What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

N8RV flies!

N8RV

Well Known Member
I know that I posted the news on a separate thread last month, but after 13 years of building, I think I deserve another thread. :D

Yesterday -- one month after Danny "Sky" King flew N8RV ("Smokey") for its maiden voyage -- I backtaxied and did a runup ... latched the canopy and lined up with the runway ...

That's when the years of work (and the years of NO work!) all slapped me upside the head. Did I really build this airplane with the intention of actually FLYING it? What was I thinking ...?

I had spent the last month getting my medical, getting current again (hadn't flown anything as PIC since '98), getting my BFR and tailwheel endorsement, and generally seeing if I still liked flying. Now was the payoff for those gazillion rivets smashed, tens of thousands of dollars spent and countless hours spent wondering if I really had what it takes to build an airplane. I either had to fly it or taxi back to the hangar and find Smokey a new owner.

I slowly fed in the throttle and felt the plane move smoothly forward. Then faster as I could feel the tail come up a bit. By the time I had the throttle at MIL POWER, we had left the ground. Then it occurred to me as I glanced at the Dynon EMS to make sure that nothing was amiss, that I still had more throttle! I shoved it into AFTERBURNER and was literally pushed back into the seat! WOO-HOOOOO!!

I wish I could give a more detailed description of that first flight, but most of it was washed away by adrenaline. I remember looking seriously at both Dynon units (doing my best Kevin Horton impersonation) and expecting to see everything out of whack and smell smoke emanating from the panel (I'm a bit of a pessimist by nature, sorry). However, the CHTs and EGTs were all normal, oil pressure and temp were OK and there apparently wasn't anything to worry about.

So, I just flew the plane. I leveled off at about 3500' and let the speed build. I turned left. OK, so I didn't exactly turn ... I sorta yanked it a bit. It felt GOOD. Leveled off again and did another crisp turn. I think I was smiling.

I looked at my watch. My plan for this first flight was to stay up for about an hour (The two previous flights were about 30 minutes each), and to run through my test card. It seemed like I'd been flying and studying the panel for about 20 minutes (it had only been 5). That's when things began to blur for me. My test card didn't outline a whole bunch of stuff to do, so it didn't take very long. I just flew a racetrack pattern to stay near the airport and away from nearby controlled airspace. Around and around and around ...

Lucky for me, the TruTrak ADI Pilot II worked flawlessly. It was nice to be able to set the altitude hold and not worry about inadvertently flying into the solid cloud cover that was right above my head. Of course, because I was noticing every little noise and was pumped on adrenaline, I didn't accomplish much. I think I'll spell things out a little more completely on my next test card ...

I made a nice, stabilized approach into a 3,000' grass strip, right into the prevailing wind. Just about touched down, then whipped the ponies and went around. Felt good to me. Did it again, planned to go around again, but there just didn't seem to be any reason this time. I landed. I didn't groundloop. I didn't nose over. I just rolled out and taxied to my hangar.

And, for somebody who doesn't smile naturally very often, I grinned. Laughed, actually ... I think I was glad to just be alive. :D

SmokeyStuff060.jpg


Again, my deepest thanks to so many great friends for help and inspiration. You know who you are.

Hmmm ... Looks pretty nice outside today. Might have to go flying ...
 
Outstanding!

This is a great example of how YOUR first flight is just as good as the AIRPLANE'S first flight. It's obvious that Danny didn't wear out the fun for you...

Paul
 
...


I made a nice, stabilized approach into a 3,000' grass strip, right into the prevailing wind. Just about touched down, then whipped the ponies and went around. Felt good to me. Did it again, planned to go around again, but there just didn't seem to be any reason this time. I landed. I didn't groundloop. I didn't nose over. I just rolled out and taxied to my hangar.


....

I like it. Congrats!
 
Congrats Don! That happened a lot quicker than I expected. Sure makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it.

Fly safe, have fun.
 
I was thinking it might be another 13 years before YOU actually flew it ;)

At this rate, we might even see you leave the pattern before yearend. And then it's on to Oshkosh. (Gotta wait till next summer for that.)

Have fun with the test flying, Don. Really, it's all fun now.

Chris
 
I shoved it into AFTERBURNER and was literally pushed back into the seat! WOO-HOOOOO!!

I wish I could give a more detailed description of that first flight, but most of it was washed away by adrenaline. ...

Say no more

Congrats and well done
 
Thanks!

