Beautiful Alex

No...we continued to have problems with the right brake not releasing properly. As it happened, the brake master cylinders Waco used on the Z/UPF-7 (or at least THIS ZPF-7, anyway) were off the 1939 Plymouth. Turns out, there are rebuild kits for these available in the car collector world. A new set of seals solved a couple of leak problems and further work on Monday got them releasing properly and evened up in terms of how they 'feel'. Mark got it buttoned up yesterday and did the run-up checks. I'm headed out that way after work tonight to do the post annual shakedown flight (weather willing) so we'll know for sure then if we need further adjustments.

Otherwise, no issues with this airplane beyond the usual tweaks and adjustments. Just in time for summer!

This morning was a PERFECT day to go fly VFR, slow and low. Of course, I was the only airplane using an airport with over 400 aircraft based there at 8:30 this morning. GA IS dead. Or at least it was at PWA this AM. I don't get it.

Anyway, I decided to go take a look at the Moore, OK tornado damage so I took off from RWY 35 with winds 290 @ 6. Amazingly perfect. I flew across the city and then down I35 at 1200 AGL. OAT was 68 degrees. Absolutely perfect.

As we flew over the Capitol he remarked that when he was a kid he used to look up when a biplane flew overhead and wished he were flying. He said today he hoped some kids were doing the same thing - and HE was flying in a biplane!

It's amazing to see tornado damage from close up. My friend with me said it was like a lawn mower cut a path through the town. It's also amazing to see a swath of flattened buildings lined with others with hardly any damage. After seeing that you'd never want to be above ground in a tornado...

We then flew back north and then west to head to Clarence Page AP to do some pattern work. On the way we had 4 or 5 traffic calls from Approach. Several were close and he was giving me headings to fly to avoid. It's nerve wracking but also a hoot to roll that baby over at 45 degrees to bug out!

At Page we announced ourselves multiple times and on the downwind for 35L (wind now 310 at 9 - perfect, just perfect) some guy says he's going to back taxi on 17R for departure but he'll be out of our way. (The wind is 310 right? ). He's in a BONANZA! So, we roll out on short final and he's in the middle of the frickin' runway. So, we go around and speak to him about his intentions. He's sorry.

Oh well, we got to do some low altitude maneuvering...A quick pattern a touch and go and we leave the wrong runway to the Bonanza driver. (notice I did not say pilot).

And back home. Almost 2 hours of awesomeness!

That's neat, Tony. I got mine back in service this week. Went up between Aerocountry and Sherman on the shakedown flight and did some wingovers and lazy 8s on a beautiful evening this week. Then landed back on the grass at the north end of T31. Fun!

Beware.a FBO at PWA has started to charge $17 landing fee..


Park at the tower's ramp...not the FBO's .

A or V?

No worries for me I hangar at PWA, Inc. we have our own ramp and fuel.

It finally dried out enough here and timing worked out that I got to go tickle the Waco's feet in the grass this morning. I flew over to El Reno where I had the airport to myself not to mention the grass runway.

They had brush hogged the runway in the last 2 or 3 days and made it about 75 feet wide. Having been cut with a tractor the grass was still about 6-8 inches high which does shorten the ground roll! The funny thing was when I unlocked the tailwheel at each end of the runway to spin it around grass was flying everywhere! It also ended up stuck in all sorts of places on the plane when I got back.

Grass is fun! After just doing wheelies for months the sight picture of a 3 point landing takes a little getting used to. And when you're taking off, especially on a rough runway like El Reno, the plane feels like it's galloping down the runway until airborne.

Cruising at 1,000 AGL as the thermal activity built up it just felt like driving a '65 Chevy pickup down washboard dirt roads. You bump and slide around quite a bit but it just feels right. Odd, but that sort of thing bothers me in the Bonanza and makes me feel right at home in the Waco...

When I got back the local club instructor and student where behind me to gas up. I apologized for delaying them. Fueling and starting a round engined biplane is a little more involved than many planes...

The club instructor, who is a great guy, asked if he could ride while I taxied to the hangar. Sure! He had a huge grin on his face when we got back. And that was just from a 2 minute taxi ride!

You guys that haven't flown in an open cockpit biplane on a warm day need to put it on your bucket list.

Hi Florian:

I have about 150 hrs in a Great Lakes (actually, two different ones). As mentioned by others, they have a Lycoming engine (which, from a maintenance point of view is nice). I've got about 500 hrs in a Stearman, had a Pitts S2B, some Waco time, yada yada...for comparison.

