I had flown up to Dallas on Friday morning to give a presentation to an EAA Chapter at teir annual Christmas party that evening. The plan all along had been to fly, and while I kept a five-hour drive in my back pocket, when I saw a morning weather window, I took it and headed north! 1:20 on the clock with 16 knot tailwinds sure beats hitting the Metroplex at rush hour on a Friday!
Unfortunately, the weather that I beat getting up there settled into East Texas like an old hound making a nest in front of a fire. The ceilings were low, clouds drizzled, and the fog kept coming in waves. Thus did we greet Saturday morning at Mel and Ann Asberry?s. Their little runway in the rolling hills near Farmersville has been soft enough that Mel?s RV-6 looked a little disgruntled to me ? most RV?s like to be flown at least weekly, and it was clear that winter was not setting well with this award winner. But there was little to be done about it ? when every reporting station shows bright red (meaning ?Low IFR?) on the Weathermeister METAR page, I?m not going anywhere. Heck, the ducks were walking and the airlines weren?t moving ? The Valkyrie was happy in a borrowed hangar, so all we needed to do was find something to keep us humans occupied!
Fortunately, I had gotten stranded on a very special day (one which I had never heard of before) ? the day each year that Air Salvage of Dallas opens its doors to folks who want to come pick through their bins of aircraft bobbles and beads and take them home for 50% off! We loaded up in Ann?s Van and made the significant drive down to Lancaster ? and boy, was I impressed! Rows and rows of shelves and bins with every kind of airplane part you can imagine ? all used, some abused, but every one a treasure to someone. Mel seemed to know the ropes (and the head man, Lucky), so we asked him if he might be able to direct me to a Piper Pitot Tube. I have had one on the Val every since it was built, and like the way it both looks and works ? so I figured the RV-3 should have one as well. Can?t mount that lower wing skin until we know what tube it?s going to have, so this looked like a good opportunity. Sure enough, right over there ? a nice selection of Piper ?blades?, most of them with bad heaters, but one with NO heaters ? just places to put them. Good ? I won?t have to clean out the bad ones! The marked price of $40 was too good to pass up, especially since that one day only it was going to be half that. I clutched my find in my hot little hand for the rest of the tour ? no way I was going to let that baby go!
After trolling the rest of the aisles to see if there was anything else that ?Junior? might want under the Christmas tree, we went out back to see the results of the all the creative ways that people have of returning airplanes to earth such that they can?t be ?re-used?. Rows and rows of fuselages standing in the rain. I was told that you could go out in the yard and remove any part you need, then pay for it up front. Pretty cool ? if you need certified airframe parts.
It didn?t surprise me that we ran into Jay Pratt and Carole at this parts buffet, so when we?d spent our respective allowances, we retired to a Lancaster BBQ place to talk RV?s. Hey, if you?re not flying, the least you can do is wave your hands around a bit! Jay regaled us with stories of the perfect Cessna 180 he found in a barn ? and no, he?s not selling the RV-8 now. Appetites satisfied, we went our separate ways, with Mel and Ann suggesting a visit to the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field. Never one to pass up a chance to look at cool airplanes, that sounded like a good next stop. At the banquet the night before, I was introduced to one of their chapter regulars who not only flew SR-71?s, but commanded the squadron and has written several books about them ? books that have been among the favorites I have read the past year or two. It was wonderful exchanging stories with him, a real unique person. It turns out that he was part of the effort to save the sole existing SR-71 simulator, and get it moved to Frontiers of Flight ? and boy, I wasn?t going to pass up a chance to see that. If you like sitting in cockpits folks, this is the museum to see. They seem to have a penchant for collecting cockpit simulators, and I was able to try them all on for size. Let?s see, the T-38 seemed familiar ( we have a few of those at work), but I?d never gotten chance to sit in an F-4 or an FB-111 before. Nice offices with lots of buttons, lights, and dials. And oh yes, the SR-71 over there in the corner. A comfy place in civvies ? I can imagine it is downright cozy when you put on a pressure suit. I have been fortunate to sit in a lot of very unique and historic cockpits in my life, and this one is always going to be high on my list of memories. Both the front and rear cockpits are there and functional ? a ?must visit? for anyone who takes cockpit design seriously.
Although we spent a fair amount of time on the streets and byways of Dallas, I did get to check out Mel?s biplane project (it?s real ? the ?photo? of the RV-66 in the workshop is not?) and his wonderful collection of great tools. I sure wish my pneumatic squeezer body was made of lightweight magnesium?..We?d already done some visiting with the RV?ers in residence at AeroCountry Estates (where the Val was housed for my visit), so while that was a different day, I?ll still count it on my list of aviation events for the trip ? some beautiful airplanes there, I can tell you!
I hate being stuck, grounded, stranded ? what have you. But with aviation (and RV!) activities like these to keep me occupied, it wasn?t all that bad, in fact, it was pretty darn great! Even if you?re just stuck at an out of the way airport for awhile, there is often something interesting down in a T-Hangar somewhere. And these days, don?t be surprised if it?s an RV!
