Fun, Fun, Fun

Yesterday I piloted a V-Tail Bonanza again. It was a sparkling clear winter day. Generally when we get a sparkling day around here this time of year, it is because a strong, cold, dry northerly wind is blowing. When the wind hits the hills and mountains of the area, it causes the equivalent of river rapids in the air, otherwise known as turbulence. Never have I taken such a pounding while flying a Bonanza! Lots of sudden jolts, plunging drop outs, surging updrafts and downdrafts, and wing drops that want to bank you 90 degrees (but you kick rudder to fix it). Quite fun! Seriously!

There was a nice mix of scenery: First a light haze in the South Bay, which I left behind me as I headed north, crossing over the Oakland Airport runways with the island of Alameda stretched out ahead of me like a crystalline roadmap. Next, flying west along the Bay Bridge toward the skyscrapers of downtown SF, following the shore of the Marina District, and then doing a tight turn to the north over the Golden Gate Bridge. After this, crossing over the Geysers and the Mayacmas Mountains to descend into the Clear Lake basin (getting pounded all the way), and maneuvering over the lake shore, orchards and vineyards to land at Lampson Field, where the winds were calm, the sky was deep blue, and the restaurant was closed for renovation. So back into the plane again, and out along the Russian River to the coast, over Bodega Bay, out to the Point Reyes lighthouse, over Stinson Beach, getting pounded again adjacent to Mount Tamalpais, then past the Golden Gate, and all the way down the San Francisco coast to Half Moon Bay.

At Half Moon Bay airport, the upper level winds were pouring off Mount Montara and creating a big 90 degree crosswind to the runway. I was crabbed way to the right as I came down final, and some gusts made for a very squirrelly landing and rollout. After grabbing some lunch, I headed back to Palo Alto. Crossing Skyline Ridge and descending, the temperature dropped considerably, illustrating how in the winter time, the Bay Basin acts as a bowl holding cold air in place. It was definitely cooler at Palo Alto than it was on the coast, but the winds were almost completely calm rather than a near gale (the cooler air tends to decouple from the winds above). The landing at Palo Alto was like butter, in stark contrast to the one at Half Moon Bay!

Anyway, I found a picture of a beautiful Bonanza (click to zoom). Take a look at the zoomed image. Now doesn't this look like the very Platonic Form of an airplane? The muses were smiling on someone at Beechcraft when they designed this airframe back in 1947...