Work that pattern!

105 years ago on December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers made the first powered flight. It's incredible how far flight has come in such a short time.Orville on the left, Wilbur on the right

Today I was feeling a little apprehensive about my flight. My last flight was Dec. 3rd in the Tecnam. Before that I flew the Skyhawk on Nov. 17th. I was feeling like I would be a little rusty with all the time that had passed. I really wanted to be a safe flyer because I am planning a long cross country down to Williamsburg, Va on January 2nd. My original intent was to make a cross country flight over to the area of Lewes, Delaware and then fly south down the coastline to land at Ocean City. The weather appeared like it wasn't going to cooperate due to the lowering ceilings that were forecast. I decided instead in Ridgely or Cambridge for a destination. I completed my preflight in the cold and then got ready to depart. My confidence was bolstered by the routine of a preflight and preparation for departure. When it came time to start the engine I was befuddled. I attempted a "normal" start with mixture at half and throttle at 1/4 inch. The engine didn't want to start. I tried mixture at idle and throttle at 1/4 inch and still could not get a start. One of the instructors took pity on me and hurried over. He stepped in from the right side and said that he would help. He confirmed that I was holding the brakes because neither of us, especially he, did not want to be run over by the airplane. He advanced the throttle to full and mixture to idle cutoff. I turned the started and after a few seconds the engine started and the instructor switched throttled back and advanced the mixture. I thanked him and continued my post startup routine. After taxi and runup it was time to depart. There was some right crosswind on Runway 29. After my takeoff I could see that the weather didn't look so good. I made the decision to stay put at the airport and decided instead to make due with some pattern work. To all you non fliers, pattern work is a lot like NASCAR. You take off and climb, then make a series of 90 degree turns, usually to the left. On your forth turn you area back to your runway heading and complete a landing in the same direction form which you took off. Lather, rinse, repeat. I had a non flying friend tell me that he thought it would be very boring just flying around in circles. I guess it would be, for a passenger. For the pilot it is exciting. The two parts of flight that provide the highest workload for a pilot are takeoffs and landings. Pattern work combines them to give you the equivalent of a high intensity workout.
I have never tried to let takeoffs lull my into a false sense of security. They are of course optional. You can decide not to take off. A great many accidents, especially those involving weather or darkness could have been avoided by exercising the option not to take off. I'll save the explanation of why takeoffs are more that what they seem for a later date. Once you do take off it makes the end of the flight, the landing, mandatory.
I flew the pattern five times. With the crosswind and the wacky pattern for runway 29 I had a rather long base leg at 70 knots with 20 degrees of flaps. It was extremely satisfying to get the sink rate just right and trim the aircraft out for 70 knots. It made the final approach a whole lot easier. I opted for 20 degrees of flaps on landing and a 70 knot final due to the crosswinds.
While I was on my 5th and last final approach one of the Tecnam Light Sport highwings was taking off to fly the pattern. I was concentrating on my final approach path but couldn't help but notice that after takeoff the plane turned abruptly to the right. I then heard the radio call that "Echo Sierra" was making an emergency landing. I was still on final and wanted to get off of the runway as soon as possible to allow the other airplane to land. I made the quickest landing I could and fast taxied clear of the runway. I turned 180 degrees to see the Tecnam coming down at a rather steep angle. The aircraft turned right. It was difficult to see it the plane was going to make the field. The prop was still turning as it made a hard left and a steep descent. It almost appeared as if it was going to land on the taxiway or the strip of grass to the left of the runway. I later found out that the pilot instructor was trying to manage the energy of the aircraft and get it down. The aircraft veered to the left and onto the runway heading. It flared and landed on runway 29. Afterward I spoke to the instructor. She said that she and her student experienced engine trouble just after takeoff. She thought that they may have thrown a cylinder valve. I asked her about the turns and she said that she was high coming in and wanted to make sure they had the right amount of energy to land safely. The Tecnam's don't have much less drag than something like a Cessna and that particular aircraft only has 30 degrees of flaps instead of 40 degrees on the Sierra. Nevertheless it was some skillful piloting. There were a few moments when I thought I was going to see a crash.