Back up to Palomar today for another pair of rides in the Varga. The first was a demonstration of their “paying customer” ride – brief, formation take-off and flight break up for individual customer familiarization – for me and for Dave, a current employee upgraded to the air combat business line, our “customers” in the back seats were the chief pilot and a retired Marine colonel who flies for the company.
I led out and back since my formation flying cup is fairly full. After the fam work I called us into a head on, left-to-left merge with your correspondent as “the target.” That meant flying as a grape at 30 degrees angle of bank and level while dash-2 was free to maneuver to my six. Once he’d rendezvoused there we swapped roles, and it was my turn to demonstrate to the “customer” how to use a combination of high and low yo-yo’s to achieve positional advantage. One more break up, and one more head on and it was time for full-on maneuvering, at least as the company defines it. Good clean fun.
I know you well enough to know that some of you want to know how that second one ended. Deep in your hearts, you know. You haven’t got to ask.
Back to the field for a landing. Once on deck I reminded the chief pilot that I needed one more landing according to aviation flight regulations to carry pax for hire, not to mention a biennial flight review (BFR) certification. The BFR is, as the name suggests, a requirement for every certificated pilot every two years. One hour of ground “instruction” – a grilling over aerodynamics, meteorology, airspace and flight regulations – and one hour of flight instruction to prove that a pilot retains proficiency appropriate to his rating.
So quickly back into the machines, back over the sea – it was a gorgeous day to fly in SoCal – a pair of power-off stalls, one clean and one with full flaps. A figure-eight, some sideslipped descents and simulated emergencies. Recover to the field for a left-hand pattern entry, touch and go to right-hand downwind, full stop.
It was on the second flight that I figured out why my right leg had been so sore for all last week.
You see, the first thing I asked Chuck when I climbed into the cockpit was how to run the rudder pedals out – it felt like my knees were up against my chin. “You can’t,” he chuckled. “The aircraft designer made these airplanes for guys returning from flying fighters in World War II, and most of them were maybe 5′ 6″ and a hundred and fifty pounds.”
Which is so not me.
But, although the Varga needs a fair amount of right rudder to keep her tracking true with power on, there was one more subtlety that comes with rudders that you can’t run out to fit your frame: Unlike every other airplane I’ve ever flown in over 4000 hours of flying time, the rudders themselves don’t displace forward or aft like the brake pedal on your car does. Instead, the base of the pedals are permanently fixed to the deck and you actuate the rudders by applying pressure to the top of the pedal, which rotates over its base. Like the gas pedal in an old Ford, if you follow me, and in any other plane I’d ever flown, I would have been tapping the wheel brakes rather than using the rudders. Which see where that gets you, once you’re airborne..
Once I figured that out, much of the groaning and straining involved in maintaining coordinated flight by applying ever-increasing pressure to an immovable object up until that moment was relieved. The rest of the flight went well, I greased a pair of landings on and was soon debriefed, the logbook endorsed and and am now rip-raring to go. Just, you know: No time soon. Norfolk next week, Alexandria over the weekend and I’ve still got to get a Class II medical.
But soon.
Ugh. Wished we had that kind of weather. Just rolled back into town after being over vic of AW1 Tim for Thanksgiving and had to clean the snow and ice off my machine. Maine weather was a whole lot better too. Yours sounded like a whole lotta fun.
New ink in the logbook, always a good thing.
Especially any new listing under “Aircraft Make & Model”. Be safe and have fun.
Which begs the question: Where are the brakes?
In the Citabria, they were separate pedals. In theory, you could place each foot on both pedals on their respective side; you could control the rudder pedals with the balls of your feet and the brake pedals with the heels. I figured that was asking for trouble in a taildragger and basically maintained centerline with rudder and switched to brakes while centered.
For those not familiar with tailwheel aircraft, the landing gear configuration made the aircraft susceptible to ground loops, which means basically doing donuts: fun in a car at the mall parking lot; going down the runway, not so much.
