The Cloud in Every Silver Lining

We had a short reprieve from the pilot-unfriendly weather patterns we've been experiencing these last few days weeks months today, and I leapt on the proffered opportunity to take PapaGolf out for a canter through the neighborhood. Having recently been the recipient of a bang-up airplane cleaning provided by some of co-pilot Egg's neighborhood friends, I more or less decided on impulse to stop by the neighbor's house and see if the enthusiastic washer that I had awarded "Airplane Washer of the Day" would care to ride along. That seemed like the least I could do in thanks for a couple of hours of wing and belly washing, and it's always nice to have some company along.

I throttled back to 2000 rpm once we reached our cruising altitude of 3,500' and we loafed along at a leisurely (heh!) 135 knots. It was a tad hazy, so the scenery wasn't as good as it might have been for my guest, but he enjoyed the ride nonetheless. We returned to Bolton to find the winds had picked up to 140 @ 6, but that isn't enough to be at all bothersome and I still anticipated a smooth landing. In fact, I made one of the best landings I've ever had in that airplane. Right wheel first to account for the crosswind from the right, left wheel a moment later, both touching the runway so smoothly that I could barely feel them start to rotate.

"Well, that was a pretty good landing, if I do say so myself," I observed.

His reply? "It was a little bumpy."

So I'm thinking, "Geez, what's it take to impress some people?" when I see out of the corner of my eye that he's got a big ol' RV grin on his face and he's just ribbing me on the landing. I'll bet Egg has coached him...