DH1100October 18, 2010, 1:59pm
I had asked in another thread if anyone thought it was a superstition to not fly an airplane knowing it was the last time you would be in that particular aircraft. You know, like that would be the time something goes wrong...
But, today was a beautiful day, and reflecting on how much I have enjoyed buzzing around my "back yard" for the last couple of years, I decided to take the opportunity to have a farewell flight with my Airbike. If all goes as planned, by the end of next weekend, it will be in Indiana, and I will have a Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic to ride.
Many of you who have been on this board for some time know the story of how I came to aquire this plane; how I like to say that "this was what I got out of the divorce!", and the pure enjoyment that came with that first summer of flying. Then, there was the windstorm that destroyed the barn it was hangered in while I tried to save it until becoming overpowered by the wind, ending up with some damage to the wings, a broken prop, and then the rebuild that followed last year. Although I KNOW I did it right and the plane is in better condition than it may have ever been in before, that storm did a strange thing to me, and flying has never been the same again. I have struggled with anxiety and fear... not just flying, but many things. I am happy to say, though, that things have improved immensely the last couple of months, no small thanks to all of you guys, relating your own stories and offering support. I can't thank you enough for how much it has meant to me and how much it helped.
On to the story...!
The day promised 80 degrees and light winds, but by 11 the winds were 90 degrees across the runway at at 10-12 mph. The Weather Service still promised better conditions later, so on a whim, I called up a friend that I rode dirt bikes with 25 years ago to see if his recent offer of going trail riding again was still good. I was pleasantly surprised to find he was available and really wanted to ride this afternoon! So.. over to his house; he took the 4-wheeler, and his son and I took the dirt bikes. Oh man, it all came back; the excitement of riding off-road on modern machines that were much better than what was cutting-edge back in the mid '80's!!! I even popped a couple of "baby" wheelies at about half-throttle! The real fun, though,was watching his son do all the jumps and hill climbing that we used to do at that age. We just watched and reminisced!
Finally, about 5 PM, I had to say my goodbyes, and head over to the hanger. The wind was dying down by now, and 35 minutes later I found myself trying to manuever the Airbike out of the hanger past a Rans Coyote, a Sprint, and Charlie's Airbike. Oh great, now there is 45 minutes until sunset! Get the camera attached (don't want to miss this one!), preflight, and get this baby fired up! A few pulls, and then the sweet song of a Rotax coming to life put the propeller to work agitating the calm air and making it do something useful. I threw on my jacket,strapped on the helmet and goggles, and buckled the harness like so many times before.
Out to the end of the runway, and like every time before, ran the engine at about 5000 rpm for at least a minute to make sure no air was still in the fuel line. Never has made any difference, except for a vaguely warm fuzzy feeling that it is a prudent thing to do.
Turn on the camera, and pour the coals to it! A few short seconds later, we are climbing out and the view of the countryside expands to match the feeling of freedom from the day-to-day concerns like work, paying bills, wondering what people think....
I circled the airstrip, and headed west, to go buzz John's house, where I had been riding trails an hour before. John came out, waved, and it looked like he was taking pictures with his cellphone. "Hey John, how would you like to do a jump on a bike, and not come back down for an hour?!" I think once in a while, I am going to miss times like this.
Went back up to 400' or so, and headed over to my girlfriends' house. Three years we have been dating, and I wouldn't trade her for the world. How can you appreciate soaring with the eagles, unless you have spent time running around with turkeys?!
I made a pass over her house, being sure to time the application of throttle with the moment her house passed underneath my wings, and proceeded to make a wide decending turn over a huge flat field to the south, and lined up to do a low pass. Wings level, 5400 rpm, 55 mph indicated, and as I drew closer, I could see my spectators were out in front watching. I kept it low until four seconds before the last moment, and went to 5900 rpm to do an exciting (from the ground) pullup and banked to the east to work my way around to the big field to the south. I went to the far end as I gently banked around and once again lined up for the house.
