Day one was cancelled due to strong winds. I had an eventful practice flight yesterday. You can read about it at the end of my previous post Here.
The forecast for day two showed strong northwest surface winds. In an effort to make a viable task we moved to Dunnellon Airport, about 70 kilometers northwest of Quest. A task southeast past Quest to Lake Wales Airport was called. The winds in the forecast proved true, which along with strong thermal cycles made towing too difficult to get the field airborne. We hung out for a while to see if the winds would abate, but in the early afternoon the day was called. After my adventure yesterday I was happy to stay on the ground until more friendlier conditions prevailed.
Strong Winds Again
Although we'd all rather be flying, the pilots and crew make hanging out a random airports good fun. The people are really what make this sport and catching up with everyone made the time pass quickly. I also happened to stumble on a few cool airplanes sitting on the ramp. The first was a Osprey II experimental. It's an all wood amphibious 2 place airplane with retractable landing gear. The interesting thing about it is how low it sits in the water. The example we saw had virtually perfect canvas work.
Keeping Busy Waiting for the Winds to Die Off
The Osprey II
Dustin Stress-testing the Canvas Work
Osprey II Take-off
Look how low it sits in the water until it gets on the step.
Sitting across from the Osprey II was 1956 Cessna 310. It was in poor condition, but still had a stately presence. Early design cues like the upright canopy, vertical tail, and massive tip tanks were captivating. This example's flying days were long gone, but the patina of faded paint, mold, and oxidation made it worth photographing.
The Stately Early Cessna 310
After 4 days of sleeping in the Element I was happy to adapt a large window sill into accommodations for the evening. The weather looks better tomorrow so the race should be on. In the meantime Jack Simons pointed out - We're all tied in 1st place!
My Accommodations for the Evening
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