Great job Don. It won't be long before your Phase I is all flown off. What is your flight test area?

Thanks, everybody. Long time coming. Flew again last night and was about 10% more comfortable. At that rate, Smokey and I will be one in about 9 more flights!

Frank, the DAR was originally only going to allow me a 25-mile radius, but he pushed the FSDO for a 25 x 100 mile corridor, which I positioned to stay out of controlled airspace and yet encompass as many airports that I'd want to visit as possible. The far end happens to be at Lafayette. :D

I think I have a bad altimeter. I set both the EFIS and the altimeter to the field elevation before takeoff, and up at altitude the EFIS and GPS both say 4000 and the altimeter says around 3000. Go figure.
 
Congrats! It must be an amazing feeling after a long build!! Hopefully I'll be there someday. Keep on smashin' bugs!
 
Congrats Don

I must admit that I felt a little like a mother hen for your first flight. In my heart, I knew that you were ready, but there is always that nagging doubt. I had pretty much washed this feeling out of my mind, when your impending first flight flashed me back to Laughlin AFB down in Del Rio Texas. Many times I signed the solo slip, better known to the IPs as the: (YOU BET YOUR WINGS SLIP) for some young 2nd Lt. and watch him leave the flight room to go strap on a T-38 and make his first solo.

You knew that he could do it, but then you remembered a few rides before when you took the aircraft away from him in the flair at 160k just before he killed you both! Surely, the confidence booster you just gave him would be just enough to see him through, and he would walk back into the flight room in an hour or so with a big toothy grin on his face after flying the "White Rocket" solo for the first time!

They all did, and so did you!
Congratulation.
 
Congrats of building and flying Smokey....the 8 is my next airplane if ever there is one. Your's looks fine as it is and when that last 10% is completed, will be just great.
 
Lunch at KLAF

Frank, the DAR was originally only going to allow me a 25-mile radius, but he pushed the FSDO for a 25 x 100 mile corridor, which I positioned to stay out of controlled airspace and yet encompass as many airports that I'd want to visit as possible. The far end happens to be at Lafayette. :D

After you get a few hours under your belt and you are bored with flying in circles plan on stopping in at KLAF and I will take you to lunch.
 
AFTERBURNRER!!!...

...I love it!. Made me LOL and your post left me misty eyed. We appear to have similar philosophies, attitudes, and first flight prep-work. Congratulations and thanks for sharing...
 
GOOD GOING DON!!!

Glad you made your first flight.
You will soon regret taking so long to finish. Come to Texas sometime soon
 
Glad you made your first flight.
You will soon regret taking so long to finish. Come to Texas sometime soon

Thanks, Jay. Oh, I'll be coming down your way as soon as Phase I is done and Grady can squeeze me in. I HATE flying Smokey unpainted! I honestly don't know how the people who polish their RVs keep from pranging it during the build process. Paint is gonna hide a whole bunch of scars!
 
Perfectamundo!

Don,

Good on ya. Glad you finally got to see just what all the RV grins are all about. It doesn't stop there, I clicked the Hobbs to 150hrs during my flight from Asheville to LA, then to Denver, then to Osh, then back home. It keeps getting better n better!

Congrats again, looking forward to flying your wing soon.

Art n 'Snorky
 
Flight #3 (L O N G !)

I figure I'll keep these updates going as incentive to other long-time slow-builders who may be losing hope.

Weather around here has been really crappy lately. Low overcasts, rain, wind ... NOT typical for late August! Must be all that "global warming". :rolleyes:

Flight #3 found me climbing to 9500' and setting the A/P to maintain course and altitude. I dialed in a heading of 180 and sat back as the TruTrack ADI Pilot II flawlessly executed a standard-rate turn to heading. About 20 miles south, I repeated the command with a 360 heading. Another standard-rate turn flawlessly executed. *yawn* Boring. And expensive, with a fuel burn in excess of 13 gph! However, all temps remained solid and within normal limits.

When I just couldn't stand it any longer, I descended to the puffy cloud layer below me and just flew above the canyons of cloud. I used to LOVE doing that in my Yankee. Somehow, even with this fabulous machine strapped to me, it wasn't the same (more on that later). I did a couple of rolls (when I was clear of the clouds, naturally) and it performed as advertised.

When the fun was done, I came back down below the clouds and got the snot beat out of me! Dang, it was rough under those clouds. However, a bumpy, survivable landing later, I taxied Smokey back to his hangar and sat down to fill out the logbooks.

