AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2013 - 97

“Cessna Niner-Six-Niner-Six-Hotel,
radar service terminated. Squawk VFR
and resume own navigation.”
“Ahhhhh…Billings Departure…Cessna
Niner-Six-Niner-Six-Hotel. We are going
to stay with you. We’re coming back.”
“Cessna Niner-Six-Hotel, plan to
enter a left downwind for 28L. Wind 310
at 35, gust 45.”
Still getting tossed around, we
returned to the airport, aligning for the
left downwind. Approaching the pattern,
approach control passed me to the tower
controller. I asked for the longer, wider
Runway 28. The winds were now 310 at
32 knots.
My heart rate increased. I had left
calm winds and daylight for a 30-degree,
30-knot crosswind and a night landing.
That massive cell had parked itself in the
perfect location to bring strong winds to
the airport.
I performed the landing checklist,
turned on the landing light, and entered
a left base for Runway 28R. I chose to use

only 10 degrees of flaps, as I was going
to fly this high-wing aircraft onto the
runway.
On short final I was crabbed 30 to
40 degrees to the north, but it was relatively smooth. I remember playing with
the rudder pedals to rehearse the crosscontrol inputs I would have to make at
the last moments in ground effect.
The winds were now from 310 at 30
knots. The next few minutes are a blur.
I remember taking my time; reacting to
the gusty, unpredictable wind conditions; and thinking that I had plenty of
runway—use it all if necessary.
My voice cracked as I thanked the
tower for their help. We labored during the taxi to get back to the ramp, but

successfully shut down in the same spot
we had left only one hour earlier.
When I look back on this experience,
it’s tempting to feel a sense of accomplishment in my ability to get down
safely. However, I realize I made the mistake that I always thought I would never
make: I let my plans at home affect my
decision making. I hope that other lowtime pilots will remember how fast
conditions can change. It is so true that
we can try to hope our way to our destination and disregard the lessons of those
who came before us.
AOPA
ANDREW ALLEN lives in Bozeman,

Montana, has 450 hours, and continues
to fly around Big Sky Country.

JAY SCENARIO How would you fly this flight? This scenario is available on the

AOPA Jay from Redbird.
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2013

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