Winter flying would be great if it wasn’t cold. Unless you’re someone who flies in Southern California, it means engine pre heating and wing de-icing. No longer is it legal to use a broom to remove frost. Spray on glycol is the way to go and frankly that beats the pants off dipping your hand in a bucket of radiator fluid. I want my wife to enjoy flying in small planes so I leave her indoors while I remove the tie down chains, fuel up and preflight. I like having her along .
Props and lifting surfaces all work better with dense air. There’s more horsepower and more lift. The plane climbs steeper and cruises faster. Best of all, unless a front is coming through, the air is smooth and stable which makes happy passengers. Upon slipping the surly bonds, earth comes into view with the sum of its parts. Forests instead of just trees. Mostly though, everything looks….white. Rivers become huge pythons snaking across fields. Enormous wind turbines are reduced to tiny pinwheels dotting the landscape. Mrs. Wilko was kind enough to handle the camera.
Cool flying is cool.
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