It was a slow day at work.

[tradford]

Night Landing

The pattern was empty – not a flier in sight,...
which wasn’t surprising on that blustery night.

Conditions were iffy and the lights at full watts,
with the wind at 250, blowing 38 knots.

The beacon was flashing and the ATIS was stating –
“if you’re coming in here – have an instrument rating”.

But even with gauges and slope-lights to boot –
attempting a landing was less than astute.

The man in the tower was as bored as could be,
playing Facebook and Twitter on his Galaxy-3.

Then all of a sudden, from out of the blue,
came a drawl, “Gwinnett tower – eight two triple two”.

He knew of the numbers – he’d heard them before,
having cleared her for landings and departures galore.

A Robinson chopper with time on the Hobbs –
just a little old Beta that had logged a few jobs.

The Tower, though startled, acknowledged the call,
said “I’m six to the north and just passing the mall”.

“I’m inbound for Yankee, then on to the ramp –
got to get in the hanger ‘cause she’s getting real damp”.

The doors were removed and the seats were both soggy –
she was taking on weight and the windshield was foggy”.

The Tower, amazed she was out in this weather,
knew Ronald’s disdain for wet carpet and leather.

But the tower was failing to share in the pain –
was clearly undaunted by the clouds, wind and rain.

“The field is still Delta and you know the rules,
we are well below mins and you ain’t got the tools!”

“Take her to Winder – it’s only Class E,
you can scud your way over below 1.3.”

The pilot was testy – unwilling to pass,
said “I need special clearance, ‘cause I’m real low on gas!”

The man in the tower was taken aback
when he sensed that the pilot was on the attack.

He changed his demeanor and cleared him to land
despite that conditions were far less than grand.

“The ceiling’s just touching our old water tower
and the wind’s really strong – better pour on the power!”

“Copy that, tower and thanks for the clue,
but I’ve logged a few hours and I know what to do.

He entered the downwind at 200 feet,
while he tightened his harness and pulled in some heat.

She was coming in hot with the wind at the rear
till she swung base to final, having got the “all clear”.

With all the momentum a Beta could grace,
she dropped onto Yankee like a rocket from space.

She slowed to a hover then turned to the right,
while the wind at an angle made her put up a fight.

The tail boom was swinging by 40 degrees,
as the tail rotor whined like a box full of bees.

Out on the tarmac, a lone dolly stood
with a minimal surface of old weathered wood.

While pumping the petals and cyclic in hand,
he lowered collective and attempted to land.

But the pendulum action from turbulent wind
made landing much harder than it ever had been.

He flashed back to footage he’d seen on TV
of a tuna boat landing on a violent sea.

He kept making passes ‘till he nailed it just right
and the skids were aligned with the pale yellow stripe.

He shut down the rotors and ran for the cart,
then he treated that Beta like a fine piece of art.

He sopped up the water with a towel from his bag
and wiped down the seats with a clean cotton rag.

In time she was shining so no one would tell –
and the only thing left was that locker room smell.

The pine tree that hung in the cab of his Ram
was attached to the compass for much needed glam.

A snap of the seat belt and slap on her tail –
he thanked the old Beta for having prevailed.

He left her there parked by an R44,
then he flipped off the lights and he lowered the door.

A posting on Facebook would prove that it’s true –
just another night landing at KLZU.

[Wally]

38 knots ain't no thang, turn to base timing isn't positional, it's timing- how long will you drift doing the 180? And keep the base short. Don't end up clawing your way back upwind becase you overshoot.

Hovering? keep the nose in the wind and be amazed at how little power it takes to hold a hover. Gusts will try to spike you, pay attention. Moving into the lee and structural turbulence, shutting down, stopping the main rotor is where even the brave sweat...

Edited August 5, 2016 by Wally

[r22butters]

"Green Eggs and Ham" had illustrations,...?

Edited August 5, 2016 by r22butters

[tradford]

You guys are a tough crowd.