Ahhh, to be young, and in love in the springtime ? or better yet, to be able to fly formation with your lovely wife on Valentine?s day! Houston has been rainy, cold, and/or wet for weeks now ? flying has been a few minutes here and there when you can get it, or cross-country under a depressing overcast (with icing in 'them there' clouds so non-heated-wing airplanes can just stay away!)?.But Valentine?s Day dawned clear, with the promise of warmer temps, no wind, and air as smooth as silk. Too good to pass up, and more inviting than laying the new floor in our ongoing remodeling project. Louise seemed to see it my way, so after making a nice little breakfast for two, we rolled open the hangar door and saddled up our respective steeds.
We ran up at the end of our narrow runway in unison, and then rolled for take-off with a few seconds separation. I pulled back power in the climb and began a turn, so Louise was on my wing before we climbed through 500 feet ? a wonderfully tight formation departure. (No, we don?t do formation take-offs from our 21 foot wide pavement!) ?Iron Flight, frequency change? I call, and as quick as I push the button, I hear ?Two?s up? ? as crisp as the morning air!
I have never been a dancer ? there is just something about that kind of movement that doesn?t click with me (or the millions of other men that seem to share the same affliction?). But put me in the sky with an airplane, and watch me go! And as fun as it can be alone, dancing with your sweetie is even better. Louise isn?t quite at the aerobatic level yet, but tucking it in tight and turning together with the puffy clouds below and the sun above is pure delight. And unlike social dancing, when it comes to formation flying there is no rule that says the woman can?t lead, so we swap often so both can enjoy the view from the wing.
With a full day of interesting things planned, we eventually had to turn for home, but we both know that ?alone? time is important as well, so with a rock of the wings, I said goodbye, fell back, and rolled off about her path, using the maneuver to separate while keeping her in sight. A few loops, a couple of rolls, and I was nicely loosened up ? ready to return home of the next part of the day ? shooting and bucking rivets in our RV-3 project. Its heck having a wife who can be such a taskmaster (?We really should get those skins riveted on, and they won?t do it themselves?.?), but I think I picked out a pretty nice Valentine!
Paul
Formation Valentine?.
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