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So, I'm just curious about you all's reaction/opinion... What kind of a pilot would do an emergency landing in a cornfield because he became lost while flying the pattern?.......  

You sure you want to go there? LOL  

Sure you do not want to rephrase that to" How many have ",lol

Isnt that what the GPS is for...?...........

How do you get lost at 50 knots...LOL ….with a 20 knot head wind….Haaa

regards Arthur

Quoted from Arthur Withy Isnt that what the GPS is for...?...........


regards Arthur

short answer - YES.

... but the GPS is more effective when in the cockpit, instead of in the truck...

Quoted from Arthur Withy
How do you get lost at 50 knots...LOL ….with a 20 knot head wind….Haaa

regards Arthur

Hypothetically, if a guy were flying a new slow airplane, at a new field, with fairly non-descript terrain, and considerably more wind than expected, and used less good judgement and preplanning than he shoulda', and was flying with low fuel..., I suppose... if he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, it might be possible that he could find a way to get lost and feel the need to put down in a corn field... hypothetically of course...

I suppose it would not be so bad as long as he carried his cell phone, a decent pair of walking shoes, and wasn't flying around some desolate area with miles between residences,... like say, perhaps... the middle of Oklahoma, you know, where folks keep loaded firearms and german shepards to deal with strangers roaming around...

Hey, hypothetically, do you know this person, LOL.
Bob

Redbird, this did not happen to the hypothetical Redbird did it?  How would someone lose the strip in the pattern?  Hmmmmm.  Crazier things have happened though.

Hmm, I do recall, uh, make that I heared about a pilot that flew right over top of a grass strip (used to be Stutz Field) that used to be located near Louisville, KY and didn't even see it.  I hear he had a heck of a time finding it, but eventually did see a windsock and a plane or two on what appeared to him to just be another in the patchwork quilt of farms   I hear some of those little grass strips can be a real challenge to find if you're not familiar with them.

Hey Scott;
Know zactly whatcha mean, LOL
Bob

If our friend AireBike Ace were telling this story we would have heard how he was flying LOW searching for the HUN's hiding in the corn rows and had to set down when the engine hickuped. Alas, our friend Redbird (aka Tony) told us the truth and now must suffer the slings and arrows from his flying friends. LOL   Hey Tony, don't get into politics until you develop the skill of "spinning the story line". rlol  We love ya guy but you know we're going to raze you about this one for a while. Thanks for the opportunity.

Gary

Quoted from Bob Hoskins Hey, hypothetically, do you know this person, LOL.
Bob

Hypothetically, I'm not sure I would admit it if I did...

Quoted from Garyk If our friend AireBike Ace were telling this story we would have heard how he was flying LOW searching for the HUN's hiding in the corn rows and had to set down when the engine hickuped. Alas, our friend Redbird (aka Tony) told us the truth and now must suffer the slings and arrows from his flying friends. LOL   Hey Tony, don't get into politics until you develop the skill of "spinning the story line". rlol  We love ya guy but you know we're going to raze you about this one for a while. Thanks for the opportunity.

Gary

Hypothetically, the slings and arrows would be well deserved... ...

Think about that time when you were a kid and you let go of a helium balloon outside. How you stood there helpless to do anything but watch it fly away until it disappeared, wondering just where in this big world it would end up.

Now think about Tony being in that balloon!

Quoted from KenL Think about that time when you were a kid and you let go of a helium balloon outside. How you stood there helpless to do anything but watch it fly away until it disappeared, wondering just where in this big world it would end up.

Now think about Tony being in that balloon!

I know some friends that would be concerned... but, there are other folks who might kind of dig such a hypothetical scenario... Of course Kenny, we both know that I would never put any of the former through such an ordeal...

I do agree that some of these little strips are hard to find if you dont know the area. LOL  Ya'll are cracking me up.  

