"Dr. April Narren"

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/narren



ETA I think she would approve of these: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=76762&view=unread#unread

Look at the calendar boys, you have been had....

Last year ANN had a lead story about the recomissioning of Enola Gay for the airshow circuit.

APRIL FOOL!

Har har har...

This thread is worthless without pictures!

Skybolt versus Starduster? Or which homebuilt bipe is accepted by Broadheaders and antiquers? I will keep working on a tailwheel endorsement, but the goal would be a great handling bipe.
Love Stardusters!
Enlighten me please.

I had an aero classics helmet and I sold it because it has no face shield. It had goggles which do not work with glasses, and with no face shield and no visor (like the bill of a cap) it was unworkable for me in the sun.

I have an HGU-55 with ANR and CEP. I have a Electret mic on a boom and a Military impedance mic with a matching transformer in my O2 mask.

Since everybody wants picks, I have included one... I have replaced the elastic strap visor in the picture with a track style slide down style which is protected when it is retracted... I like it much better.

I got all pissed off for nothing!

This thread is worthless without pictures!

Between work, weather and maintenance it has been a long time since I got to fly the Waco. Then it was a matter of schedule coordination with my instructor and the weather. It had been long enough since I've been up I wanted to make sure my feet still work and my technique is still sound before flying solo.

So, finally, today was the day! The plane is freshly annualled, recently washed and thoroughly preflighted. I pulled it out of the hangar, pulled the prop through 7 blades, climbed in the cockpit and fired up the big, belching beast known as a Jacobs R755B2 275 hp radial smile machine.

Sitting in the cockpit warming the engine and the cockles of my aviator's heart I reacquainted myself with the tiny cockpit, instruments and procedures. Taxiing over to the gas pumps to top off my bright red work of art the cars were already stopping. Even the lineman whipped out his phone for photos as I taxied away.

Today was the first day of spring. Yes, I know, the calendar says it was a month ago. But the Waco and the stirring in my soul said it was today!

With my instructor on board for company and back up feet I taxied to the runway, lined up and with a delightful rumble we head down the runway. Stick back, pressure in the hand builds and then release the pressure and the tail comes up. We can see what's coming now. Heaven on earth.

Up up and away. A steep climbing turn to crosswind for a downwind departure. The air is cool, but not quite cold. A little wind shear as we climb through 1,000 feet and up to 2,200 feet AGL. Back on throttle, ease up on the pressure and one of man's prettiest mechanical creations is in its element. Cruising.

The earth below is stunning. Bright green and some golden crop fields show the blessings of rain and an easing of the drought. But as we dive for the ground for a low pass on a friends private airstrip we see that blessings have a downside. No hushed quiet and slipping three pointers to tickle the wheels today. Too wet!

With a steep climbing turn we gracefully cruise our way back to altitude and head for the practice pattern. In a biplane the wind matters. We listen to the ASOS with unbelieving ears and fly over midfield looking carefully at the truth fluttering in the wind sock.

A quick call to anyone lucky enough to be up and in the air nearby with our intentions as we roll hard into the downwind. Tailwheel locked. Both tanks on. Carb heat on. Throttle back and stick relaxed we head for glory and roll over into the base and final turn. Overshoot! The rust and lying winds have fooled us! But we have plenty of time and slip back to the runway. Power on again to arrest our graceful descent. Now off as fly onto the runway. Chirp! One wheel then another! We are flying on the ground our tail proudly in the air.

Carb heat off and power on. We're already flying as we climb and roll around the pattern for another go. And another. And a few more for the pleasure, the satisfaction and the art of Waco wheel landings. But ground flying is easy, even in a crosswind. Can we pedal this thing to a stop?

So, as the wheels touch and the stick relaxes we begin the dance down the runway. As the tail tucks in and the stick comes back we pedal harder. And faster. And now we're sitting on the runway, the Jacobs rolling over contentedly, as Jacobs have for 80 years. Tailwheel unlocked and little power. Around we spin! And taxi back down the runway. Which is deserted except for the ghosts of aviators of generations past who are grinning from ear to ear and giving us wispy double thumbs up. And off we go again!

Nothing beautiful lasts forever so we climb towards home with the wind singing in the wires. We fly low over houses as we enter the pattern. Does anyone down there see us? Did we make them smile? How could they not?

Even the controller in the tower, who won't be there for long, is excited to have us back. "Waco 2269V cleared for landing runway 17L! Welcome home!". We slip towards the runway and fly onto the wide concrete ribbon and begin to pedal home. The tail is down and doing it's shimmy. Like the dog who has jumped into the spring time pond and is shaking off the excess water!

We pedal harder and faster. But God wants to see if we're truly ready. He gives us just a little more crosswind. The Waco swerves one way and then another as we apply all the rudder there is. But we have brakes too, this time, and quickly the spirited beast is sorted out, the bit firmly in it's teeth, and we are home.

