Mother nature, you Fickled Lady!
In the last story I made a fool of myself and admitted to being creamed-in-the-face with a cow-pie. Since the stigma is stuck, so to speak, I'll tell of another embarrassing moment. This adventure also had to do with a fly-in, about 70 miles south of Seattle on one of those picture card private grass strips. I had just delivered a new Tri-Pacer to a dealer at Renton airport and heard about the fly-in from a couple of pilots planning to go. The FBO/owner also planned on making the trip the next day with his family and overhearing our conversation suggested I go. I told him I'd love to but that I didn't have a ride, hoping he'd offer me a seat. But his seats were going to be full, as well as the other two pilots, so, he said:
'Heck, why don't you take the Tri-Pacer you just delivered'
I've known a few generous folks in my time but this fellow had then all beat, so I took his offer, not wanting to offend him you understand. The next morning, a Sunday, we all met as planned and took off in formation, two Tri-Pacers and two Cubs. The winds are sometimes tricky on the west side of the Rockies and this morning promised to one of those days.
As we took off the wind switched from upwind to downwind and our takeoff roll used up most of the runway, especially the two short-wing jobs. Finally getting airborne we climbed out over Lake Washington to 1500 feet then took up a heading south. The gusts of wind were less severe at this altitude but our formation was rather loose as I trailed the other 3 birds. When we had taken off the winds had been from the northwest but now were from the southwest. After an hour of headwinds we flew over the strip and blended into the landing pattern. I was tail-end-Charlie and as we set up our downwind leg the wind shifted again to the north. So, we all made a 180 and the two cubs landed first, then the other Tri-Pacer. Next it was my turn and I turned final over some tall pine trees as I put in a notch of flaps.
The strip was about 1500 feet long with power lines running across one end and those tall pine trees on the other. It called for short field technique and I had just put in full flaps about 200' agl when the wind shifted again. My sink rate was high, as those of you who've flown short wing birds will attest to, and with full flaps and the wind shifting on me I was in trouble. Even though I was lightly loaded the 135 hp available simply wasn't enough to haul me skyward again and I sank towards the upper branches of those pines. I swerved a bit to the west to try skimming between the tips of two trees and had the engine screaming with full back pressure on the yoke. Clipping the tops of the trees I aimed north again between two more trees and took another bite of the seat with my buttocks. Hail Mary's were coming out of my mouth at mach 3, as the bird was impaled on a lone pine tree, just behind the front seat. The tree took the crash better than I did as it whipped back and forth a few times then settled to gentle sways with the wind.
When I realized I was still alive and nothing wrong with me I told my Maker thanks and took stock of my situation. I wasn't hurt, But I was sitting in something akin to the above mentioned cow-pie. Never-the-less, I opened the door and looked down, 60 foot above ground and no parachute. Oh well! 'I'll have to shimmy down that tree' I said aloud, and that's what I did. When I reached the ground I smelled strongly of pine pitch, which helped cover the other embarrassing odor. Walking the short distance to the strip I was met by concerned citizens and I gave assurance I was ok. Later, after cleaning myself up and returning to the fly-in mob, I was asked many questions. Especially by the sad owner of the tree spiked Tri-Pacer. And, as I recounted the incident to him and the interested crowd I heard a newly arrived pilot exclaim:
'That's a pretty spiffy tetrahedron they've got at the end of the runway!
Definition: TETRAHEDRON - A large wind vane located at many un-controlled airports.