So did you join the Fukahhwee tribe..? maybe you could be the chief...?

regards Arthur

While I enjoy taking jabs at "Balloon Boy", I have to admit:

A. He's a tremendously good sport about it.

B. When this deal was going down, we had pretty much written off any flying due to the wind. However, about the time I got around to showing him the startup sequence and engine runup demonstration, the wind had slowed just enough that I decided to fly it so at least he could see it fly. After a short "airshow" I landed it and he decided to take it up. About the time he got airborne, the wind started gusting again. It looked like he was riding a mechanical bull up there due to the rough air. There are no landmarks out here on the prairie except for several small ponds, and they are all about the same size and shape. Contrast that with the New Hampshire (or wherever he came from lol) landscape and it's very easy for a "Forner" to get lost out here.

I have to hand it to him, under much less than ideal conditions, he and the plane survived the adventure without a scratch.

Good skills Tony! (aka Tony Earhart)  

How was that cornfield ? Harvested (thats level one only) ? I did one on a 4 feet tall cornfield but not because of loosing the pattern but simply emptying the fuel tank on a 2 hour trip. No damage. Other time I had engine failure with my paramotor and I landed in sunflower field. Man, thats a challange to get your strings re-organized before a John Deer comes along.

The real challange is to find your shortest way out from the middle, but even bigger to find your plane when you are back with a gallon of fuel
There are two kinda pilots: the one who already have cornfield landing, the other is who will have after this time...
So back to your question you are not limited to do cornfield landings, regardless of sex, skin color, religion, or political orientation.
Cornfield landing is the same category as others if it doesnot kill you, it makes you stronger.

In Redbirds defense ... oh brother..... I am planning to fly down to Ken's field in the future.. now probably in the spring but as I usually do when flying somewhere I haven't been before I turned to google earth to look at his set up... I really couldn't figure out which was which... not sure if the runway is east of the fence and house ... or the driveway is part of the landing strip.. or if the best answer is just aim for the hangar and hope....  so I can sort of see if you had never been there before it might be a bit difficult to find... or see.... course I think if I were to take off from there I would keep it in sight.   When flying with a trainer one time, he had taken me all over the place and at the end of the lesson he said... welp,,, we done... get us home... I had no idea where we were.  I took off flying north and he said why are you flying north... had to tell him I was lost but knew there had to be a highway I would recognize if I kept flying north.... told me it was a good idea in theory but at what he was charging me I better fly northeast.   When lost.... climb

Quoted from KenL While I enjoy taking jabs at "Balloon Boy", I have to admit:
A. He's a tremendously good sport about it.

BLUF - (bottom line up front)
Despite Kenny having my back on this, the truth is, I screwed up. I allowed my excitement and enthusiasm about finally owning a flying max to push aside my best judgment. I had already told Kenny more than once that I was going to have to load N27KL into the UHaul, without flying it because the conditions were outside my comfort zone for a maiden flight. We were both disappointed, but at no time did Kenny offer anything but complete support for my decision.

The surface winds did seem to die down some, so he volunteered to go through with the demo flight. It was awesome. From where I was standing it appeared he was flying on a perfectly good flying day. After he landed we diddle dallied around some and he went in house for a few minutes. I stood out at departure end of his strip for five minutes, next to the windsock,and evaluated the surface winds. They seemed pretty mild, and were right down the runway. When he came back outside I told him I wanted to taxi a bit, and if I felt comfy and the winds stayed calm I'd take a trip around the pattern...

After a couple of last minute reminders I pushed the throttle forward and began my departure. As Kenny said I would be, I was airborne very quickly. I hardly even had time to get the nose down before she wanted to fly. The upwind leg was pretty uneventful as I tried to get a feel for the plane. It was a little windy, so I made some adjustments, and while doing so I recognized right away that nothing was "natural." Not only was I flying plane with very different pitch and roll characteristics than either my 150 or my Aeronca, or the few hours of QuickSilver time I had, but I was also flying with throttle in left hand instead of right, stick in right hand instead of yoke in left, a concern to watch EGTs as well as RPM and airspeed, and a very different sight angle over the nose. I found the smooth wood seat a little slippery, and the rudder pedals were further away than I had thought so my legs were somewhat extended compared to my normal flying position. None of these little things felt like something way off, but instead of being able to fly with every day "feel" I had to think every reaction through methodically...

