Transition training with Tom Berge

UnPossible · #1 06-21-2012, 02:11 PM

Hey - last week I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days with Tom Berge outside of Minneapolis, MN learning how to fly the contraption that I have spent the last four years building.

I have to be honest, there was this little voice in my head that was concerned that with my low hours (~150), I would be a bit over my head..... and at first I was. The first half an hour or so, it seemed like I was all over the sky. Tom was very patient as we worked through all my "Cessna Driver" tendencies.

By our third flight, I was making pretty darn good landings.... By the time our sessions were done, I walked away knowing that while I still had alot to learn about flying a RV-7A, I had the skills to begin the learning process safely in my own plane.

A couple of days after I got back home, I finally took N964JB up by myself. I don't think that I've had my knees knock quite this bad since my first solo. However, once I got her up and trimmed out, it didn't take long to figure out that my plane flew remarkably like Tom's.

If anyone is looking for transition training in the Midwest region, I highly recommend putting a call into Tom....

Thanks,
Jason

Mike S · #2 06-21-2012, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnPossible

A couple of days after I got back home, I finally took N964JB up by myself.

Jason

Jason, where is the RV Grin photo??

Congrats on flying your own work

SteinAir · #3 06-21-2012, 04:19 PM

Tom is one of the old "gray beards" in this community (but he's not THAT old)! He built one of the first RV6 kits, and his RV7A is also very nice. His RV time is not measured in hundreds of hours, but thousands - one of the few that can say that. I can both personally and professionally 2nd the recommendation for having Tom assist you in most anything RV related. He's also a heck of a skilled builder/assister as well as being pretty sharp on electronics and engines as well.

Just my biased 2 cents as usual...

Cheers,
Stein

868RM · #4 06-21-2012, 05:39 PM

Jason, Congrats on your first flight! Could you e-mail me Tom's phone #. Hope to see you over head soon. Thanks Ron

RichE7A · #5 06-22-2012, 07:00 AM

I had Tom Berge come to KSET (St. Charles County) to do my transition training and look over my RV7A. Strong gusting winds and high temps did not allow us to complete the training, but he did find some issues with my airplane. Some were minor, some not so much. However, kit 70238 is now
N70RE after almost 11 years. Tom was going to do my first flight, but my new Lycoming has bad exhaust valve on #4 cylinder

Bottom line is ,I highly recommend Tom for training or building help.

Now, if I could just keep the nose down

Richard Emery
St. Peters, MO
Yes, I paid my VAF dues

LettersFromFlyoverCountry · #6 06-22-2012, 07:33 AM

I also did my transition training with Tom. I will never again approach a runway without hearing his voice saying, "don't raise the nose...don't raise the nose...do NOT raise the nose."

I've never been particularly good at landing airplanes, I can't believe how GREAT every one of my landings has been since Tom let me in on a few secrets.

BTW, here's my 2009 conversation with Tom on the subject of BUILDING RVs.