OK, so what's the point? Many of you have already had first flights -- some of you many of them -- and haven't decided to bore others with the tales of your milestones. Why should I feel compelled to pour out my soul to other builders about my first flying experiences?

Time changes things. Time changes people. In my 13 years of building, things about me have changed. I'm fatter. My joints don't move as well. I don't sit for long periods without aching. I wear bifocals. I'm not the same person I was when I started building. Were I to start a new project now, I'd consider things like ease of ingress/egress, economy, speed of build, size of print in the instructions ... :D

All of that I've known and accepted for years. I've accomodated as best I can, too. It's a real pisser to have to wrestle upside-down under the instrument panel to get to something, only to not be able to see it because I have to look up and my near vision lenses are on the bottom! You old farts know exactly what I mean.

What I didn't anticipate is how adrenaline affects my body these days. When I got home after yesterday's long flight (1.6 hrs), I was drained. I tried to just sit down and relax, but was fidgety. I tried yard work, but felt too tired. I was not hungry. Then I was. I was freezing cold and put on sweats, then I was hot and stripped it all off. I went to bed, but couldn't sleep.

You see, as a dentist, I don't have much use for the stuff on a daily basis. Oh, I'll have the occasional extraction or root canal that doesn't go as planned and makes me sweat. However, as a rule, dentistry isn't exactly Adrenaline Rush Alley. Off duty, I don't do much that carries much risk either -- I quit flying to build the RV, quit skiing because of knee injuries and I stopped playing golf because the only real exercise was throwing clubs and having to retrieve them. Sure, I make the rare bad choice comment to my wife that carries some inherent element of risk, but that usually doesn't end in fisticuffs. Just silence. And bad food.

I hadn't realized that in a life devoid of physical or emotional challenge, the body becomes used to a flat-line lifestyle. And the rare charge of adrenaline that might come from getting pulled over or from a fender-bender can wreak havoc on one's psyche.

Now, multiply that times a gazillion.

Smokey handles well. Danny "Sky" King proved that with the initial flights. Even with my limited taildragger time, I'm not really too worried that it'll get away from me on takeoff or landing. BUT SOME PART OF MY BRAIN DOESN'T KNOW THAT. It's really weird.

The reason I'm rambling on like this is that somebody else out there is going to go through the same thing someday. It might be YOU -- if you haven't stayed current, have lapsed into a lifestyle where your body isn't accustomed to regular physical/emotional challenges, and haven't mentally prepared yourself for the challenges of flight testing.

I think that if I were a younger man, this whole process would be much easier on me. When I used to fly, I did many stupid things. I flew too low. I flew formation with very little training. I did aerobatics that the plane was not approved for. I should not have lived. However, I did, and such things hold very little interest for me anymore. But the thrill has been replaced by serious concern -- which sucks the fun out of fun things like flying. And most of that concern is over stuff that's not likely to happen, like the engine quitting or the wings departing the plane.

I promise to NOT ramble on like this too often. However, I am hoping that some other old geezer out there will understand what I'm saying and figure out how to avoid this rollercoaster experience. I think it'll all be OK soon, as each flight gets more relaxed and I become more comfortable flying again.

I'll let you know ...

Me-1.jpg
 
You nailed it...

Don,
I have just started flying my new -8 and feel the same way that you do...when I get out of the plane after a test flight, I feel like I have been put through the wringer. I have reached the point in my life (Finally!) that I don't like to hang it all out there on the line. Perhaps this is what happens to most of us as we get older. (Perhaps this is how we manage to live long enough to grow old . :D )
 
Feeling drained after test flying....it's not just for "Old Geezers" Don! I have an old friend who's a test pilot. When asked before a fairly significant "first flight" if he was nervous, he told the reports that "if you aren't a little nervous before doing something like this, then you obviously don't understand what it is that you are about to do!"

You'll get comfortable Don, and the stress of early flights will become the enjoyment of reliable, high-performance flying. I get a bit worried wen I hear people talk about "flying off the 40 hours", as if all that is important is the Hobbs meter. Phase 1 is a test program, and it needs to be taken seriously. There are things to learn, and things to do. No, it's not experimental test flying - In an RV, it is more akin to production test flying - but there is still much to do, and much to learn. So expect it to be a bit of work!

As I said, before you know it, you'll be enjoying it - and you'll actually look back on this time as enjoyable. But while you're in the middle of it? Yup, you're right to feel drained. That's how it is supposed to be!