When I turned to crosswind and got a few hundred feet AGL it became obvious that the winds aloft were far, far from ideal for a maiden flight. I was being tossed around quite a bit, and I am sure that my tight grip on the control stick combined with my non-feel for the plane made it even worse. I had my hands full. I did glance at the strip below during cross wind and it was right there.

When I turned downwind it was still a pretty rocking ride, so I decided I would try to settle in to an extended downwind and just let things settle down a bit and try to get a better feel for flying the plane. Unfortunately, there just was never a dull moment. I did not make a special attempt to keep the strip in sight as I was focusing on flying.

When I turned base and attempted to get my bearings in relation to the strip I realized I had absolutely no clue which house below was Kenny's. I saw nothing that resembled a strip, and I recognized I had not even considered the idea of having a couple landmarks in mind. At first I just figured I would circle a bit and find it; but, I was still really fighting the extremely bumpy ride. At this time many of Bill Metcalf's comments came to mind about how these planes really are not meant for less than ideal conditions. I did circle a few times, but most of my attention was on flying the plane. I had no feel for the plane at all, and I had no desire to enter a stall or uncoordinated turn. I caught myself coming closer to both than I should. All this time, the winds aloft were pushing me way "off course." After a few minutes I realized I had absolutely no clue where Kenny's place was relative to where I was.

Quoted from RedBird
After a few minutes I realized I had absolutely no clue where Kenny's place was relative to where I was.

I was genuinely lost. To make matters worse, I did not have my little Etrex GPS that I always carry for backup, and I was flying without any radio. Oh, and one more little detail... before Kenny's demo we had put only 3 gallons of fuel in the plane. He had flown 15 minutes and I had intended to fly for 5. I had now been up about 15 minutes myself. I did not know the exact fuel burn rate of the 503,  but had recalled reading something around 4gal/hr. My math skills were intact... to best of my calculations, I was lost, 1200 feeet or so AGL, with something less than a gallon of fuel remaining during my first flight in an aircraft that I had no good feel for the flying characteristics, never mind the gliding characteristics; but, I had heard plenty about it flying like a rock without power.

Friends, my anxiety was starting to elevate...

There were fields everywhere, of all different shades, and I had no clue what was what, but I knew I needed to get on the ground or I was going to become a rock glider pilot, so I guessed at ground surface conditions. The winds aloft were strong enough so I was flying about 45 degrees off from direction of nose, and the winds aloft were also in very different direction than what I remember the sock being on the surface. So I decided I'd not fight the winds aloft and instead pick a field ahead of me that I could get lined up with the corn stalk rows, approximately into the direction of the surface winds I remember. So I picked out a field that I thought would work and focused on staying above all the powerlines on my descent path. I also kept watching my EGT and rpm trying to remember what I was supposed to be doing in those regards.

I also looked around and realized that there were very few houses anywhere near the field, but I did see a couple of dirt roads. Once I made the decision to land, I actually felt better and just focused on trying to do so in one piece. My first max landing was going to be in a cornfield. I just hoped the stalks were short enough not to flip me. I had not noticed any real corn stalks when driving in to town, so I hoped that meant everything was still really short...

I lucked out. It was not a text book landing. I did bounce a little bit once, but I landed in soft sod, with corn sprouts only 3-4 inches tall. I had a good surface headwind so the plane came to a halt very quickly once in the soft stuff. When I landed, the engine was still running, so I flipped it off and just sat there for a few seconds. I was on the ground, safe and sound... but I knew that Kenny and Kathy were likely worried sick. I had no cell phone with me. I did not even know their cell phone number should I find a way to call them. I had no idea where I was and the nearest road was several hundred meters across the field...

