Yesterday, I flew up to Olathe for work to visit a client site. After a couple of days of work, it was time to fly home. With heat index up around 110 degrees, I was ready to head back home from a work trip to Olathe, KS. The winds were up around 15, gusting to 24, but right down the main runway. I was really dreading doing the pre-flight in the heat, but one of the linemen drove me out to the airplane with my bags, and the wind kept the heat from being too oppressive. I got the airplane started and carefully taxied to the runway.
Takeoff was smooth despite the gusty conditions, and even though it was hot, the air was pretty smooth, and the airplane climbed well. The wind forecast was for a headwind factor of 2-4 knots at 5,500, but no wind at 7,500. Once cruising at 5,500 I could see a cloud layer ahead at my altitude ahead, so I slowly climbed up to 7,500. The wind forecast was pretty accurate as I did see an increase in ground speed.