This time I got it down to about 10' above the ground and tried to pretend that the shock waves from my passing were kicking up the dust in the freshly plowed and disked field. Like Paul has said, a little imagination never hurts while flying an Airbike! I thundered past her house again, and made a turn east, then a gradual turn around to the southwest, passing over a stand of trees to line up for a low flight down through a river bottom over a mile long. I felt the sudden chill of the air as I descended below 20' and noticed the airspeed indicator read 59MPH. Wow, this is a new record for me! Leveling out, it went back to a more normal 47MPH, and I wished there was someone around to take a video from the ground of this last pass down along the river. near the other end, I throttled up, and climbed out to the east to begin the ten mile trip back to Vaughn's strip.
Glancing back, I saw the sun was nearing the horizon. Why does the sun seem to set so early on perfect day like this? About 400 AGL' I leveled off and could already see the silos east of the strip in the distance. The sun's disc was touching the horizon, so I kept my engine about 400RPM above my normal slow cruise speed, and saw the countryside sliding by at a rate that didn't require checking a minute later to see if there was any progress! Maybe that west wind was still there and pushing on my tail, because as I reached the edge of Vaughn's strip, the sun dipped below the horizon at that very moment. A 360 over the field to loose a little altitude, making the last last three-quarters of the turn progressivly larger until I found myself lined up with the runway on a short final. 45 MPH and 3200RPM, cutting back to 2500 until the wheels nearly touched the grass, then power back with a nice touchdown.
I taxied up in front of the hanger and let it idle for a couple of minutes, knowing when I shut it off, it was over. I flipped the switch, and noticed how quite it suddenly was, only the tinking of the engine cooling off.
You may have heard of the "bucket list"; those things you set as goals to accomplish before you "kick the bucket". Now I can cross this one off the list. I intend to fly again someday, but for now, I am happy to know the enrichment this little plane has brought to my life. It has fulfilled a dream I've had since four years old, and taught me many things about airplanes, flying, and life.
Now, if everything works out, soon I will begin the next adventure. I used to go to Colorado every couple of years for a vacation, and would see people riding their motorcycles on those beautifully scenic roads and mountain passes, and thought how all-encompassing that experience must be...to feel so much more "there" than you do in a car. When I am ready, that is my goal, and I hope to share it with you. I know this groups' focus is airplanes, but I think it is also about realizing our dreams and goals, and so many of you are some of the nicest, and most genuinely helpful and caring people I have had the pleasure of knowing, even if not face-to-face.
On to the pics! (I will try to make a video soon, when I get a chance...)
But, today was a beautiful day, and reflecting on how much I have enjoyed buzzing around my "back yard" for the last couple of years, I decided to take the opportunity to have a farewell flight with my Airbike. If all goes as planned, by the end of next weekend, it will be in Indiana, and I will have a Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic to ride.
Many of you who have been on this board for some time know the story of how I came to aquire this plane; how I like to say that "this was what I got out of the divorce!", and the pure enjoyment that came with that first summer of flying. Then, there was the windstorm that destroyed the barn it was hangered in while I tried to save it until becoming overpowered by the wind, ending up with some damage to the wings, a broken prop, and then the rebuild that followed last year. Although I KNOW I did it right and the plane is in better condition than it may have ever been in before, that storm did a strange thing to me, and flying has never been the same again. I have struggled with anxiety and fear... not just flying, but many things. I am happy to say, though, that things have improved immensely the last couple of months, no small thanks to all of you guys, relating your own stories and offering support. I can't thank you enough for how much it has meant to me and how much it helped.
On to the story...!
The day promised 80 degrees and light winds, but by 11 the winds were 90 degrees across the runway at at 10-12 mph. The Weather Service still promised better conditions later, so on a whim, I called up a friend that I rode dirt bikes with 25 years ago to see if his recent offer of going trail riding again was still good. I was pleasantly surprised to find he was available and really wanted to ride this afternoon! So.. over to his house; he took the 4-wheeler, and his son and I took the dirt bikes. Oh man, it all came back; the excitement of riding off-road on modern machines that were much better than what was cutting-edge back in the mid '80's!!! I even popped a couple of "baby" wheelies at about half-throttle! The real fun, though,was watching his son do all the jumps and hill climbing that we used to do at that age. We just watched and reminisced!
