Chili cook-offs and Cubs

Plane: Cub, 85 hp 
Route: 40I, Local 
Weather: Clear, 39 degrees, wind 280 degrees at 8 knots

Today was Stewart's (annual?) chili cook-off. I made a pot and we headed down around noon, stuffing ourselves with plenty of tasty food in short order. Gina called before I woke up and reserved the Cub at 3:00 - you can't pass up this kind of a day in February. And we'd already be at the airport, so I think not flying in that situation is technically illegal, right?

It's easy to keep a tight pattern in a Cub, solo, on a cold afternoon!

We scooted off the soft runway and headed out over the lake for a little streamer-cutting fun. Then I did a couple steep turns, some Dutch Rolls, slow flight, and a power-off stall before heading back to the airport. Gina hopped out (and then immediately went for a ride in a Decathlon - not fair!) while I made a few more laps around the pattern.

I was quickly airborne in less than the 200-foot between-cone span, turning crosswind over the departure end of the runway at 600 feet AGL. A couple power-off 180s later, I touched down softly for the fourth time. Nothing like a little pattern practice to sharpen one's piloting skills.

The chili won second place, by the way... good for a free Stewart hoodie!

Flight Track: Google Earth KMZ File 
Today's Flight: 0.8 hours
Total Time: 256.9 hours