As to exercising one leg over the other, I empathize: I spent several years driving a stick in DC traffic.
[Homer]D’oh![/Homer]
Congrats on your BFR and your new avocation !! Makes me jealous … BTW – I reside in Alexandria vic – have some G-brewski in the larder …….
Izzit a brake handle under the panel a la early Cherokees? Mine are two itty bitty thumb sizes pedals on the cockpit floor between the rudder pedals. Only time I use /need them is on the run-up.
The Lex Babes wanna be squirrel caged…
It is in our tourist brochure!
Hey Babs, me thinks some of the Lex Babes might be a bit squirrelly already…
The rest of us might enjoy it though!
Sorry, me bad, couldn’t resist. [ICSFTH]
As for you, Lex
You few, you happy, happy few … or one, as the case may be
Again, very cool. I’d be interested to know how a high-low yo-yo goes in an aircraft with somewhat less than all the thrust in Christendom.
Sounds like a heap of fun. I don’t think I mentioned that you are in my old stomping grounds there. The company I worked at in the late 80’s had a building on the north side of the airport, office/warehouse combo type, with our back doors facing the runway/airfield. We used to eat lunch outside the back door and watch the planes
So, have the employment negotiations begun? Becuase I think Lex fans might earn a specific discount rate, seeing as how we’re all angling for the same instructor to help us blast the opponent, and of course you do drag a fair amount of us baggage behind which ought to be considered a free advertising bonus.
I’m tempted. Got a sister who just earned her wings, had to call me for a lesson in how an altimeter works and how jet engines combust gas without requiring a closing of the exhaust.
As an armchair warrior I do so wish to take her on in her field, clean her clock, and be back home in time for corn flakes. Your new-found bit of joy sounds like just such a place.
And if she flames me? We had mechanical trouble. Yeah, that’s it. You’re in on this, right?
– Max
…I think Lex fans might earn a specific discount rate…of course you do drag a fair amount of us baggage behind which ought to be considered a free advertising bonus.
Lex, I’m sure the company’s thrilled to dangle your resume in front of prospective customers. But I suspect the real benefit to them will be your ability to communicate your joy of flying. I mean, look what you’ve gone and done to people like me: I can’t help but look up every time I hear an F-18, even though I’ve never gotten closer than an air show… Surely you should be brought up on charges for peddling an addition like that!
argh!!! Latenight comments are dangerous–should be “addiCtion,” not “addition.
Yeah, what Babs & Michelle said! I may have a very healthy (OK, so maybe not-so-healthy) fear of flying, but I trust you Lex…is that wrong?
Living out here near Palomar, I believe I heard those power-off stalls and wondered if that was you……..
Um, when my Uncle came back from flying fighters in WWII, he wasn’t any 5′6″ fellow. More like 5′18″.
He never complained as long as they would let him fly.
Remember sir, if you feel a hand on your shoulder during that physical, it is perfectly normal. Two hands, ought to worry you a bit, but the E&E training ought to kick in pretty quick.
Goodluck and I hope all is well.
Once you land the job, Lex, let us know. I expect there will be a run on available slots starting right here, and a topic at the Flight Deck pairing off keyboard warriors shortly thereafter.
Which brings about an idea. If another health care thread starts, can we decide the issue by aerial combat? At one time trial by combat was considered the de-facto way to settle these things, and this would be so much less messy than dueling pistols. A four-ship engagement, Michelle and Fliterman vs. opponents to be determined by luck of the draw?
Because that whole “we are well-met” thing should happen at the bar. You know, after the smoke has settled.
My goodness, but does this gig of yours have potential or what? I can see a whole host of targeted markets. Union negotiations, confidence-building weekends, team-work retreats… Name a corporate waste-of-time or a confrontation in the business world and who wouldn’t want to do it in an airplane?
– Max
Addendum: not aimed specifically at Michelle or Fliterman, they just happen to be my opponents most of the time and hence Two Good Examples.