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I learned to fly on the G.I. Bill, after getting out of the Navy in 1954. I had spent my tour of duty with air transport squadrons, and just got the bug to fly.
I want to tell you about my scariest flight, my first cross county distance flight. I was flying a 3 passenger Pipe Super Cruiser, which was a short field and high altitude capable plan, and rugged enough that ranchers like them as they could land in one of their fields..
I took off from our home airport which sat on top of a bluff, with straight down 400 foot cliffs on 3 sides of the airport. (Ironic is the fact that is the same hill, that the Wright Brothers flew their earliest gliders off of while living in the area as teen agers.)
I flew to Redding California, which was about 200 miles away over very rugged mountain and valley timbered areas. Not a place you wanted to have an emergency landing. Going over I had a 25 mile per hour tailwind, which with 105 mile an hour cruising speed of the plane, meant I flew over at 130 mile ground speed. At Redding the tower told me I could cut the headwind, to 10 miles an hour if I went up an additional 1,000 feet, and could fly back at 95 mph ground speed.
The plane did not have a radio, as many did not in that time period in that area, because there was no place you even had to get permission to land from a tower. I was flying VFR (visual flight rules) meaning you flew from point A to point B to a point on the map, then from B to C, and so forth down the line. After a few minutes, I realized none of my check points were coming up and I was hopelessly lost. I knew I could just keep flying west, and would cross over the 101 Highway, or a few miles more to the California coast. From either, I could figure out where I was, and could get back to the airport I had left.
But when you are a newer pilot, flying over extremely rugged country with no towns of any size, getting late in the afternoon, and no place you can set down safely in an emergency, it is a scary feeling.
Then the Gremlins came out (you know those little green men just inches tall, that like to play tricks on people. I saw them out there unbolting my wings, which started flapping like a flying bird, and other types of sabotage. It was getting scarier by the minute, when I looked down and saw the tiny berg of Bridgeville which was right on my flight pass, but I should not be there for near another hour. Bridgeville was the first town sold on EBay.
I relaxed, the Gremlins jumped off the plane, and the wings quit flapping like a bird. I knew all I had to do, was go into a gradual descent, and follow the river below me home, which was only about a quarter mile from the airport I wanted. When I got to the airport, we computed my ground speed, which was 180 miles an hour, about twice what it was supposed to be. I got on the phone and called the tower in Redding, and let them know the wind was twice the speed it should have been at that altitude in and was a tail wind of about 90 miles an hour in the wrong direction.
I phoned the Redding Tower, and they told me it had already been reported, and information now current and were sorry for my scary time.
Location: Mokelumne Hill, CA & El Pescadero, BCS MX.
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Soloed in 6 hours, got my ticket with 44 hours total time. October 1969.
third touch and go a 727 is blowing jet blast across he runway threshold so I had to land long.
Scariest moment: Taking my father over his workplace at Lockheed. I dipped the wing in a slip and watched a Mooney slide by about 50 feet below me in the opposite direction. The Mooney called the tower and announced he was 10 miles out when he was closer to 5. This was before controlled airspace and transponders so that shouldn't happen these days.
My grandfather was a tenant farmer at the Van Nuys airport. He would sit me on his lap on a noisy dusty tractor (I was 4 years old) all I wanted to do was fly.
Worst thing about flying, is they wont let me in the cockpit.
My response was aimed at "IFR is easier". What you said is, of course, correct. I as well as a couple others could have written the same. I chose not to for sake of brevity as well as ease of understanding.
I appreciate that you and many others (if not most pilots, indeed) could have written what I posted.
Unfortunately, in an open forum here with non-pilots who don't have much insight into what goes on beyond the alarmist stories and misconceptions of the press ...
The key, IMO, to portraying aviation and piloting is not limited to an "... ease of understanding", although that is a desired point of communication.
More important, however, is to be certain that you cannot be misunderstood. Just as we try to do in our pilot to pilot contacts or pilot to an airspace controlling authority.
Oh my, IFR is terrible. You want to follow your senses instead of the instruments and that will kill you. You get disoriented and oftentimes vertigo slams you like a sledgehammer.
That's what killed JFK Jr. as well as a guy a couple flight school classes ahead of me. Flew his F14 straight into the Atlantic at around 600 knots.
I would think one would have to demonstrate that he knows better than to do this sort of thing (go by the seat of your pants instead of instruments) to even be flying any sort of Navy fighter. Guy had to do a lot of hard things right to even get to that point, to be in that cockpit.
Care to elaborate on what happened, or does anybody know much beyond the fact that he augered in?
