I thought the best way to experience the Twotter in it's natural habitat would be to undertake a freight run from NZTU (Timaru) to NZTL (Tekapo), right in the face of an oncoming Southerly front. Time was of the essence with an approaching storm and as I carried out the startup procedures the wind was steadily picking up. As I taxied out the wind was a direct crosswind, and I also wanted to check out how well the old girl could get off the ground with no the most ideal wind conditions, hence why I am taking off on RWY 02 (not recommended, obviously!).
Once airborne I made a turn toward the alps and was forced to level off at 3000ft initially due to the protruding cloud from the nearby weather system. The Twotter steamed along beautifully, and work got even tougher for her as we approached Fairlie, with the Southerly hitting us with a bang. Shaking side to side, up and down, I decided to climb up a bit to get through Burkes Pass and try to miss the worst of the lower level turbulent winds.
Eventually we came out into the Mackenzie Basin and set a direct heading for Tekapo, landing on RWY 33 and heading straight inside for a cuppa to warm up.
Enjoy the shots. Cheers
, see you did not need a weather change .. look at that .. all fluffy and wooly 
