On March 1, airline flights were arriving from the west and flying over Ocean Beach to land at San Diego International Airport, which seemed odd. First, it’s cold and rainy in San Diego, and second, planes landing from the west and taking off to the east? Was Sunday an ‘opposite day’ and no one told us? We asked Ian Gregor, public affairs manager with the FAA Pacific Division, for an explanation. He replied with a one-word answer, “Wind.” But then he did go on to elaborate a little more. “Aircraft generally have to land and take off into the wind. So depending on which way the wind is blowing, we have to operate the airport in a certain direction. “It happens from time to time [in San Diego], typically when Santa Ana winds are blowing. It’s fair to say that the vast majority of the operations at Lindbergh take place in the other direction.” Gregor had no explanation for the recent cold and rainy weather, though.