Live and be lived

Time for an update.

The past couple weeks have been an eye opener no doubt.  I have flown to Regina six times in the past but last weeks trip home was unforgettable.  As mentioned before I was asked to go to Regina for the 2010 Skate Canada Sk. sectionals competition to offer action photography/videography.  

One thing I know now about flying in this country during the winter time is to leave at sun up.  My first leg from Edmonton to Unity, Sk.  usually is about a 2.2hr flight.  Well what I didn't take into account is that I am flying the opposite direction of the sun, so instead of the sun setting at 5pm, and in Unity that 5pm sunset is a 4:30 sunset.  I touched down in Unity at 16:50, ten minutes shy of complete darkness.  After this, I spent the next couple days ripping apart my plane for it's annual inspection.  Jim (mechanic) and I finished up with a few hours of sunlight to spare, as I did not want to sleep on the floor another night and without a shower, so I jumped in, floored the throttle, and lifted off.  Well I made it to Saskatoon and yet again the sun was setting earlier than anticipated. With an hour's flight left to Disley, their was no way I had enough time before the sun set.  So I quickly changed plans, turned North for Saskatoon and called up my old skating coach.  I landed at a small dirt strip just south of Saskatoon, and soon after picked up by my coaches husband Dorian.  Landed to live another day.  The next morning I awoke to some unpleasant frost, but after a few hours wait was headed home for the last leg of the trip.  

After a few short days in the rink, I found myself back in the plane headed to Edmonton. Well this time I learnt my lesson, I was up quite early as I wanted to get home that evening.  After a short jaunt to Moose Jaw for some gas I once again took off to the West.  As I was about an hour into the flight my ground speed dropped significantly, only one thing can do this, wind.  Wind is a powerful force when it comes to aviation, more powerful than I had ever imagined.  With a trip that usually takes 2 hours, I was now 3 hours into the trip without the airport in site.  3.5 hours later I finally was able to start my decent. As I got down to 1000' AGL (Above ground level), the mechanical turbulence got super intense.  Turbulence has never frightened me before, but this did.  I had to slow the plane right down as I was being thrown around quite violently.  When I got over the runway their was a crosswind of 100km/hr.  Super.  I called in my position and got ready to land.  But as I got closer I realized their was no way in heck I would be able to keep the plane in line with the runway. On a crosswind landing the pilot must give full rudder control and bank the wing into the wind in order to keep straight with the runway, but this was too much for my plane.  I pulled up, attempted it once more, got one wheel on the ground but had to pull back up as I could not hold the plane on the runway.  So with 30 minutes fuel remaining I had two choices, find a different airport close enough that had a runway that was angled into the wind, or I could ditch in a farmers field.  Thank you to whomever invented GPS, two minutes later I turned North for a small grass strip that had a runway  facing SW.  It did not take long to get their as I was flying with the wind, ground speed showed 250km/hr, probably a record speed in a c-150.  With the airplane running on reserve fuel I immediately planned for a straight in arrival.  I only had one maybe two chances to land.  Got her down on the first try, immediately I jumped out and quickly tied down to plane. 

This was an extremely good eye opener as to not pushing the weather, it will push back, luckily I overcame it this time. That night I spent sleeping inside the cockpit, I lasted until 6am and decided to lay down outside on the grass.  Temp was -7, one thing I am good at is planning for the unexpected, I had my winter sleeping bag with.  Rest of the trip was a cakewalk! The following morning I threw in some car gas and headed back to Unity.  

Rest of the week has been quite relaxing, editing skating photo's, hanging out with friends, enjoying life! 

My next few weeks will be quite packed, finish up my night rating and start on my commercial schooling.  As well as moving into the condo Dec.1st. 

Next week, December 1st I may fly down to Unity for an xmas dinner for pilots.  If you would like to join me, please leave your comment's below! 

Northern star/Milky Way

Grandma Wenzel!

11,000 feet ASL (Above Sea Level)

Diefenbaker Lake, Saskatchewan

Cut Knife, Sask.

Runway windsock after 100km/hr winds

Cooking Lake, Alberta