Last weekend the weather was lousy, so I didn’t get flying. But yesterday morning was acceptable, if cold, so I took advantage. It was the first real cold day this winter flying season, with a temperature of about –14°C at engine start. But first, I had to clear a bunch of snow from in front of the hangar, which meant I really hoped to get the snow blower to start, probably for the first time since last winter. Fortunately it has an electric starter, powered by an extension cord plugged into 120 VAC. It took a lot of cranking, but I finally got it to run. I was very happy that it didn’t have a pull starter, as I’d have been close to dead by the time it got going.

The flight itself was short, dedicated to a few aerobatics, and two landings. The engine puts out a lot more power in the cold air, and I used it to do some vertical eights (picture two balls, one on top of the other).