cub_driver
Registered User
Big Lake AK
It is that time of year when the northern ducks start to migrate through the susitna valley and if you are a avid duck hunter there is no keeping you home. A friend had called me and told me ducks where flying at his shack and if I wanted in on it I needed to get over there. Of course there is only one little detail he didn't mention Mike flys floats and I am on wheels. I think float plane operators have fogotten how to land in a cross wind. I got up early and started the plane at sunrise. When I departed and headed to the Big-Su I could tell the winds where getting stronger as I got closer to the landing area. There was a dry narrow little place to land on the flats but it was a direct cross wind about 15 mph or maybe a little better. My landing was uneventfull and we had a great morning hunting ducks.
When I returned home Mike and I cleaned our ducks and talked about the next day. Mike was not able to go, but hunting was so good I had to go again the next day. I called a friend and he was up to heading out at O dark thirty. I picked him up early the next mornig we loaded the plane and took off at sunrise. The wind had picked up through the night as I closed in on the grass strip I was thinking to myself you really must want to hunt ducks bad to be landing in these crosswinds today. About then a flock of geese jumped up from the grass strip and the killer instinct took over I was going to land! I applyed carb heat set my flaps and was already in the duck blind before my wheels touched the ground.
It all changed when the winds wanted to turn my tail as the mains settled in and the right wing wanted to lift. I worked the plane to a stop using breaks throttle and stick it was impressive but not pretty. When I taxied the plane to a stop and stepped out to tie it down I estimated the wind to be over 20 mph. I tied the plane down and went hunting after three hours exposed to those winds my friend and I where both froze up. I was one duck short of my limit but didn't really care we had had a great day so thought we would head back home. When we returned to the plane I walked and cleared off a area that allowed us to take off directly into the wind I had a full 120 paces to work with. This was more then enough with the head winds we had. We loaded the plane and I throttled up the tail raised and I started to roll we where airborn in no time.
It was a great two days of hunting I hope you all have a fall as wonderfull as I have.
Cub_Driver
When I returned home Mike and I cleaned our ducks and talked about the next day. Mike was not able to go, but hunting was so good I had to go again the next day. I called a friend and he was up to heading out at O dark thirty. I picked him up early the next mornig we loaded the plane and took off at sunrise. The wind had picked up through the night as I closed in on the grass strip I was thinking to myself you really must want to hunt ducks bad to be landing in these crosswinds today. About then a flock of geese jumped up from the grass strip and the killer instinct took over I was going to land! I applyed carb heat set my flaps and was already in the duck blind before my wheels touched the ground.
It all changed when the winds wanted to turn my tail as the mains settled in and the right wing wanted to lift. I worked the plane to a stop using breaks throttle and stick it was impressive but not pretty. When I taxied the plane to a stop and stepped out to tie it down I estimated the wind to be over 20 mph. I tied the plane down and went hunting after three hours exposed to those winds my friend and I where both froze up. I was one duck short of my limit but didn't really care we had had a great day so thought we would head back home. When we returned to the plane I walked and cleared off a area that allowed us to take off directly into the wind I had a full 120 paces to work with. This was more then enough with the head winds we had. We loaded the plane and I throttled up the tail raised and I started to roll we where airborn in no time.
It was a great two days of hunting I hope you all have a fall as wonderfull as I have.
Cub_Driver
