Man did I suck! The last landing was not too bad, but it took a lot of effort to get there.
I'm not feeling too bad though - it was my first session with real crosswinds (about 8-10 knots). The winds actually picked up after I left the airport, with the AWOS reporting 10 gusting to 15 knot winds, but were pretty steady while I was up. In general, the timing of today's flight could not have been better, as I was sorely in need of the crosswind work.
I've determined that two weeks is about the max I can go between flights and retain my confidence, so that will be my yardstick from here on. I had scheduled several flights prior to today, but they were scrubbed because of the weather. We've had a stationary front hovering over SC for several weeks, with a lot of moist unstable air pumped in. It has produced widely scattered rain daily, with really low ceilings until afternoon most days (at least in the midlands). The front finally seems to be on the move, which should bring more typical summer weather - highs in the mid-90s with scattered thunderstorms.
My instructor signed me off to take the written, so I'll get that out of the way in the next couple of weeks. I'll need at least one more session of dual in the pattern before my solo cross-country, then it will be time to prepare for the practical (provided I stay on track and keep my proficiency high enough). But a lot of that will depend on the weather's cooperation. Hopefully I can finish before hurricane season is in full swing!
