Pietenpol-List: Winter flight
Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2013 2:55 pm
Original Posted By: Kip and Beth Gardner
Flew today for the first time in about seven weeks! Temps got up into thehigher 40's with the wind right down the runway, so I figured "now ornever".Told my friend I'd fly over his house but he asked if he could come so wemet at the airport, pre-flighted her, added ten gallons at the screamingdeal price of $4.95 (uggg.) shoehorned him into the front pit and taxiedonto the runway.As I'm taxing to the end, I notice something next to his head in thedistance. turns out to be a twin-engined spam can on some crazy long final.So I spin around and get off the runway and wait while he does a touch andgo, I immediately pull back onto the runway and about three-quarters to theend, see him on a downwind! Got nowhere to go but the grass, so I pull offand wait for him again.Anyways. we then take off and she's climbing like she does with just me on asummer day. Take him down the Licking River at about 1,000 agl. I likethis flight because there is nothing but flat fields along the river, so itis relaxing when I'm flying a passenger. After I cross over the hightension lines, I drop down and we work our way back at tree-top level. Thenfly over our houses and say hi. Been about 45 minutes and I'm getting a bit cold. Turns out he's toastie asthe cabin heater is really working. It sure ain't making any heat for me inthe back. Anyways, I can tell I'm ready to land, so we head for home tofind a Pitts doing taxi testing on the runway. Eventually he sees me andvacates, so I can slip her in and land directly into the ten mile headwind.Patted her on the nose, closed the hangar door and drove home.God is good!Keep building, it's worth it!!Douwe________________________________________________________________________________
Flew today for the first time in about seven weeks! Temps got up into thehigher 40's with the wind right down the runway, so I figured "now ornever".Told my friend I'd fly over his house but he asked if he could come so wemet at the airport, pre-flighted her, added ten gallons at the screamingdeal price of $4.95 (uggg.) shoehorned him into the front pit and taxiedonto the runway.As I'm taxing to the end, I notice something next to his head in thedistance. turns out to be a twin-engined spam can on some crazy long final.So I spin around and get off the runway and wait while he does a touch andgo, I immediately pull back onto the runway and about three-quarters to theend, see him on a downwind! Got nowhere to go but the grass, so I pull offand wait for him again.Anyways. we then take off and she's climbing like she does with just me on asummer day. Take him down the Licking River at about 1,000 agl. I likethis flight because there is nothing but flat fields along the river, so itis relaxing when I'm flying a passenger. After I cross over the hightension lines, I drop down and we work our way back at tree-top level. Thenfly over our houses and say hi. Been about 45 minutes and I'm getting a bit cold. Turns out he's toastie asthe cabin heater is really working. It sure ain't making any heat for me inthe back. Anyways, I can tell I'm ready to land, so we head for home tofind a Pitts doing taxi testing on the runway. Eventually he sees me andvacates, so I can slip her in and land directly into the ten mile headwind.Patted her on the nose, closed the hangar door and drove home.God is good!Keep building, it's worth it!!Douwe________________________________________________________________________________