Monday, March 19, 2007
Rocky Mountain Aerobatics
After 6 months in Colorado, I finally have done some flying. A week ago I got some tailwheel time in a Citabria at Front Range Airport. I was really rusty and only had one or two decent landings, but I guess that's no surprise.
Part of the reason I was motivated to get some stick time again was because this weekend I knew I was going to get a free aerobatic ride with IAC Chapter 12. The club was generously allowing members of EAA Chapter 43 to get some vitamin G by offering rides in Decathlons, a Pitts S-2B, an Extra 300L and even the beastly Sukhoi SU-29. I wasn't sure how much flying they might allow me to do, but if they did I wanted to not be a total hack.
I call this picture "Sukhoi On My Mind". As you can see the weather at Longmont Airport (LMO) was gorgeous, as it seems to be so often in Colorado.
The airport was busy with the acro rides, a huge bunch of Young Eagles being flown, and a Twin Otter constantly shuttling parachutists up to about 5,000' AGL over the field. Here are some friendly people sitting in front of a nice aerobatic biplane who helped take pictures of me. ;) The little guy enjoyed watching all the jumpers because the practice aerobatic boxes weren't visible from the field.
"Does this outfit make my ass look big?" By luck of the draw (and a special request) I was fortunate enough to fly with DJ Molny in his Extra 300L, a really sweet ride. In this picture DJ was explaining to me what to do in case I had to make use of the parachute strapped to my butt.
The Extra was a wonderful ride, and DJ let me get the feel of the plane and fly some loops and barrel rolls, and hang upside down for a while. The controls were incredibly smooth and sensitive, and the control harmony was perfect. Of course there is plenty of horsepower too. DJ's plane has a 4-bladed prop and a large expansion chamber on the exhaust so it is relatively quiet too, especially compared to the Sukhoi. Compared to my previous acro experience in a Decathlon, the easy controls and superior visibility made the flying much easier. I think some stick time in Kurt's EZ probably helped too (thanks Kurt). Needless to say, I was all smiles before and after the ride.
Brian, the Young Eagles Coordinator for EAA Chapter 43 got to ride in the Sukhoi so I got this shot of him before he mounted the beast.
All of this took place with the beautiful backdrop of the Rockies nearby. Here Brian in the Sukhoi taxis back in front of Longs Peak, located in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Lastly, here is a picture of the colorful Pitts S-2B in front of the mountains, an image of another perfect day outside with airplanes.
Part of the reason I was motivated to get some stick time again was because this weekend I knew I was going to get a free aerobatic ride with IAC Chapter 12. The club was generously allowing members of EAA Chapter 43 to get some vitamin G by offering rides in Decathlons, a Pitts S-2B, an Extra 300L and even the beastly Sukhoi SU-29. I wasn't sure how much flying they might allow me to do, but if they did I wanted to not be a total hack.
I call this picture "Sukhoi On My Mind". As you can see the weather at Longmont Airport (LMO) was gorgeous, as it seems to be so often in Colorado.
The airport was busy with the acro rides, a huge bunch of Young Eagles being flown, and a Twin Otter constantly shuttling parachutists up to about 5,000' AGL over the field. Here are some friendly people sitting in front of a nice aerobatic biplane who helped take pictures of me. ;) The little guy enjoyed watching all the jumpers because the practice aerobatic boxes weren't visible from the field.
"Does this outfit make my ass look big?" By luck of the draw (and a special request) I was fortunate enough to fly with DJ Molny in his Extra 300L, a really sweet ride. In this picture DJ was explaining to me what to do in case I had to make use of the parachute strapped to my butt.
The Extra was a wonderful ride, and DJ let me get the feel of the plane and fly some loops and barrel rolls, and hang upside down for a while. The controls were incredibly smooth and sensitive, and the control harmony was perfect. Of course there is plenty of horsepower too. DJ's plane has a 4-bladed prop and a large expansion chamber on the exhaust so it is relatively quiet too, especially compared to the Sukhoi. Compared to my previous acro experience in a Decathlon, the easy controls and superior visibility made the flying much easier. I think some stick time in Kurt's EZ probably helped too (thanks Kurt). Needless to say, I was all smiles before and after the ride.
Brian, the Young Eagles Coordinator for EAA Chapter 43 got to ride in the Sukhoi so I got this shot of him before he mounted the beast.
All of this took place with the beautiful backdrop of the Rockies nearby. Here Brian in the Sukhoi taxis back in front of Longs Peak, located in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Lastly, here is a picture of the colorful Pitts S-2B in front of the mountains, an image of another perfect day outside with airplanes.
Labels: aerobatics, flying