Oh... one more little detail... I was in my stocking feet... I had removed my shoes prior to flight so my feel would not hit the nose fuel tank...

Quoted from RedBird


Oh... one more little detail... I was in my stocking feet... I had removed my shoes prior to flight so my feel would not hit the nose fuel tank...

So began my hike. By the time I reached the road my feet were already feeling a bit beat up. Of course, it was a dirt road, and I could not see anything resembling a residence or building in either direction. So I headed in the direction I thought I remembered seeing a house during my descent. After about 15 minutes I came upon a house and trailer. I was a little nervous about walking across the property as I had no idea what it would look like to a property owner to have some clown in his stocking feet roaming around. I started to hollar "HELLO, anybody home?... and there was no response. After 4-5 such attempts, something moved behind a car in the driveway... A big ole german shepard... who was not tied to anything... oh boy... I was halfway up the driveway, clearly in his territory... I put my best "good boy, nice pup" voice into action and when he got about 10 feet from me he stopped and put his head down and started to circle... "good boy... I won't hurt you." (yea, like that was my real concern...)  Then he lifted his head and started wagging his tail... he was not very old, and I got a sense that as long as I did not threaten anything, he was cool with me...

I started to retreat from the property when the front door of the trailer opened. An elderly lady poked her head out and I tried to explain across the lawn that I had just landed an airplane in the cornfield and needed to let my friend know I was ok, but that I did not know his telephone number... I felt like a complete clown... in my red dirt stained stocking feet and gym shorts (my xc uhaul driving attire is shorts and t). She was understanding and said her husband was coming out with a cell phone.

Great, who do I call? I told the husband Kenny's name, but apparently Kenny is not as famous and well known in the state of Oklahoma as previous posts might imply. The man then said, well, I can give  you a ride to Cashion if you like. I agreed and he then asked what kind of plane I was flying, and said something like "these things happen..." He was totally cool, and I started to feel life coming back to normal...

Just as we were getting to his vehicle, a red truck came rolling down the road and turned into the driveway... UNBELIEVABLE! It was Kenny and Kathy!!!!  I won't be able to give his perspective accurately, but he had the incredible good sense to hop in his truck when he realized I was lost and try to follow me! So I thanked the gentleman from the trailer, and as I approached Kenny's truck he just said "would you like a pair of shoes sir?..."

I spent the next 30 minutes apologizing and feeling like a total idiot. I had screwed up big time by being way too nonchalant about my maiden flight. My gut had told me to pick a better day. Then when I decided conditions were ok, I did not systematically go through things like landmarks, radio, emergency gps, etc. I was psychologically careless and it got me in trouble. Conditions were not ok for a maiden flight. I let my excitement and anticipation about flying a max take over my better judgment. This is embarrassing to me because I pride myself on being a conservative pilot.

We spent the next several hours retrieving the plane from the middle of the corn sprout field and loading it into my 26' Uhaul. Kenny and Kathy will never get that evening back. But they never complained or made me feel bad. Instead Kathy fixed us dinner while Kenny and I got things secured for the remaining 1800mile Uhaul trek. By 10pm I was back on the road.

I rehashed the flight for the next 1800 miles. It was the most nervous... ok... scared... I have been in my 500+ hours of flying. Things turned out ok, and when things got bad I remembered two guiding principles that were beat in to me when I was learning to fly... (1) FLY THE PLANE, (2) If lost and low on fuel, get on the ground. Those two basic themes got me out of a mess of my own making.

If we really do learn the most from our mistakes... I should become a good max pilot someday... I botched my maiden flight, I am embarrassed, and I am also thankful; but, I learned a lot.

It was also reinforced to me yet again what a great group of buzzards we have here. Thanks again for having my back throughout this entire adventure and followup Kenny.