I would think one would have to demonstrate that he knows better than to do this sort of thing (go by the seat of your pants instead of instruments) to even be flying any sort of Navy fighter. Guy had to do a lot of hard things right to even get to that point, to be in that cockpit.
Care to elaborate on what happened, or does anybody know much beyond the fact that he augered in?
One minute he was cruising along on instruments, next minute he's in a dive. No previous issue with stick handling. I don't know much more as I was separating from the Navy when it happened.
Thank you so much for your post and great pics...never heard of a rainbow like you describe
A glider must be the best way to enjoy flying, no engine or noise...pulling the glider, not so much.
You've had quite a lifetime of wonderful experiences...
[/b]
Quote:
Originally Posted by sd-bound
I was a passenger in a glider at a resort on my first flight. After puking my guts out afterwards, I wanted nothing to do with any small plane ever again. A few years later I was given a glider lesson by a coworker friend which I put off for weeks. After she confronted me and not wanting to hurt her feelings, I took the lesson. Like night and day, what a difference having your hand on the stick made! I was hooked after that first lesson. I took a few glider lessons, before I transitioned to airplanes.
I started taking an hour of instruction on most weekends, receiving my ticket a year later. I flew for the next 25 years, buying and selling four airplanes along the way. Being an adventure seeker, flying was by far the most challenging, exhilarating and satisfing of all my endeavors.
I consider myself to be very lucky finding a crusty, old school instructor who taught her primary students in one of three WWII utility 'liaison' planes called an L2. These were tandom two seaters with no electrical system, the radio was run on a car battery mounted on the floor in front of the stick. They had no starter so after a short but carefully explained procedure, on my very first lesson, I started the 65hp Continental engine by swinging the prop by hand.
I had more the the average time logged before solo so I wasn't very nervous. The main thing I remember about my solo was the performance without my instructor on board, it took off like a rocket! I trained and took my check ride in another taildragger, a Bellanca 'Citabria' 7ECA (airbatic spelled backwards).
As others have pointed out, being a pilot you get to see sights that only a very few do. Some pilots have seen round rainbows, once I saw a 3/4-7/8 rainbow with just the bottom hidden by the horizon. Off the airways flying next to towering cumulous clouds, the spectacular views, the feeling and sense of freedom, it's breathtaking and nothing else like it.
I know we don't agree on anything else but possibly flying. Coincidently my first plane was a 1968 Cherokee 180 which I sold to buy a Cessna 152 Aerobat a couple years later. I converted it to a taildragger and learned some basic aerobatics. Spins (recovering on heading), loops, aileron rolls, modified hammerhead, snap rolls, Cuban eights and an 'Avalanche', one that I could never get down. It's a loop with a snap roll on top, but I kept spinning out from the roll. For me, I found that pulling anything more than 3-3.5 G's wasn't fun anymore, it felt more like work. So I never went beyond the basic maneuveres.
After selling the Cessna I bought a 1951 Champ 7EC that I flew all over the western states. I had an amazing opportunity one day. I was invited to follow a friend in his Champ to a private airstrip in the Salinas Valley, but he never told me who owned the field. On the way I had one of my two opportunities to fly formation. I was focused on my friends wingtip like a laser and was able to come in very close, much fun!
After arriving I found it was Wayne Handley's place. He's a famous (don't know if he's still flying) aerobatic pilot who once held the inverted spin record. I was treated to the only private airshow I ever attended. One of his students who happened to be there that day was David Ellison, son of Larry the founder of the Oracle corporation. I believe it was my first and only lunch I'll have with a billionaire.
For my last plane I hooked up with another pilot and bought a half share of a pre-build experimental, called a RV-4. It's also a tandem taildrager and my only high performance plane. Having been built by an airforce pilot, he 'procured' an F16 stick. With a 160hp Lycoming and a constant speed prop (controllable pitch) it would cruise at just under 200mph.
In 1987 went back and finally earned my glider rating. Finding enough lift to stay aloft without an engine is a great challenge. I never summoned up enough courage to try a cross country flight, but I logged just over 42 hours of glider time. Six years before I retired I had to maintain two households and couldn't afford to fly. So I went down to my local soaring club and offered to learn to tow gliders. It was a grey area as I don't have a commercial license, but since it was a private club, I got away with it. This was the largest plane I ever flew a, 260hp six banger Cherokee Pawnee converted from a crop duster. I only did this for a very short time, although it was free flying, I found towing gliders extremely dangerous, nerve racking and not much fun.
Having logged just over 1K hours, the only mechanical problems I had was in a Piper Cub fling over the Santa Cruz mountains when the engine coughed as it started to ice up. I had my passenger in the front seat pull the carburetor heat on and it smoothed right out. But t was amazed at how fast I reacted without really thinking about it. Flight training is very intense and thorough which is one of the reasons it's so satisfying.
