RV/H6 Cruisin'

[David-aviator]

The geezer club had a meetin' today at an airport 28 nm distant so I kicked the tires and lit the fire in the Subby and off we went one more time. Just letting you guys know this machine is no hangar queen even though its been raining around here to record proportions and there aren't many decent flying days.

There are actually 6 or 8 guys in the group but only 4 were available today. As usual we went to the "big butt" for lunch. (The big butt is so named because it is a buffet patronized by people with big butts...present company and group excepted of course) The conversation is always about flyin' and airplanes as none of the guys are into golf or sports, we talk flyin' and airplanes and not much else except maybe a little presidential politics now and then - couldn't be a better bunch.

One of the fellows asked if I would do a 10 flap take off and climb at 80 mph on departure. He wanted to see how the H6 performed compared to his 180 HP RV-4. The report I got later was it was a nice climb but not as spectacular as the -4. Maybe so, but it did do 1400-1500 fpm up to 3000' at 100 KIAS after the flaps were retracted and 2300 rpm set, not too shabby for an auto engine. Sure there are always better machines around but it did OK.

The Hobbs logged .8 for the trip. The fuel totalizer read 23.9 before take off and 19.6 after shut down - 4.3 gallons for the day. Also not too shabby. The engine is a gas mizer if you pull the throttle back and let it loaf along. Low and slow is just fine. When you young guys grow up you'll know about that end of the life span.

Not many people are flyin' these days. I look around and see a zillion cars and trucks and just one other airplane, an old tail dragger, probably another geezer out doing his thing.

Low and slow ain't all bad....best of all, it's flying.