Hey Redbird, I very much enjoyed your story. Now you have a cool story to tell anyone that will listen. The best part is that you are ok and the plane is too.

Redbird: Very interesting story with an excellent description.
It reminds me of my first Minimax flight so I'll make a comparison.
When I finished building my Max I read and followed the EAA handbook "First flight on your homebuilt plane" A very comprehensive manual that prepares the pilot and plane for that first flight.  Somewhere it reads : "The  first flight must be an non event thing" because you and the plane are prepared for that first flight and you have also done it mentally many times.
According to your description, at the beginning of your flight you realized that everything was very unfamiliar, such as the external view, the instrument panel, the throttle position, etc, things that become familiar after hours of taxi tests.
You practically went for that first experience without taking too many considerations. Fortunately you have the knowledge on "how to get away from trouble" and you did it just fine for you and your plane
Maybe the difference between both of us was:
1) My last flight was done 6 six years ago before flying  my Minimax
2)I had never flown a tractor configuration
3) It was my first low wing experience.
4) LAst time I've landed a tail dragger was 10 years before.
Several good reasons for me to be prepared for the first flight.
Similarities are: First flight in a type, taking off from new runway ,although mine  is  located where I have the farm the view from up there  was very unfamiliar.

I find your story good for any aviation magazine where several  lessons  are to be learned for many pilots.

Quoted from Ricardo R

I find your story good for any aviation magazine where several  lessons  are to be learned for many pilots.

Hey thanks for the comparison Ricardo, and the feedback and support. I actually told Kenny I intend to write it up a bit cleaner and see if a rag might be interested in a lesson's learned type article... I'll work on it in the weeks ahead, and see if I can find a home for it. It really reminded me of how important being conservative, thoughtful, and well prepared is. Once off the ground, it is too late. I definitely came up short in meeting my own personal standards. I know better. I guess the nice thing about being a guy that tries to learn from his mistakes in life... I keep having plenty of opportunity to get smarter..

What a funny and at the same time scary story. My greatest fear is getting lost. Your story had me on the edge of my seat and I am glad your on the ground.

Dwight

Doggone. we were having so much fun, at your expense, that we just plain forgot that your pucker factor must have been a 12 on a scale of 1 to 10. As the others said we are glad that you and the Max are safe and sound. Personally I don't fly anywhere that doesn't have water towers that I can check for Huns (and sneak a peek at the name painted on the tank). Learned that one day when I told my CFI I didn't have a clue where I was (oops, I probably shouldn't have told that).  Seriously, we probably have all been a little reticent in admitting the error of our ways during our flying time. Thanks for reminding us of the serious side of your situation and giving all of us a lesson that our enthusiasm should not take priority over what our training has taught us. You might want to put your cell phone, GPS and your shoes on the check list for your new Max. LOL  Maybe Kenny can paint some arrows on the roof for future Buzzards wanting to pay a visit. lol  Stay safe guys.

Gary

Quoted from RedBird

I had screwed up big time by being way too nonchalant about my maiden flight. My gut had told me to pick a better day. Then when I decided conditions were ok, I did not systematically go through things like landmarks, radio, emergency gps, etc. I was psychologically careless and it got me in trouble. Conditions were not ok for a maiden flight. I let my excitement and anticipation about flying a max take over my better judgment. This is embarrassing to me because I pride myself on being a conservative pilot.

You're being too hard on yourself man. You were just going to make a lap around the pattern. If you would have gone through all that prep with the GPS, radio, parachute, smoke signals, etc. for one lap around the pattern, I would have made fun of you! You know I would!    

Quoted from Garyk    You might want to put your cell phone, GPS and your shoes on the check list for your new Max.  

Gary

Gary, I actually take my cell phone with me to use as an ELT in the Max. My wife can locate my phone with hers so she knows where to find the carnage if I don't come back.