Paul
 
Last edited:
I promise to NOT ramble on like this too often. However, I am hoping that some other old geezer out there will understand what I'm saying and figure out how to avoid this rollercoaster experience. I think it'll all be OK soon, as each flight gets more relaxed and I become more comfortable flying again.

I'll let you know ...

I might be another "old geezer".............. going on 59 years...

And I felt the same way "last" September, as I put the first hours on my RV6A. I'd think about it every time, as I opened the hangar door.

It's now 100+ hours later on the 6, and I no longer think that way at all. The roller coaster is over, and I look to every flight with some sort of excitement instead of some form of anxiety.

L.Adamson --- RV6A
 
Another semi geezer....

Nicely done, Don.

Just past 50 hours on my 9A and the rush is still there when I open the hanger doors and do the walk around. Seems to settle down a bit but the adrenaline remains until the bugs are wiped off and the doors close again. Life is good.

By the way. Next trip to the optician, have him grind you a pair of "occupational" bifocals. I have a pair with the near vision "half moons" on the bottom and top of the lens. Not worth a darn for driving or for that matter walking around but when you're working on something that requires a look up, they're worth their weight in gold.
 
Update

Well, I figure I might as well keep my online diary of sorts going ...

Smokey now has 13+ hours on him. The weather was unusually cooperative last week, and I was able to fly every day. Although I'm still aware that flying Smokey causes a rush, I've had no symptoms like those that caused my rambling discourse on the effects of adrenaline, thankfully.

Who knows what that was all about? Sheesh ...

Anyway, if nobody else ever experiences that particular set of symptoms, then maybe I was getting the swine flu and it passed really fast. REALLY fast. :D

Most glitches are fixed -- still have concerns about my comm radio working well. I need to open things and have a look at coax and connections before I enlist the help of a radio shop. And it's already time for an oil change.

I did several box speed runs on Sunday, comparing the EFIS airspeeds with the GPS ground speeds -- all averages agreed within 1-2 knots. I can live with that.

Other than that, nothing spectacular to report.
 
The weather was conducive to flying around here on Friday and Saturday, and I was able to get in some time. Smokey has 18+ hours on him now, and I'm getting much more comfortable flying. While I've had a couple of landings that made me wonder which of us was in control, we've both come away OK.

Best news is: NO MORE HEEBIE-JEEBIES! I have no clue what that was all about, but it seems to have been a one-time event.

I still wonder, as I fly around up there, if I'll regain my love of flying. Having been dormant for so many years -- and not missing it -- sure gives me pause. Only time will tell, I suppose.

I flew to a nearby airport on Friday for lunch. First landing somewhere other than home.

I'm getting comfortable enough to start putting ballast in the rear to see how it handles with some weight back there. Gotta do some stall testing, too, to calibrate the AOA.

Sure can't wait to get some paint on Smokey. I HATE flying it when it looks so OOGLY ... but I still have a LOT of cosmetic stuff to do with that plastic goo first. Blecch.
 
Hobbs: 28.6

I had my first "interesting" moment yesterday. My 25- x 100-mile corridor for Phase I takes me from Elkhart SW as far as Lafayette. Because the MOAs are cold on Sundays, I took advantage of that and flew direct. Swung around KLAF and bee-lined back home to get rid of the breakfast coffee that had made its presence known. (I almost called you, Frank. Maybe next time)

Lightened the load and took off again, dialing KLAF into the GPS. Clouds at around 8K made the day cold -- 29 degrees up there, and my heater sucks. Glad I installed heated seats!

I had been fine tuning some of the ranges and alarms on the EMS and happened to notice that the oil pressure was lower than normal. I looked back in my log and saw that, instead of around 80psi, it was reading 53. Hmmm ...

I contemplated turning around, but thought I'd just watch it for a minute. So I did, and watched it slowly descend into the 40s.

I saw that an airport was just a few miles away, so I turned for it and dialed in the freq, announcing that I was inbound for landing. The oil pressure continued to drop, now into the 20s. I reduced the throttle and had it back to idle as I made a no-flaps, power-off landing. As I taxied up to the ramp, I noticed that the oil pressure was climbing back to normal. What the heck ...?

After shutting down, I opened the oil door and checked the dipstick. 4 qts. No oil in the engine compartment. None on the prop. None on the belly.

After a call to my mentor, "Sky" King, I felt better. Most likely a bad connection to the oil pressure transducer. One more thing to troubleshoot.