Finally, about 5 PM, I had to say my goodbyes, and head over to the hanger. The wind was dying down by now, and 35 minutes later I found myself trying to manuever the Airbike out of the hanger past a Rans Coyote, a Sprint, and Charlie's Airbike. Oh great, now there is 45 minutes until sunset! Get the camera attached (don't want to miss this one!), preflight, and get this baby fired up! A few pulls, and then the sweet song of a Rotax coming to life put the propeller to work agitating the calm air and making it do something useful. I threw on my jacket,strapped on the helmet and goggles, and buckled the harness like so many times before.
Out to the end of the runway, and like every time before, ran the engine at about 5000 rpm for at least a minute to make sure no air was still in the fuel line. Never has made any difference, except for a vaguely warm fuzzy feeling that it is a prudent thing to do.
Turn on the camera, and pour the coals to it! A few short seconds later, we are climbing out and the view of the countryside expands to match the feeling of freedom from the day-to-day concerns like work, paying bills, wondering what people think....
I circled the airstrip, and headed west, to go buzz John's house, where I had been riding trails an hour before. John came out, waved, and it looked like he was taking pictures with his cellphone. "Hey John, how would you like to do a jump on a bike, and not come back down for an hour?!" I think once in a while, I am going to miss times like this.
Went back up to 400' or so, and headed over to my girlfriends' house. Three years we have been dating, and I wouldn't trade her for the world. How can you appreciate soaring with the eagles, unless you have spent time running around with turkeys?!
I made a pass over her house, being sure to time the application of throttle with the moment her house passed underneath my wings, and proceeded to make a wide decending turn over a huge flat field to the south, and lined up to do a low pass. Wings level, 5400 rpm, 55 mph indicated, and as I drew closer, I could see my spectators were out in front watching. I kept it low until four seconds before the last moment, and went to 5900 rpm to do an exciting (from the ground) pullup and banked to the east to work my way around to the big field to the south. I went to the far end as I gently banked around and once again lined up for the house.
This time I got it down to about 10' above the ground and tried to pretend that the shock waves from my passing were kicking up the dust in the freshly plowed and disked field. Like Paul has said, a little imagination never hurts while flying an Airbike! I thundered past her house again, and made a turn east, then a gradual turn around to the southwest, passing over a stand of trees to line up for a low flight down through a river bottom over a mile long. I felt the sudden chill of the air as I descended below 20' and noticed the airspeed indicator read 59MPH. Wow, this is a new record for me! Leveling out, it went back to a more normal 47MPH, and I wished there was someone around to take a video from the ground of this last pass down along the river. near the other end, I throttled up, and climbed out to the east to begin the ten mile trip back to Vaughn's strip.
Glancing back, I saw the sun was nearing the horizon. Why does the sun seem to set so early on perfect day like this? About 400 AGL' I leveled off and could already see the silos east of the strip in the distance. The sun's disc was touching the horizon, so I kept my engine about 400RPM above my normal slow cruise speed, and saw the countryside sliding by at a rate that didn't require checking a minute later to see if there was any progress! Maybe that west wind was still there and pushing on my tail, because as I reached the edge of Vaughn's strip, the sun dipped below the horizon at that very moment. A 360 over the field to loose a little altitude, making the last last three-quarters of the turn progressivly larger until I found myself lined up with the runway on a short final. 45 MPH and 3200RPM, cutting back to 2500 until the wheels nearly touched the grass, then power back with a nice touchdown.
I taxied up in front of the hanger and let it idle for a couple of minutes, knowing when I shut it off, it was over. I flipped the switch, and noticed how quite it suddenly was, only the tinking of the engine cooling off.
You may have heard of the "bucket list"; those things you set as goals to accomplish before you "kick the bucket". Now I can cross this one off the list. I intend to fly again someday, but for now, I am happy to know the enrichment this little plane has brought to my life. It has fulfilled a dream I've had since four years old, and taught me many things about airplanes, flying, and life.
Now, if everything works out, soon I will begin the next adventure. I used to go to Colorado every couple of years for a vacation, and would see people riding their motorcycles on those beautifully scenic roads and mountain passes, and thought how all-encompassing that experience must be...to feel so much more "there" than you do in a car. When I am ready, that is my goal, and I hope to share it with you. I know this groups' focus is airplanes, but I think it is also about realizing our dreams and goals, and so many of you are some of the nicest, and most genuinely helpful and caring people I have had the pleasure of knowing, even if not face-to-face.
On to the pics! (I will try to make a video soon, when I get a chance...)