Paul
Unfortunately, the weather that I beat getting up there settled into East Texas like an old hound making a nest in front of a fire. The ceilings were low, clouds drizzled, and the fog kept coming in waves. Thus did we greet Saturday morning at Mel and Ann Asberry?s. Their little runway in the rolling hills near Farmersville has been soft enough that Mel?s RV-6 looked a little disgruntled to me ? most RV?s like to be flown at least weekly, and it was clear that winter was not setting well with this award winner. But there was little to be done about it ? when every reporting station shows bright red (meaning ?Low IFR?) on the Weathermeister METAR page, I?m not going anywhere. Heck, the ducks were walking and the airlines weren?t moving ? The Valkyrie was happy in a borrowed hangar, so all we needed to do was find something to keep us humans occupied!
Fortunately, I had gotten stranded on a very special day (one which I had never heard of before) ? the day each year that Air Salvage of Dallas opens its doors to folks who want to come pick through their bins of aircraft bobbles and beads and take them home for 50% off! We loaded up in Ann?s Van and made the significant drive down to Lancaster ? and boy, was I impressed! Rows and rows of shelves and bins with every kind of airplane part you can imagine ? all used, some abused, but every one a treasure to someone. Mel seemed to know the ropes (and the head man, Lucky), so we asked him if he might be able to direct me to a Piper Pitot Tube. I have had one on the Val every since it was built, and like the way it both looks and works ? so I figured the RV-3 should have one as well. Can?t mount that lower wing skin until we know what tube it?s going to have, so this looked like a good opportunity. Sure enough, right over there ? a nice selection of Piper ?blades?, most of them with bad heaters, but one with NO heaters ? just places to put them. Good ? I won?t have to clean out the bad ones! The marked price of $40 was too good to pass up, especially since that one day only it was going to be half that. I clutched my find in my hot little hand for the rest of the tour ? no way I was going to let that baby go!
After trolling the rest of the aisles to see if there was anything else that ?Junior? might want under the Christmas tree, we went out back to see the results of the all the creative ways that people have of returning airplanes to earth such that they can?t be ?re-used?. Rows and rows of fuselages standing in the rain. I was told that you could go out in the yard and remove any part you need, then pay for it up front. Pretty cool ? if you need certified airframe parts.
It didn?t surprise me that we ran into Jay Pratt and Carole at this parts buffet, so when we?d spent our respective allowances, we retired to a Lancaster BBQ place to talk RV?s. Hey, if you?re not flying, the least you can do is wave your hands around a bit! Jay regaled us with stories of the perfect Cessna 180 he found in a barn ? and no, he?s not selling the RV-8 now. Appetites satisfied, we went our separate ways, with Mel and Ann suggesting a visit to the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field. Never one to pass up a chance to look at cool airplanes, that sounded like a good next stop. At the banquet the night before, I was introduced to one of their chapter regulars who not only flew SR-71?s, but commanded the squadron and has written several books about them ? books that have been among the favorites I have read the past year or two. It was wonderful exchanging stories with him, a real unique person. It turns out that he was part of the effort to save the sole existing SR-71 simulator, and get it moved to Frontiers of Flight ? and boy, I wasn?t going to pass up a chance to see that. If you like sitting in cockpits folks, this is the museum to see. They seem to have a penchant for collecting cockpit simulators, and I was able to try them all on for size. Let?s see, the T-38 seemed familiar ( we have a few of those at work), but I?d never gotten chance to sit in an F-4 or an FB-111 before. Nice offices with lots of buttons, lights, and dials. And oh yes, the SR-71 over there in the corner. A comfy place in civvies ? I can imagine it is downright cozy when you put on a pressure suit. I have been fortunate to sit in a lot of very unique and historic cockpits in my life, and this one is always going to be high on my list of memories. Both the front and rear cockpits are there and functional ? a ?must visit? for anyone who takes cockpit design seriously.
Although we spent a fair amount of time on the streets and byways of Dallas, I did get to check out Mel?s biplane project (it?s real ? the ?photo? of the RV-66 in the workshop is not?) and his wonderful collection of great tools. I sure wish my pneumatic squeezer body was made of lightweight magnesium?..We?d already done some visiting with the RV?ers in residence at AeroCountry Estates (where the Val was housed for my visit), so while that was a different day, I?ll still count it on my list of aviation events for the trip ? some beautiful airplanes there, I can tell you!
I hate being stuck, grounded, stranded ? what have you. But with aviation (and RV!) activities like these to keep me occupied, it wasn?t all that bad, in fact, it was pretty darn great! Even if you?re just stuck at an out of the way airport for awhile, there is often something interesting down in a T-Hangar somewhere. And these days, don?t be surprised if it?s an RV!
Paul
