Life is Good!!! I feel like Paul Dye

[BlackRV7]

Yesterday was one of those days that was the tale of two stories. My office day yesterday was one to forget, the rest of the day was one of those "life is good" days. I bugged out of the office for a nice 6 mile run at lunch time then back to the office to clean up the mess I made in the morning. I was seeing rain in the forecast for pretty much the rest of the week so out to the airport I went. I had removed the cowl to do a good look see after putting the hours on her going to SNF and back. With the help of a Swift pilot, we cowled her up, I dialed in some new autopilot gain and deadband numbers and off I launched in beautiful 80 degree, early evening weather. Up I climbed listening to The Counting Crows until I realized it was starting to cool off...hum, I'm passing thorugh 6K.. I leveled off and did some testing of the autopilot and altitude hold, all worked fine. Enough of the autopilot, 20 degrees nose up, neutralize the elevator, stick full left and watch the world roll looking out the windscreen. Well you know the deal, if you roll to the left you must roll to the right to unwind her, so another nose up and to the right we go. After a couple more rolls it was time for a 2.5 G vertical pull, hold it, hold it, 20 degrees short of inverted start unloading for a -.5G pass through inverted, nose coming down pulling again looking for 2.5G and leveling out...nice loop.....continue the nose up 20 degrees and another roll to the left letting it continue to 60 degrees past level to a 180 turn while pulling some G's. Another roll or two then head back to the pattern for one of those, few and far between for me-), greezer wheel landings where I wonder if the mains are actually down. Taxi back to the hangar, swing her around, let the RPM's setting in and pull the mixture with a big grin and content, relaxing, feeling. Push her back in the hangar, put the canopy cover back on and pat her on the horizontal stab as I walk out of the hangar and off to a nice dinner out.

What an wonderful 20 minutes of stress relief that you can't get doing anything other than seeing green over blue.



Get out to the shop gang and do some building.

Life is good!!

[Bill Dicus]

Love your placard! Bill

[bsacks05]

Nice job, Dana. Now I have to make up a lame excuse to leave work early, go to the hangar, pull out my clean (after a SNF bath on Sunday) -9 and go do some evening flying as well.

I never could resist a little peer pressure.

[BlackRV7]

Originally Posted by Bill Dicus

Love your placard! Bill

Thanks, I installed that either Friday or Saturday at SNF and never got the first comment about it. Most must have saw it as simply "another warning label". Me thinks it's rather appropriate

Originally Posted by bsacks05

Nice job, Dana. Now I have to make up a lame excuse to leave work early, go to the hangar, pull out my clean (after a SNF bath on Sunday) -9 and go do some evening flying as well.

I never could resist a little peer pressure.

Sorry Bruce, I'm not going to apologize Yesterday's evening flight was one of those "just what the doctor ordered" kind of flights. Looks like you guys have a great airshow down your way at Robbins AFB with the Thunderbirds performing this weekend. Wish the weather gods weren't calling for a rainy weekend. A military airshow would be just enough the reason (as if I need a reason now) to head your way.

[bsacks05]

Yeah, the airshow at RAFB is pretty good but I had my fill of big shows......at least until July.
The plan for this Saturday is to fly up to FFC for burgers and dogs with the Falcon RV Squadron then walk over to Aircraft Spruce to pick up a new aircraft log book. N659DB's first book is just about full.

[David-aviator]

Originally Posted by BlackRV7

What an wonderful 20 minutes of stress relief that you can't get doing anything other than seeing green over blue.....Life is good!!

Some days when the weather is not good, like it has been for a week, I get a high out of just taxiing an airplane.

[Ironflight]

And here I sit with the panel pulled out of the Valkyrie to change a trim relay. Well, it's not really that bad - I pulled it out last night, and should be flight capable again in an hour or so - as soon as I get off this dang computer!

Gotta go aviate....

Paul

[MJarreau]

I love reading these stories. Must convince wife it's time to start.