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  #1  
Old 02-27-2011, 09:22 PM
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N941WR N941WR is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SC
Posts: 12,887
Default A corporate Pilot?s First RV Ride

Attending our small church is a large number of pilots, I’m not exactly sure why, but I seem to be the only private pilot and the rest fly corporate jets, airliners, or air ambulance. During the build and subsequent engine replacement on my -9, each week they would ask for a status update or want to know where we had taken the plane. After many years of promising them all rides, I was finally able to get one of them up on Saturday afternoon.

Tony picked me up at my house and during the drive to the airport we talked about the aircraft he flew, the ups and downs of his career, and the challenges of flying the Citation (Here is Tony in the right seat of the Citation).

When we got to the airport another corporate pilot friend of Tony’s met us at the hangar. Going over the plane they were both surprised that the RV had an ADHARS unit and when I turned on the panel, they looked at the Dynon’s and said in unison, “It has tapes, we can fly tapes!”

After we climbed out Tony took the controls and flew us 20 minutes to a nice private grass strip just north of Charlotte where we did a low pass to make sure there were no deer on the runway. As we climbed back to pattern altitude Tony looked over at me and said, “Are you sure it is OK for us to land there? Some guys came out waving their arms at us.”

As we rolled out Tony commented on a really nice cabin WACO sitting in a hangar. Parking next to the WACO’s open hangar, he again asked if it was OK that we landed there as the guys who were waving at us walked up to the plane to greet us as did a couple on a golf cart and a few other airpark residents.

After deplaning and introducing Tony, we spent a few hours talking planes, hangars; the usual aircraft stuff. Oh, and Tony got a tour of the WACO and was all smiles when he emerged.

Tony did the flying on the short trip back to our home airport, after I did the takeoff. Once down at pattern altitude, Tony was struggling slowing the RV down to flap speed, so I took over, got the speed down, deployed the flaps and trimmed for 65 MPH. It was then that I realized he was really unnerved by the slow speeds.

Somehow I managed to pull off a perfect wheel landing and shortly we had the plane tucked in the hangar.

On the drive home, Tony reviled that the flight was full of firsts for him. It was the first time he had been in a single engine or reciprocating aircraft in over 15 years. The first time in an Experimental. The first time in a taildragger. The first time flying with a stick. (He kept commenting how natural it felt and how nice the RV flew.) The first time landing and taking off from grass. And finally, the first time he had ever flown for pleasure.

What? I had to ask him to repeat that last one.

It turns out all he has ever wanted to be was a pilot so after high school he started flight training, then hauling checks and car parts, working his way up to his first corporate flight department. Apparently there was never time or money available to rent a plane and just go out for a $100 hamburger.

He was really impressed by the RV but more so by the people he met as a result of the RV. After all, aren’t the people we meet the real the reason we fly?

Needless to say, he is looking forward to his next ride.
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RV-9 (Yes, it's a dragon tail)
O-360 w/ dual P-mags
Build the plane you want, not the plane others want you to build!
SC86 - Easley, SC
www.repucci.com/bill/baf.html

Last edited by N941WR : 02-27-2011 at 09:41 PM.
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  #2  
Old 02-27-2011, 09:29 PM
nucleus nucleus is offline
 
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Location: Bozeman, Montana
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Default

Fun story, thanks for the write-up Bill.

Hans
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  #3  
Old 02-27-2011, 09:53 PM
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sbarger24 sbarger24 is offline
 
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Location: Grand Island, NE
Posts: 192
Smile

Nice write up! Sometimes I think we forget that we belong to a pretty cool community of fellow builders and flyers
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RV-7A slider
Aerosport Power O-360
My RV was born in Reno, but now lives in Grand Island Nebraska
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  #4  
Old 02-27-2011, 10:11 PM
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rv6ejguy rv6ejguy is offline
 
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Location: Calgary, Canada
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Default

Nice story and always good to expose heavy iron pilots to our world.
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Ross Farnham, Calgary, Alberta
Turbo Subaru EJ22, SDS EFI, Marcotte M-300, IVO, Shorai- RV6A C-GVZX flying from CYBW since 2003- 441.0 hrs. on the Hobbs,
RV10 95% built- Sold 2016
http://www.sdsefi.com/aircraft.html
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  #5  
Old 02-27-2011, 11:39 PM
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CPSONE CPSONE is offline
 
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Location: BC Canada
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Default Nice landing

Well written and a fun read. Besides your nice landing I think you landed an RV fan!
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RV-6 emp, done-sold,
RV7A QB. Passed pre-cover and sold!
Disclaimer: Everything I say can be presumed to be wrong. Don't try this at home.
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  #6  
Old 02-28-2011, 03:39 AM
8CW 8CW is offline
 
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Location: Winston-Salem, NC
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Default Great story!

You might have just cost Tony $75,000...
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  #7  
Old 03-02-2011, 06:06 AM
HBpilot HBpilot is offline
 
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Location: Ocala, FL
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Default

I am an airline pilot and I can confirm what he said.
The best flying I had, was when I bought 100 hours of single engine time flying around, just after I got my private certificate. Of course at that time, I was dreaming of becoming an airline pilot. Don't know if it's just a human feeling "wanting what you don't have", but I am very close to ordering the tools and the tail.
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  #8  
Old 03-02-2011, 10:02 AM
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Mike S Mike S is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Dayton Airpark, NV A34
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Default Drink the kool aid.........

Quote:
Originally Posted by HBpilot View Post
but I am very close to ordering the tools and the tail.
Just do it
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Mike Starkey
VAF 909

Rv-10, N210LM.

Flying as of 12/4/2010

Phase 1 done, 2/4/2011

Sold after 240+ wonderful hours of flight.

"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it."
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  #9  
Old 03-02-2011, 10:05 AM
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N8RV N8RV is offline
 
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Location: Elkhart, Indiana
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Yeah, just take one little sip ... it won't hurt you ... heheh ...
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Peoria, AZ

Builder: RV-8 "Smokey"
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  #10  
Old 03-02-2011, 11:55 AM
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pazmanyflyer pazmanyflyer is online now
 
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Location: Litchfield Park, AZ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HBpilot View Post
I am very close to ordering the tools and the tail.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike S View Post
Just do it
Quote:
Originally Posted by N8RV View Post
Yeah, just take one little sip ... it won't hurt you ... heheh ...
Come on....everyone's doing it!
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Carlos in Arizona
EAA Chapter 538 www.chapters.eaa.org/eaa538
Wittman Tailwind W8 N53CH (built & sold)
Pazmany PL-1 N2029 (bought & sold)
RV7 - N537TC (reserved & building)
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"The air is an extremely dangerous, jealous and exacting mistress. Once under the spell most lovers are faithful to the end, which is not always old age." - Winston Churchill
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