Stretching Our Wings?.

Ironflight · #1 02-06-2008, 03:02 PM

I know that I will get little sympathy from many folks who are stuck in the middle of subzero winter?.or the many more who are still working on their RV?s, and have nothing to fly (even if the weather was good), but I?m a guy who gets a bit twitchy when he spends more than a few days away from the sky, and the past few weeks have been tough. (I must confess that I fly a lot ? I have not been ?not current? in the 30+ years since I got my license?.) A combination of work schedules, a vacation, and the need to fly Louise?s -6 up to her home in D.C. the one weekend that I had free in the month have conspired to let the Valkyrie sit and brood in the hangar for longer than I like. Lots of low winter weather on the few days when I have been home has caused it to be several weeks since we last played around in the skies. A week of skiing was well-enjoyed, and even with the altitude, the views, and the speed?.its still not flying!

Today brought a welcome change! The warm moist air was swept away by a string of thunderstorms overnight, and the dawn brought cool (but not brutal) air, blue skies, and unlimited visibility. Coincidentally, I needed to take at least part of the day off to prepare myself for the upcoming Shuttle mission (working the graveyard shift again?), so I was out of the office after the morning tag-up and on my way to the airport. The Val looked eager to go, once I cleaned off a little dust and some cat tracks (I love cats, but not when the strays break in to my hangar and walk across my canopy!), and she seemed to forgive me for being away for so long. The crisp air made for good performance on the climb-out, and we were off for some quality time together.

Pull to the 45 up line, pop the stick over, and see how many rolls you can get before we?re 45 low?.three was a good number! Recover, pull again ? 45 high, roll inverted, let the nose drop, pulling just enough to keep the oil in the sump?.nose low, recover with a half roll back, build up speed, and up we go into a loop! Speed and altitude look good at the bottom ? how about another one? Well, halfway through, I decided, why not make it a Cuban? On and on as I wandered along the gulf coast, heading for a cheap fuel spot, rarely straight and level. The air was smooth, the sun bright, and no one else seemed to be flying ? what a glorious day! Hey, what else can you do when you?re pointed up at a steep angle? Let?s see, roll inverted, and pull through the back side in sort of a split-S I suppose?.yup, that works! I also enjoy turning a wingover into a roll, heading out at 90 degrees from the original course?

You can do a lot with an RV ? travel, adventure, or just these wonderful local hours of pure communion. Yes, my fuel bill is four times what I spend on groceries in a month ? but hey, flying is a passion, and when you are hanging upside down with ever-so-little ?G? on as you float over the top, looking back down at all those people on the ground, well, you know that all those years of building were worth it. All the fuel bills, the maintenance, and even the days spent stuck on the ground do to weather ? they are all worth it. I start to twitch a little if I don?t get to fly every few days, but when I do get back in the air, the time spent away makes the time in the cockpit that much more precious. What a marvelous gift we have in these RV?s ? a gift of wings, a gift of freedom. And it feels so good to get out and stretch them whenever you can!

Paul

fstringham7a · #2 02-06-2008, 03:13 PM

Paul, thanks for another of those motivational, fun, can't wait to be there with ya write ups.

Today I was working on the wing tips.....Archer antenna install/nut plates buy the pound/working on trailing edge fit to aileron......you know the drill.

So it was a real relief for a moment to just sorta dream through your words what in the very near future is my future. Will maybe a little transition training, 40 hr fly off, acro training......man do I need to get a job or what.

Nobody told me that an old retired teacher would run short of the fun $$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Anybody need a RETIRED BUT NOT TIRED MBA/EDUCATOR in the Saint George Utah area..........

Frank @ SGU & 1L8.....last 1000000000000000000 details soon to move to the airport.

Geico266 · #3 02-06-2008, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ironflight

I know that I will get little sympathy from many folks who are stuck in the middle of subzero winter….
Paul

Living and flying in the frozen tundra of the great northern plains my AH rarely sees the brown side up, but I do get alot of flying in. It is fun to fly when the air is so thick you can almost walk on it. Climb outs are great! No worries about over heating the oil, that's for sure.

Good write up, makes me want to learn more acrobatics!

Jaypratt · #4 02-06-2008, 04:07 PM

Iorn,

Great Story.
Please kep'm coming......... You are inspiring many pilots and pilot 'want to bees'. The RV is the best airplane for the $$$. We Texans are within reach of anywhere in the 48 within a day. What a time machine.

Thanks
J'Bird

erich weaver · #5 02-06-2008, 05:49 PM

For me, if I could never drive a car again in my life, I would shrug it off and never lose a wink of sleep. But if I could never fly again, I would enter a dark depression Im not sure I would ever crawl out of.

Never tracked cost or total hours on my project. Didnt matter. It had to be done. I have to fly.

E

aparchment · #6 02-07-2008, 09:19 AM

Sooooooo jealous! It's snowing like crazy up here in Maine, I have a heck of a cold and I am working (well not at the moment).

At least I got to fly last weekend. Cape Cod is a beautiful place to cruise around even in the winter.

Thanks for the inspiration Paul. Like you flying is my passion and my primary hobby. Yup, my fuel bill is/will be high too, but it's what I do. No golf, boat, snowmobile, Harley, etc. but darn it I am gonna fly!

osxuser · #7 02-10-2008, 09:53 AM

Hmm, I long for a real job so I can afford wings... I can't even fly the cardinal because of fuel costs and the lack of students in the wintertime....

SteinAir · #8 02-10-2008, 11:19 PM

Thanks a bunch Paul....thirty five below here means some of us have to live vicariously through you during these cold days! At least you were smart enough to get out of this Siberian Tundra...some of us haven't learned yet!

Cheers,
Stein

Ironflight · #9 02-11-2008, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteinAir

Thanks a bunch Paul....thirty five below here means some of us have to live vicariously through you during these cold days! At least you were smart enough to get out of this Siberian Tundra...some of us haven't learned yet!

Cheers,
Stein

Hey Stein, I've BEEN to Siberia....and I've been a lot colder in Minneapolis.....

I always get sent to Moscow in the winter - they figure that even though I've been in Texas for 25 years, my blood is still geneticallyy thick enough to deal with it....

Hang in there - only three more months until spring - maybe!

Paul