The weather forecast and actual conditions appeared excellent, but reality turned out to be the complete opposite. A cold gale hit me from the side—twice—sudden and unexpected, while I was still accelerating on the ground. I knew right away that this flight was going to be interesting.

The air turbulence was severe just above the ground and continued to intensify. I looked around but couldn't find any reason for what was happening, nor any indication it would improve with time. Before reaching the western threshold of the runway, I decided not to push my luck and turned back for home.

The landing was tough. The back wheels touched down on the pavement while the front wheel was still hovering just above the ground. Suddenly, a crosswind burst hit. The front wheel landed slightly at an angle, which triggered the trike's infamous “Duck Walk.” My large Lexan windshield split vertically down the center into two pieces. I needed to replace the windshield anyway, as it had too many scratches causing star reflections in bright sunlight or snow. It was really interesting flight, but no fun this time