Flight back to 3C1 was uneventful, but the oil pressure was still fluctuating. I guess it's time to pull the cowling and go over some electrical connections and see what else might be in need of tidying a bit ...

Nothing like a little excitement. :rolleyes:
 
What time at LAF

Hi Don,

Glad to hear you are getting your time ran off. What time did you swing around KLAF? I was up on Sunday a couple of times between 1:30 and 4:00.
 
Hi Don,

Glad to hear you are getting your time ran off. What time did you swing around KLAF? I was up on Sunday a couple of times between 1:30 and 4:00.

Probably just after noon, Frank. I think I have your number somewhere in an e-mail (it's not in my phone), so I'll give you a ring. Till then, I have some maintenance issues to attend to ...
 
Yesterday was probably the best flying day of the year -- clear and cool with just a gentle breeze right down the runway.

And I had Smokey torn apart. :mad:

With 31.6 hours on the Hobbs, I decided to go up and do some climb and glide tests. Chatted with some guys headed out for chili then headed for the runway. Took off, enjoying the great climbout.

Then a voice on the radio asked if I was still on the frequency. "You're trailing a lot of smoke ... you might want to come back and land ..."

Grrr ... everything on the EMS looked quite normal and the engine sounded happy. However, being the paragon of caution, I did as suggested.

Indeed, oil was dripping from the right exhaust pipe where the breather tube from the inverted oil system dumps. Oil was still dripping from there, too. I had just added oil before starting because it was getting low, so I was curious why the oil I had just added was departing the engine.

Long story short -- and an entire afternoon and evening of tearing things apart and putting them back together again -- I think the culprit is the oil separator. I mounted it too low. While taxiing and in level flight, the oil drains from the sump into the lower hose and into the bottom of the oil separator, remaining below the level of the breather tube ...
oil_sep_level2.jpg


However, in climb attitude, the oil rises in the cannister and is blown overboard because it's now free to rise above the breather level ...
oil_sep_climb2.jpg


Looking back through the installation instructions, it was explicit that the oil separator needed to be ABOVE the sump -- a point that I apparently missed in favor of this choice mounting site on the firewall. *sigh*

So, since I've come to the conclusion that I no longer really feel the need for inverted flight as I did when I started this project, I think I'll just cap it off for now and remount it higher should the idea of making my eyes bulge out of my head appeal to me someday in the future.

Moral of the story: READ THE INSTRUCTIONS and DON'T MOUNT AN OIL SEPARATOR LOW ENOUGH TO ALLOW OIL TO BLOW OVERBOARD! Duh. :rolleyes:

ADDENDUM:

I was able to move the oil separator to a higher location on the engine mount without changing any hose lengths. This is the same location that some other builders have used and, had I paid attention when looking at their engines, I'd have known better. Here's the new location, high above the level of the sump ...

cannister1.jpg
 
Last edited:
A little closer to being a real aeroplane ...

It's official -- Smokey has graduated! The iffy weather finally broke enough on Friday for me to log 4.7 hours of final flight testing, enough to complete Phase I and leave my invisible cage.

So, on Saturday morning, with a brisk southerly wind whipping out of the south, I left 3C1 bound for new territory. It seemed appropriate to make my first foray to Auburn-Dekalb County airport, where I worked as a lineboy in high school and took my first flying lessons.

I was concerned about the serious crosswind that I'd be facing, but remembered that the south side of the airport was bordered by a large wooded area which would likely shield me from the crosswind during landing. As I entered downwind for 27, I noticed that the woods was no longer there. *Gulp*

The landing was interesting, but technically a non-event. I strolled the airport grounds for a few minutes, reminiscing about pumping gas, cleaning bugs and emptying ashtrays. I recalled the day Duane Cole came in for gas, and the throaty burble of a Comanche 400 (which my lineboy buddy just called "The Mongoose") as it taxied to the pumps. Or, my favorite, prepping a Twin Comanche that belonged to a Ft. Wayne doctor -- opening the cabin on a hot day and smelling the red leather interior ... ahhhh ...

By Sunday, the morning fog had dissipated into a murky haze that hung around the entire day. I made a late morning flight for a very late breakfast and worked the rest of the day in the unseasonably warm weather. By late afternoon, it looked like it might be the right time to offer my bride the honor of trying out the rear cockpit for the first time.

After strapping her in and getting myself all situated up front, I heard her say, "Ummm ... where's MY headset?" Oops. Didn't need one back there for Phase I.