Great lakes: cockpit is tighter than any of the others than a Pitts, and the panel is closer to your face than in the Pitts. Depending on your size, that could either be okay, or not. Ground handling is typical tailwheel. It's not as "fidgety" as a Pitts, but doesn't have the mass effect the Waco or Stearman does. Acro is very nice. It was the first airplane I got on my acro card, and it remains a favorite for fun afternoon acro. My next door neighbor owned a beauty, and he would occasionally bring it over and ask me to fly it.....


Parts don't seem to be a problem and there are a couple of shops that specialize in them, so advice is available. All in all, it's a really nice "sport biplane", and has a lot to commend it. The one I used to fly up in WV is for sale, and if you are interested in a ride in one, PM me and I'll give you the guy's phone number. It's been recently recovered, and is a really nice plane.


A lot depends on your mission (sound familiar?). If you want to do acro, but don't want to go the all-out Pitts route, and still want a classic looking plane, the Great Lakes is perfect. If you want to spend a bit more on gas, and have a Walter Mitty WWII experience, the Stearman is the ticket. If you want the classic pre-WWII look, the Waco is wonderful. The Waco is roomy, comfortable, easy to fly, but doesn't really have the acro performance the Great lakes or the Pitts does. The Stearman will transport you in time to the "cadet days" of WWII, and looks great any time (except for the time I was flying one in snow...)


stan

Hi Florian:

I have about 150 hrs in a Great Lakes (actually, two different ones). As mentioned by others, they have a Lycoming engine (which, from a maintenance point of view is nice). I've got about 500 hrs in a Stearman, had a Pitts S2B, some Waco time, yada yada...for comparison.

Great lakes: cockpit is tighter than any of the others than a Pitts, and the panel is closer to your face than in the Pitts. Depending on your size, that could either be okay, or not. Ground handling is typical tailwheel. It's not as "fidgety" as a Pitts, but doesn't have the mass effect the Waco or Stearman does. Acro is very nice. It was the first airplane I got on my acro card, and it remains a favorite for fun afternoon acro. My next door neighbor owned a beauty, and he would occasionally bring it over and ask me to fly it.....


Parts don't seem to be a problem and there are a couple of shops that specialize in them, so advice is available. All in all, it's a really nice "sport biplane", and has a lot to commend it. The one I used to fly up in WV is for sale, and if you are interested in a ride in one, PM me and I'll give you the guy's phone number. It's been recently recovered, and is a really nice plane.


A lot depends on your mission (sound familiar?). If you want to do acro, but don't want to go the all-out Pitts route, and still want a classic looking plane, the Great Lakes is perfect. If you want to spend a bit more on gas, and have a Walter Mitty WWII experience, the Stearman is the ticket. If you want the classic pre-WWII look, the Waco is wonderful. The Waco is roomy, comfortable, easy to fly, but doesn't really have the acro performance the Great lakes or the Pitts does. The Stearman will transport you in time to the "cadet days" of WWII, and looks great any time (except for the time I was flying one in snow...)


stan

You referring to the super Decathlon? No, I had a regular Decathlon....never have flown a super D.



stan

Stan,

The reason I asked is because I've been considering giving introductory aerobatic dual and I can't decide between the Super Decathalon and the Great Lakes.

Ah.

Just an opinion, here...since you asked...

I think a lot depends on "what type" of experience you want to provide your customer. The Great Lakes is a well balanced, very fun plane. OTOH, a lot of people are very uncomfortable at first when flying an open cockpit plane upside down. A lot would depend on what other uses you might have for the plane. A decathlon is a decent just "fun plane" to take on a short trip, where the open cockpit is sometimes hot in the summer, cold in the winter, etc.


The Great Lakes can be harder to get "in and out" of, depending on size/shape of the person. Also, if you are giving dual, all the primary controls are in the rear cockpit...i.e., radios, etc. My experience giving dual in the Decathlon, Husky, super cub, etc, is in a real pinch you can unbuckle, reach forward and point at the knob on the radio that you need them to turn, etc....not workable in the Great Lakes. (And then there was the night I swapped seats in the Decathlon......that's a story in itself...)



All in all, I think the most practical for a "give some dual" plane is the Decathlon. The Great Lakes is fabulous, but it's more of a "personal sport biplane" that you give a ride in....



my $0.02....


stan

Thanks for the review.

I didn't know that you needed a mission for a biplane. I thought the mission is 'I want a biplane'

Talking about biplanes. I went to visit my parents this week, had the opportunity to go to my former flying clubs mini air-show. THIS thing was giving rides:

I rode in the back of an AN-2 once. Just the starting sequence was worth the trip, accompanied as it was by authentic Russian swearing.