Grass needed cutting !.........

[Guest Maj Millard]

Hanging around the house all day watching the high winds as forcast. Finally used the excuse that the grass in front of the hangar needs mowing, as it has just been going crazy with all the rain lately. So off to Montpelier I go. Pulled the plane out so I could mow into the hanger a bit, and it all looked great when I was done.

 

Hmm that wind has dropped a bit, I've flown in worse, and the plane is out of the hangar after all. Fuel checks, preflight, warm up, and I launch off the back strip after running foward to scare off a couple of large grey roos, and three Plains turkeys, one of whom is posturing with his wings like he wants to take me on. The roos and wallabys are loving all the grass too.

 

Set course for Martys at Majors' Creek about 10 nm away, and there is a solid crosswind blowing through the trees when I arrive. I do a pass down the runway, give Marty a wave and depart over the top for Starke field about another 10 nm away.

 

The main strip at Starke has been nicely mowed, the windsock doesn't seem to be doing much, but it's getting late, so another pass down the runway and I depart for montpelier.

 

Over the top at Montpelier I'm thinking large jumping rodents, and Plains Turkeys, in the fading light, so I set up and do a clearing pass down 04. The wind is favoring the bigger strip I took off on, but there should only be smaller wallabies on 04 not the large greys I noticed on takeoff. Sure enough a couple of wallabies jump off into the long grass as I pass over. My landing on 04 was pretty right-wing down due the wind direction, but I managed a pretty good touch down with no creature collisions. Damn good aircraft these Lightwings, and gee I'm glad that grass needed mowing !!...........................................Maj..