I highly recommend anyone with the means and interest to start flying. You'll soon find out if it's for you or not, but if it is, you'll never regret it or forget it!
Pics; Formation flight, Wayne and I, David Ellison, Yosemite Valley and my RV-4 panel...
Have not heard of a sailplane ...is it similar to a glider, but more sophisticated?
[/b]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Listener2307
I only flew sailplanes. I was never a power pilot.
I gave it up years ago, but I missed it so much I had to take down all my pictures. Sometimes I still fly in my mind, but it's a solitary sport, and no one flies around here.
I flew a Pilatus B-4.
I have a 5000 foot badge for gaining 5000 feet after release and a 5 hour badge for staying aloft for 5 hours.
Fast forward to about 7:00 to see what the B-4 can do. (IT can do it; I could not)
I know we don't agree on anything else but possibly flying. Coincidently my first plane was a 1968 Cherokee 180 For my last plane I hooked up with another pilot and bought a half share of a pre-build experimental, called a RV-4. It's also a tandem taildrager and my only high performance plane. Having been built by an airforce pilot, he 'procured' an F16 stick. With a 160hp Lycoming and a constant speed prop (controllable pitch) it would cruise at just under 200mph.
Ha! Yeah, but flying is the most important. I would love to build, or buy and RV-7, or RV-8. What a hoot those would be to fly. They are fast and aerobatic, and good short field performers also. There was a guy on my field who had an RV-6, but I never got to fly with him as he left, and went somewhere else. Neat pics too.
Have not heard of a sailplane ...is it similar to a glider, but more sophisticated?
[/b]
Same thing, different name. There's a glider club at a grass field about 10 miles from me, and I keep wanting to go over there and get my glider add on some weekend.
Sorry...for the error...oh my, could have cost you everything. Quite a scary trip...
Gremlins come out at the worst of times...glad you chased them off and landed safely.
[/u]
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtrader
I learned to fly on the G.I. Bill, after getting out of the Navy in 1954. I had spent my tour of duty with air transport squadrons, and just got the bug to fly.
I want to tell you about my scariest flight, my first cross county distance flight. I was flying a 3 passenger Pipe Super Cruiser, which was a short field and high altitude capable plan, and rugged enough that ranchers like them as they could land in one of their fields..
I took off from our home airport which sat on top of a bluff, with straight down 400 foot cliffs on 3 sides of the airport. (Ironic is the fact that is the same hill, that the Wright Brothers flew their earliest gliders off of while living in the area as teen agers.)
I flew to Redding California, which was about 200 miles away over very rugged mountain and valley timbered areas. Not a place you wanted to have an emergency landing. Going over I had a 25 mile per hour tailwind, which with 105 mile an hour cruising speed of the plane, meant I flew over at 130 mile ground speed. At Redding the tower told me I could cut the headwind, to 10 miles an hour if I went up an additional 1,000 feet, and could fly back at 95 mph ground speed.
The plane did not have a radio, as many did not in that time period in that area, because there was no place you even had to get permission to land from a tower. I was flying VFR (visual flight rules) meaning you flew from point A to point B to a point on the map, then from B to C, and so forth down the line. After a few minutes, I realized none of my check points were coming up and I was hopelessly lost. I knew I could just keep flying west, and would cross over the 101 Highway, or a few miles more to the California coast. From either, I could figure out where I was, and could get back to the airport I had left.
But when you are a newer pilot, flying over extremely rugged country with no towns of any size, getting late in the afternoon, and no place you can set down safely in an emergency, it is a scary feeling.
Then the Gremlins came out (you know those little green men just inches tall, that like to play tricks on people. I saw them out there unbolting my wings, which started flapping like a flying bird, and other types of sabotage. It was getting scarier by the minute, when I looked down and saw the tiny berg of Bridgeville which was right on my flight pass, but I should not be there for near another hour. Bridgeville was the first town sold on EBay.
I relaxed, the Gremlins jumped off the plane, and the wings quit flapping like a bird. I knew all I had to do, was go into a gradual descent, and follow the river below me home, which was only about a quarter mile from the airport I wanted. When I got to the airport, we computed my ground speed, which was 180 miles an hour, about twice what it was supposed to be. I got on the phone and called the tower in Redding, and let them know the wind was twice the speed it should have been at that altitude in and was a tail wind of about 90 miles an hour in the wrong direction.
I phoned the Redding Tower, and they told me it had already been reported, and information now current and were sorry for my scary time.
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...is it similar to a glider, but more sophisticated?