As we snake this way and that headed to rest the few people who have had the good sense to come out to the airport to celebrate today stop and wave.

As we roll the hangar doors closed on the big, red, beautiful beast I hear a voice from long ago say "Ask Any Pilot!" Indeed. Any pilot who has ever flown the open cockpit Waco biplane can tell you. There is no experience to compare. There is no end. Only a longing for next time!

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Qa5SDtKJp8E[/youtube]

Tony - great write up...that pretty much captures it!

Took mine up to McKinney yesterday morning for the annual...low clouds kept me at 1500' over the heart of Dallas, top of Love Field and Addison and then barnstorming across the farmland north of town. Ain't nothing like it. As I came slipping down final I saw a couple of guys stop their golf game, lean on their clubs and watch the Bluebird sail overhead and down toward the runway. As much as I loved my view of the operation, I'd love to have theirs someday...

I've been working on doing full three point landings all the time - if for nothing else than to shorten the roll. I don't know about your airplane, but it seems like mine will freewheel all the way down the runway with the tail in the air. If I get all three on early, it gives up the ghost fairly quickly and we can usually make the first turnoff. But the problem I'm encountering is that I'm rarely prepared for how hard you have to pull to make that happen and how much sight picture you lose in the full 3-point stance. So I end up with some sort of hybrid, nose-high wheel landing with the tail partially blanked by the wings and requiring more rudder throw than usual to keep it pointed down the runway. Not optimal, but we're progressing up the learning curve.

But I love how all this fussing and worry over technique is lost on non-flying passengers. The other day, I had a buddy in the front seat and we came down the pipe with a gusty quartering crosswind pushing us around a bit. Plunked the mains on, ran for a bit, pulled the tail down, stopped a swerve or two, and rolled off onto the taxiway. Then, the guy up front (non-pilot) says - "Well, that was surprising...I was really prepared for a hard landing with all those gusts, but I guess the wind stopped just in time to allow us to land smoothly." No respect at all for the monkey in the back seat!



And the Campbell helmet came in earlier this week. LOVE it! Thanks for putting me onto that one.

CK,

Waco Classic uses a different tail wheel assembly than the older planes and supposedly it is not as strong. They discourage 3 point landings on concrete. Also, the bottom wing on the Waco is closer to the ground so care is required. So, I have not done any on hard surfaces.

The plane does roll in light winds like we had here today. Stronger winds are actually quite a bit easier I find. Unfortunately, they usually come with a little gusting and crosswind so there is always a challenge. The issue in a cross wind on wheelies, for me, is getting on the brakes carefully when you run out of rudder. I keep my feet low and need to raise them up a bit for effective braking. I don't have the ball of my right foot so I have to be careful (and that is why your April 1st post about the foot test about sent me over! )

3 points on grass seem pretty straight forward to me. But the timing is different. You do get to fly visually impaired! Last summer we were doing 3 pointers on grass at El Reno. The runway is 18 and the wind was 270. There was a farmer plowing immediately west of the runway fence. Every time around the wind got 1 knot stronger which was fun but there were a couple of seconds on every landing rollout where we were 100% IFR in the clouds of boiling dust! I gave up at 17 knots direct crosswind. You'd come in on the west fence and by the time you stopped you'd be close enough to the east fence. It was fine and good to see what you can do but 17 was enough.

Don't worry CK, if the landing had been bad, you'd have gotten FULL credit!

From an NTSB prelim on a guy in an AcroSport over in Louisiana earlier this month. Bailed out after losing an elevator rod-end doing acro. If you're thinking about an emergency chute...maybe this is the push you need.

Well the National Biplane Flyin was a bust. But the weather was too perfect today not to go biplane flying. Leaving PWA about 10 it was 72 degrees and the winds were 11 knots right smack dab down the runway. Not a cloud in the sky. Perfect!

I have not seen this much water on the ground in 4 years. Lots of flooded fields. The ponds and lakes are all full. Unfortunately, I also saw a lot of damaged or destroyed homes and businesses.

But, the flying was great! It's hard to be anything but happy on a beautiful day in a biplane. Especially when you're feet are working properly! And 10-18 knot winds down the runway make landing a taildragger easy!

I had briefed my instructor that I wanted to do some emergency stuff including pulling power in the pattern and make some no power landings. Managing power when you fly a brick and don't have any takes practice. Anyway, we were on the downwind just past midpoint and I'm briefing my checklist. Doug is up front taking life easy. I pulled the throttle to idle and rolled for the runway. Doug hollered "what are you doing!". Oops. Forgot to brief that part! Anyway, startling the instructor by pulling power on HIM is a fun turnabout! f\

The grass looks lovelier than it has in a long time. It's actually green... But too much water to try to land on it without three wheel drive.


The only downside I can think of to open cockpit flying on a day like today is you just wish everyone else could have the experience. (well that and the obligatory posing at the gas pump for photos).