 20kt direct crosswind in the 170! All I have to contribute is a minor terminology correction...facepalm.

Yes you can exceed 20 knots crosswind but like I said it's not something I'd want to do over and over again day in and day out. When you use your plane to commute to work and home sometimes you do things you wouldn't do for fun. Commuting to work in your plane isn't all you might think it is.

N9149A wrote:Yes you can exceed 20 knots crosswind but like I said it's not something I'd want to do over and over again day in and day out. When you use your plane to commute to work and home sometimes you do things you wouldn't do for fun. Commuting to work in your plane isn't all you might think it is.

Yes, the unexpected can happen. I once overslept and didn't have time to drive into Austin to work (at the state). I was scheduled as PIC on a state aircraft and was to depart in only an hour, when it was an hour's drive to Austin. I had awakened only an hour before scheduled departure.

I dressed like it was a "red alert" and ran outside, jumped in my 206 and blasted off (it was VFR here at the ranch) for the 15 min. flight to Austin, and once airborne tuned the ATIS to discover AUS was 200 ovcst 1/2 mile, RVR 1800.

Approach vectored me behind a Southwest for the ILS to Rwy 31 and when SWA MISSED the approach ... ...I figured I was fired.

I began the approach and just as the Middle Marker sounded a "Texas Red Wasp" started flying in my face. Swatting at the wasp distracted me sufficiently that I descended slightly below DH, saw the "strobes" (MALSF) and landed. The state ramp was near the approach end and as I taxied up to the aircraft I was assigned that day the lineman couldn't believe his eyes. But I showed him the dead wasp-stains on my NOS approach chart-book.

Can you send me a "Texas Red Wasp" . Just in case I need it some time.

George

I sure like coming home after a very challenging Monday to read your wasp story .......send me one too!


W.

That wasp reminds me of this: One time, not long after getting the 170, I had the misfortune of using the "high-speed taxiway" after a poorly executed carrier landing. It was a non-event, but it was better than a groundloop. Anyway, my dad and I joked that if we were ever to groundloop the poor bird we would jump out shouting "bees! bees! for god's sake save yourselves!" If you've seen the movie Tommy Boy, you know the scene.

It could never be told in "print" as well as Ol'Gar can relate in-person, but we should all get together and video him relating the story of attempting to fly an approach with one-hand while holding a mouse trapped within a pant-leg with the other! I've never laughed so hard until it hurt so much.

Holding a mouse in one hand & landing a plane is no hill for a stepper that can toss GPS's out the window when he gets a leg cramp. Wonder what he tossed out as a result of the mouse Poor little mouse

Out here in California Yellow Jackets have served the same purpose for years. However, lately mosquitos and the danger of contracting the Nile Virus have begin to exceed the Y.J.D.U.E. (Yellow Jacket duck under explanation).