“Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I but when the trees bow down their heads, the wind is passing by.”
A new phenomenon has risen today. We have sun, yup sun. We also have a blue sky. The only snag to a perfect March day is the cold and the wind. It is only 39°, and the wind is making it feel so much colder. I will be content watching the world from my window.
My coffee is especially tasty this morning. Maybe it is the warmth it brings on a cold day. Maybe it is the country of origin, Nicaragua. In any case, I’m heading for cup two.
When I was a kid walking to school, I had to pass the field at the end of my street. On a day like today the wind whipped across it. Sometimes I’d open my arms and let the wind take me. It was almost like flying. Other times I’d keep my head down and my hands in my pockets. The wind would rock me, and the cold would blow up the sleeves of my coat. I was always so glad to get by that field to the street leading to my school. The street was protected by houses and trees on both sides.
My mother always made great school lunches, but they were the best after my father got paid. Usually I’d have a bologna sandwich, sometimes chips in a sandwich bag and cookies, but on pay weeks we’d have surprises like something Hostess, especially Hostess cupcakes. Sometimes we’d get money to buy lunch. I’d leave school and walk down the street to Santoro’s Sub Shop. The older man, I always figured he was Mr. Santoro though we were never officially introduced, would take my order and make the sub. On the walls around the shop were menu boards. On Fridays, I never had a choice. It was always a small tuna sub with pickles and hot pepper. I’d sometimes have enough money for chips and a drink. Santoro’s had no tables. Against one wall was a counter with stools on one side. I’d usually eat there.
My dance card is uke filled this week with practice, a lesson and two concerts though I probably will only go to one. I do need to do more cleaning. Nala is in the hall eating a toilet paper roll from the trash and chewing a pine branch she brought in through the dog door. I guess I’ll start there.
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March 11, 2024 at 2:03 pm
Hi Kat,
Today is not windy but a bit chilly. We had some sprinkles this morning but the sky is clearing up. The low was 46° this morning and the predicted high is 71°. Thankfully, we are back on Daylight Savings time. I like having more sunlight in the evening rather than in the morning.
When I began learning to fly airplanes, I began learning in a 65 HP Piper J-3 Cub. The empty weight was about 900 lbs. It was as simple an airplane as was possible to build.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_J-3_Cub
If the day was windy we didn’t fly because any gust of wind could blow the airplane away unless it was hangared or tied down. This airplane could fly as slowly as 35 MPH. Normal cruise speed was 60 MPH. I remember while on a cross country trip, where I was flying into a 20 MPH headwind at 3,000 ft. altitude. I was flying over the ground so slowly that semi-trailer trucks were passing me on the interstate highway below. If you want to go anywhere fast, the Cub is not for you.
The Cub was the perfect training airplane because you had to learn how to fly by the attitude of the airplane in reference to the outside horizon. It only had six instruments in the cockpit. An altimeter, airspeed indicator, tachometer, oil pressure, oil temperature, and a compass. The fuel tank was between the engine and the cockpit. It held 12 gallons of gasoline. The gauge was a wire attached to a cork that floated on the fuel. A hole drilled in the cap had the wire passing through which was attached to the cork. As the fuel was consumed, the wire would get shorter. It had rudder pedals, heel brakes, a joy stick, a throttle, and an ignition switch. It also had a carburetor heat switch which you turned on during idle descents to keep the engine running. Most Cubs were painted in Cub Yellow.
It had no electrical system nor battery. The instructor would hand prop the wooden propeller. Probably my current hearing deficit started when flying in Cubs.
March 11, 2024 at 9:17 pm
Hi Bob,
The wind has been steady all day and is still making the air feel quite cold. Tomorrow will be warmer, close to 50°.
My uncle owned his own Piper Cub. He and my aunt had 8 kids. They asked me to babysit the kids over a weekend, and I agreed. The money was good. They flew wherever they went but ended up stuck there for two extra days due to weather. I got a big bonus, and my uncle flew me home. I loved flying so close to the ground. Those were the days when we could fly over cities, and we flew over Boston. It almost seemed as if I could put my hand out and touch the buildings. It was a remarkable ride.
March 11, 2024 at 10:06 pm
Wow! Do you remember which model he owned? After I got my private pilot certificate, I rented a Piper PA-11 to fly the required cross county flights to earn my commercial pilot certificate. The regulations require that departing one airport and flying 25 miles to another airport is considered a cross country flight. When I was earning minimum wages back then, I could rent the PA-11 for $15 per hour including fuel. It had an 85 HP engine and flew about 70 MPH. I didn’t care about the speed, just saving money. The best difference from the J-3 was you could fly it solo from the front seat. Today, a completely restored Cub sells for around $100,000. That’s to rich for my blood. 🙂
March 11, 2024 at 10:18 pm
It was so long ago I don’t remember. It was the smallest plane I had even ridden in. He kept it at an airport about 30 miles from where he lived. I will never forget flying over Boston. It was a beautiful sunny day and the light glinted off the windows below us.
March 12, 2024 at 8:36 am
You can see a lot when you’re only flying at 70 MPH at around 3,000 ft.
March 12, 2024 at 9:06 pm
It’s amazing!