Sunset or Downwind??
I went for a short flight tonight in the Rallye, the cloud was broken at 3500 ft but it was getting brighter from the west.
My 400 yard strip is east-west and upon returning at about 9pm the sun was just right down the runway completly blinding me.
The wind was westerly at about 5 knots at EGAA (19 miles away) my sock was showing about 7-10 knot west wind.
I made 3 attempts to land on the west runway, I have to fly over trees and the sun was so strong I could not even see the trees.
I thought about a down wind landing on 09 but I have a few rules to follow here and NEVER EVER LAND WITH A TAIL WIND is one of them.
With about an hour and a half of fuel left I went off for another jolly and came back 30 minutes later when the sun was a bit lower (almost behind some hills) and a bit to the northwest.
I have had this experience before and have at times ask for another runway, even downwind if it is long enough.
Sunsets are wonderful but not when you are trying to land on a narrow, short, westerly field.
Tony