The takeoff was different from being alone, that's for sure. However, having put weight back there during testing, I knew what to expect. We circled the house a bit and then headed back before the sun set. It startled me when my Garmin 396 switched to twilight mode -- I'd never seen it do that before.

After landing, we taxied back to the hangar and put Smokey away. Two more big milestones behind us now ...

And her version of the RV Grin:

MMc_Ride_1a.jpg
 
Don,

Thank you so much for your honesty. I haven't flown in quite a while. I sold my Bonanza, and have been busy with other things. As much desire there is in my heart to try and build an RV...there's a quiet little voice inside of me saying "You've been away from it for too long, let it go"...but I recently renewed my EAA mambership, and the fire that was extinguished still has some smoldering embers...

I guess I'm rambling...I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your posts.

Arnie
 
N8RV

How did you manage to get N8RV as your N number? I found that all the good ones were taken 20 years ago. The number I really wanted was November 1 Charley Echo N1CE. No way!

Steve Barnes The Builders Coach
 
Arnie, I know exactly what you're saying. Do you have any idea how many times over the last 13 years that I looked at my project and asked myself, "Why am I doing this again? Is it worth the time, trouble and money? Do I even miss flying enough to learn all over again?"

Go to Oshkosh and hang out with some RVers. See if you get enough of what you need to tackle a project like this. I lost steam many times over the years, but with help from friends here and elsewhere, managed to git-er-done and am now rediscovering the joy of flight. Building a plane may not be for you. No crime in that. Good luck.

Steve, it's a long story how I ended up with N8RV ...

I was at Oshkosh many years ago and went to the FAA building to research N-numbers. Naturally, the first number I looked for was N8RV. It was assigned to a Bakeng Deuce and was listed as "suspended". When I asked what that meant, I was told that some computer glitch back in the 80s caused a bunch of N-numbers to be "suspended", and nothing had been done to correct that. They said that I could have the number if the owner would release it to me.

I took the owner's incomplete information and attempted to contact him. Called, wrote a letter ... nothing. So, in frustration, I wrote a letter to the FAA Administrator asking for help. I figured that the federal gubment probably had more avenues for gathering information on us than I. Plus, if the owner hadn't kept the FAA updated on contact information, he was likely in violation of some requirement anyway.

Letter went unanswered. Wrote another one. Came home one day to a message on the answering machine from somebody at the FAA saying that they did find the owner and that the plane had been dismantled. N8RV was mine if I wanted it.

Over the years, I've been offered money for that number ... tools ... avionics ... women ... looking back, maybe I should've taken some of the offers. :D
 
Update

After about a month, Smokey is just about ready to come home. I have yet to actually see the magic that Grady did in completing my Walter Mitty dream-mobile, but here are some pics that Danny King graciously sent me, with Smokey keeping Beautiful Doll company, along with one of Danny's beautifully restored Vespas ...

First, the inspiration ...
aa1.jpg


IMG_4238.jpg


IMG_4242.jpg


IMG_4240.jpg


IMG_6735.jpg


IMG_6745.jpg

(last 2 photos compliments of -- and compliments TO -- DR)

More to follow ...
 
Last edited:
Thanks, guys.

As Doug wrote, Danny coaxed him into following him out of 52F with camera in hand for a photo shoot. Considering the help Danny gave me over the years, it's only appropriate that his ugly mug be in the pictures.

DonMcNamaraRV8-1.jpg


There are some details yet to complete before Smokey's ready for his Oshkosh debut -- a few more markings to be applied, including nose art -- and some interior painting to do this weekend. I may have to fly back down to TX for another in-flight photo session once it's all done (does that day EVER really come?)
 
First flight

I was flying my -8 the day of the first flight so I got a look at it from the air. As a former USN guy I'm looking forward to seeing the really great paint scheme at 52F for years to come.
John
 
I was flying my -8 the day of the first flight so I got a look at it from the air. As a former USN guy I'm looking forward to seeing the really great paint scheme at 52F for years to come.
John

Well, John, I hate to disappoint you, but N8RV isn't based at 52F. However, Danny and Marthajane are good enough friends that we can't go too long between visits, so we're likely to zip down for a visit now and then, now that Smokey is finally airworthy AND presentable. :D

And you're always welcome to fly up here and visit at 3C1. We have some really good sausage and some really bad pancakes every Fathers' Day fly-in!
 
Back
Top