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Will This Perfect Day for Flying Go Unpunished?

The small tailwheel cut into the grass strip's soft mud like a pizza cutter, leading to dreaded consequences.

Blue sky, good. Soft, muddy, slushy ground, bad. [Credit: Jason McDowell]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The pilot describes navigating treacherous, poorly plowed post-winter airport conditions, including mud and snow drifts, to finally fly after a long period of bad weather.
  • Despite using large tundra tires designed for soft ground, the airplane's small tailwheel inadvertently carved deep trenches into the muddy grass runway during landings and taxiing.
  • The author now faces a familiar sense of dread and anticipation of punishment from the airport owner for the damaged runway, reminiscent of a childhood disciplinary experience.
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In fifth grade, I got into trouble for fooling around and laughing with my friend in class. Somehow apathetic and unimpressed by the wonders of the second Continental Congress and calculating the area of parallelograms, he and I instead focused our in-class efforts on drawing sweet airplanes and hilarious comics. The latter produced laughter that simply could not be suppressed, which distracted the entire class. 

Due to our status as repeat offenders, Mrs. Frye reacted swiftly and fiercely. She sent us both directly to the office, where the principal drafted official disciplinary letters to be taken home and signed by our parents. While I was ultimately able to successfully represent myself and avoid any harsh sentencing, the anticipation of punishment was both stressful and memorable.

Jason McDowell

Jason McDowell is a private pilot and Cessna 170 owner based in Madison, Wisconsin. He enjoys researching obscure aviation history and serves as a judge for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. He can be found on Instagram as @cessnateur.

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