There’s nothing quite like the feeling of nailing a wheel landing—and this one might be my best yet. Ironically, it came right after the “Jump Around” short I posted from the same flight. The conditions were perfect: calm air and a golden sunset. Couldn’t have asked for a better setup. I made up the contest but it’d be really fun to see other “super smooth wheel landings caught on video”. A friendly challenge! Please link other videos if you have them!
On this flight I hopped over to Woodbine NJ for a practice landing. When I arrived, I saw a bunch of J-3 Cubs parked on the side of the taxiway and I thought I had stumbled upon a Cub gathering! I then noticed the missing engine cowls, and realized that this is the staging ground for a banner tow operation that services Cape May, NJ.
Shout-out to @Amy_Pilot for inspiring the technique of showing “long distance” travel. Her method of showing short clips over a long distance gives both a sense of actual speed and total distance traveled without making the user sit through 30 minutes of video! Amy uses the technique to condense down epic journeys that span hundreds of miles and showcases vast changes in landscape. I did the best I could with my 25 mile trip! But I love the effect!
A quiet milestone in a noisy journey—finally doing the thing I wasn’t sure I could.
Most of my flying experience has been at large, paved airports—and after a 9+ year break from flying, the idea of returning to a small grass strip brought a lot of anxiety with it. Add in the challenge of learning to fly a tailwheel aircraft for the first time, and this milestone felt a long way off.
It’s taken time to rebuild my confidence and get comfortable in the airplane again, especially in this new environment. But little by little, with each flight, I chipped away at the fear—and today, I finally made it back. This might not look like much from the outside, but for me, it was a huge step.
The article that I mentioned in the video: “The (Un)Natural” by John Bishop, Plane and Pilot Magazine: https://planeandpilotmag.com/unnatural/
We spent this day practicing crosswind landings in my Cessna 140 at a small grass strip in South Jersey. The conditions were tough, but I was handling the airplane well—and it turned out to be a big confidence boost for my tailwheel flying.
At the end of the video, my instructor asked if I wanted to try a solo. We ended up holding off for a few reasons: the winds were expected to pick up, some birds were lingering around the pattern, and I’m still figuring out how much the plane’s behavior will change without a passenger on board. Still, I’m feeling good.
Lately, I’ve been training in some pretty challenging wind conditions—and doing really well! But this day ended up being a bit more than I bargained for. The winds kept picking up, and I figured it was a good opportunity to keep pushing my limits while I had my instructor with me. Well… I found my limits. 😅
In the gusty crosswinds at the grass strip, I slipped back into an old bad habit—trying to force the plane to land before it was truly ready. These aren’t the most fun flying days, but they’re the ones where you learn the most. Sometimes, you’ve just got to grab an instructor and see what you’re made of.
In this video I’m at Downstown Airport, a grass strip in Southern NJ, practicing crosswind landings. The funny thing about this one is that the wind changed direction on us! As I turn toward final you can see that I miss-judge the wind and we’re off course! It was a sporty ride getting her on the ground!
You can see the video on YouTube here:
As winter grips southern New Jersey, the challenges of operating an airplane at an airport with a grass runway become ever more apparent. I recently captured a photo that encapsulates the struggle of balancing aviation with nature’s unpredictability. Here’s why flying from a grass runway in winter can be tricky.
Unlike paved surfaces, grass can hold onto snow for a long time. In winter, that stubborn layer of snow won’t melt away until the warmer days come along. And while snowplows are great for asphalt, there’s no way to plow a grassy field without damaging the turf. So, snow stays on the runway longer than we’d like, making it a slippery and not-so-inviting landing spot.
Even when the skies are clear, the ground conditions can mess with your flying plans. After a day of snow and thaw, the grass becomes soft and waterlogged. Even though the weather says it’s a perfect day for flying, the soaked earth can make the runway unusable. Meanwhile, you can hear other pilots flying overhead—they’re taking advantage of paved runways that dry out faster than grass—while we’re stuck waiting for drier days.
While modern tech and careful planning can help a bit, dealing with a grass runway in winter is still a challenge for pilots. The lingering snow and waterlogged ground make it a tough environment that tests both people and machines. But each winter brings lessons in patience and the beauty of nature’s resilience. Sometimes, the most memorable moments in aviation come from the struggle against the elements.
In this video, I take you through my first solo flight in a tailwheel airplane! Not only was this my first tailwheel solo, but it was also my first time flying solo in over 9 years! It’s been a long journey to get here, and while I’ll share more about my flying story in another video, let’s just say this solo has been a long time coming!
The flight took place at Millville Airport on a busy day with crosswinds strong enough to make us reconsider whether the solo should even happen—you’ll hear that discussion at the start of the video. Ultimately, I decided to go for it!
Right after liftoff, I spotted another aircraft crossing the runway’s end at pattern altitude, and I wasn’t entirely sure of their intentions. You’ll see me glancing between my iPad and the window to keep an eye on them, which led to a pretty messy traffic pattern on my part. I managed to adjust on downwind and get back into a good position, though!
One thing I noticed immediately was how much lighter the airplane felt without a passenger. During my roundout, the wind had a bit more of an effect on me than I was expecting, but I think I handled it well overall.
This solo flight felt a bit chaotic, and after more than seven years away from solo flying, I was definitely rusty. But finally reaching this milestone was an incredible feeling. Here’s to the next adventure!
Watch this video on YouTube here:
This video shows my first Touch & Go in a tailwheel aircraft! A Touch & Go involves landing and taking off again without coming to a complete stop. The runway at Woodbine, NJ, is a bit short for a full stop and go (without pulling off and taxiing back), so this was the perfect opportunity to practice. Watch closely during the landing—you’ll see the tailwheel’s shadow never meets the tailwheel wheel on the plane, showing that the wheel never touches the ground. I let this video run longer than usual because you can see a couple neat clusters of buildings on the ground as I’m climbing in the pattern.
You can see the video on YouTube here: