CindyASK wrote:
Offered, JJ, offered. Not necessarily given.

You have seen me at Avenal in the K-21.
Or maybe not, as I often finish early enough in Sports Class to
be busy aeroretrieving folks with the 182 after my beloved -21
is tied down safely.

We tippytoe around our miles, keeping glide to runways, practicing
centering and calculating and navigating, and often relaying messages
for folks long and low from home. After claiming our minimum time,
the student du jour is usually mentally tired enough to bag the task.

We crawl home at well above glide slope, cross the finish cylinder and
revert to local flyers. Observe the wind sock, listen for traffic,
observe the neighborhood for other traffic (many times not on
frequency), and if all looks like we will not impinge on anyone else's
fun, we have been seen to thrill the front porch crowd.... with plenty
of time and savvy to convert speed to altitude, make a reversal, and
land in normal speed and configuration from our "low" downwind leg.
Not over campers, not over RVs, not over the clubhouse,
nor the town, etc.

The low downwind leg is not for the front porch crowd. It is our
celebration of having gotten home with enough extra to splurge,
without fouling anyone else's fun. That's the way the discussion
goes in our cockpit, at least.
I think that can be taught within the recreational or contesting
arena, and promotes a different outlook on zoomies that is still
consistent with safe operations.
(And hey, if it helps fill my schedule for the event, I don't mind!)

If we don't get home with that much reserve.... it doesn't happen.

Hoping to celebrate soaring(responsibly) a little next week . . .

Cindy

Cindy used the "R" word. I like that.

So many people who forget that we are responsible for our own destiny in the
cockpit. Especially it seems in the USA where there appears to be this
relentless urge to make every thing regulated to the point where anyone with the
self control and discipline of a six year old can participate safely.

Part of the pleasure for me is in working our what is responsible under the
circumstances, and doing better if possible. Have been known to spend an entire
afternoon flying 10 miles out and making a "final glide" - slowly getting the
energy picture wotrked out, and getting better at it.

As has been said before here - you can't regulate common sense. But practice
improves your luck immensely.

Fly safe.

--
Bruce Greeff
Std Cirrus #57
I'm no-T at the address above.
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