Fun in the wind, and a new location

Weather was much more accommodating today. Clear skies, light wind. The skies stayed clear, but the wind picked up pretty significantly.

We started off with three trips around the pattern at Van Nuys. Each landing was better than the last – I’m really getting the hang of it now. After that, Richard suggested we head over to a nearby airport – Whiteman (WHP). Talk about your politically incorrect names. How about WhiteHeterosexualRichSmartMan Airport instead? On the first approach we were WAY too high, so I went around. Thanks to the Burbank class C airspace right next door, you have to flight a very short departure leg, which threw my timing off. No problem, I thought – I’ll NAIL the next one. Again – WAY too high, go around. The tower asked if I wanted touch and goes instead of the full stop I’d requested. Thanks, no – I’ll try and get it on the ground. Third time around – chopped the power turning base, 10 degrees of flaps. STILL too high! I figured it out – the wind was shifting heavily on me from final to short final – it was calming way down near the field. Next time around I got it. Chop the power earlier, full flaps, watch the airspeed. Three great landings, and we headed back to Van Nuys. Coming in, the wind was 350 at 20, gusting to 25! No problem really, landing on the big (8000′) runway.

We debriefed, and Richard said I was ready to solo. No medical yet. Damn. Working on that furiously now.

1.5 hours/20.1 total