PIC Time: Solo Flight in the Traffic Pattern with Crosswind

The Winter 2011 is almost over and the Spring is on the way in North Carolina. Today, I made a solo flight in the Allegro 2000 LSA from KTTA (Raleigh-Exec Jetport) for being current in my PIC time and practice landings in crosswinds.

The weather was mild (63 F) at the airport with broken clouds from 6,000 ft and good visibility . But, the winds were varying from 160 degrees at 8 MPH with some gusts.

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The traffic in the airport was heavy, with three planes doing the traffic pattern along with a couple of incoming flights. I was number three for takeoff from RWY 21 and departed with flaps at 15 degrees. I rotated at 55 MPH and climbed at 65 MPH. I crabed the airplane into the wind to keep aligned with the runway. I followed the Piper Cherokee on the downwind and made my first landing with an approach speed of 70 MPH and carrying a little power. I turned off the RWY from taxiway Charlie and lined up for my second takeoff behind a Cessna 172.

I again tookoff from RWY 21 but this time without any flaps and climbed to the pattern altitude of 1200 ft. The Cessna was doing a long traffic pattern and so I made my base leg longer and entered the downwind from midpoint of the RWY. I entered the base leg at 800 ft AGL and final approach at 75 MPH. After holding the heading in the varying crosswind, I landed the light sport airplane at RWY 21 and taxied the plane to the FBO.