The morning started out easily enough. I was trying to Google a Waco YMF-5 with a glass cockpit that I’d seen in AOPA magazine, but the article wasn’t on line. It did lead me to a jaunt through they Elysian Fields of 21st Century, open-cockpit biplanes. Starting at ~$350k. Which is a lot, it seems to me. For an open cockpit biplane. Before you add the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit.
Especially when that would make a pretty nice down payment on a newly advertised, North American P-51 Mustang. At the “priced to sell” list of only $1.5 million. The Stearman is a steal compared to both of those, both in purchase price – and, one suspects – total ownership costs. But at $139k they’re not giving them away, and there’s still that open cockpit to deal with. All very nice for your local barnstorming on a pleasant day, but no way to make the west coast college tour.
All of that was interrupted by the compelling need to convoy Son Number One down to Balboa Naval Hospital for to check out a bug bite that had ballooned alarmingly over the night. You wait around a lot on a Saturday morning, but the folks there were courteous and thorough and the price cannot be beaten. Never thought much about medical while on active duty, but as a retirement benefit it’s a pretty good deal.
So that occupied most of the day, sparing you our thoughts on matters great and small.
I’ve also been spending a great deal of tedious and frankly thankless work trying to polish “Rhythms” up such that it’s something I could vainly dream of marketing it to an agent. It gets a new name by the way, “Rhythms” reminding one benefactor more of a birth control method than a day in the life of an aircraft carrier at sea. Not that the ideas are mutually exclusive, these days.
The new work has been chiefly in adding character depth, cleaning up the text, associating the appropriate “voice” with each character, emending a certain regrettable tendency towards prolixity for its own sake, eliminating great swathes of structural background that added little to the plot and minimizing narrative side alleys that never really went anywhere. In all this I have been mentored by a highly qualified guide whose intercessions are the chance consequence of a fortuitous intersection at seats 35D&E on a westbound airliner some months ago. That and some dude from Spokane who wanted to talk about water pumps. It’s a long story.
So, anyway, I’m the hardest 223 pages through what will end up being a 364 page rewrite (more or less). Close enough to start thinking about finding an agent and shopping the effort. It’ll be framed as a narrative non-fiction, since that genre is quite the thing these days, and in such work it’s beneficial to have two things: A platform (you’re on it), and the promise of a reader base. Which is where you might help me out.
If you’ve got the time and inclination, it’d be a service if you could answer a few questions for me in the polls below. Your honest opinions will be very much appreciated, and of course there’s no obligation.
By the way, I haven’t the faintest expectation that this would yield up a P-51, or even that Stearman. But it might help get the Biscuit through college and move me out of the cube.
Who knows?
Yeah, but Mike; the thing about cool old airplanes is, how many hours are left on this thing, and also, “Where can I get parts?”
I, m’self, have recommended the Folland/Hindustan Gnat to Lex, but that was assuming that he had a bottomless pit full of hundred-dollar bills.
Which he does deserve to have, in an ideal world.
With suitable incentives I’d probably buy a hardcopy… and I suppose a personal signature would be a plus…so get on with it boyo…. this is your next great adventure … avanti… Best
PS, Hey Humbe 1310…re the second sentence in your comment # 14 above… it’s ” Pedantic Pecker-Wood”… not… I repeat not… ” pedantic Peckerwood” … please make note.
Lex- We certainly have had out disagreements in the past but never a disagreement about your publishing a book. I would absolutely buy any copies, hardback or not.
OK, I’m dreaming now that you come to the B&N store on L.I. I would put on a 4 star reception for you!
Put me down for 10 hard copies of the finished product, Lex….gifts for friends and family for years to come! But, at the risk of coming off like the resident pedantic killjoy, you really don’t want to own an expensive, historic airplane of any kind (and this is coming from a 13-year member of Warbirds of America). There are people out there who will rent you just about anything, and that usually ends up being cheaper than owning, and at the end of the day, somebody else has to pay for the annual. I’d recommend taking a trip up the 5 some day to Fullerton Muni Airport and taking a ride in the Pitts and Waco that SkyThrills fly. There’s an ex-Hornet driver named “Nubs” up there that flew an eye-watering Navy-style break to initial in the Pitts, with slightly-queasy me in the front seat holding on for dear life. Fun!
Nubs was one of my students in basic jets.
Also, saw a Pitts S-2 thunder into the overhead yesterday at Montgomery and carry a bag of knots into the approach. He got to try it again, after passing the mid-field marker prior to touchdown.
Some guys have more cash than sense.
Someday Lex will get to experience the joy of feeding horses that eat not oats but 100LL, or maybe even JetA!
All airplanes are compromises and that is why, for the money, you can’t go wrong with almost anything Dick Van Grunsven had anything to do with. Good cross country speed (for a piston), reasonable aerobatic capability, good economy, and, being experiemental you can get all sorts of goodies like glass cockpits, etc (even AOA indicators for those trained in the Naval Aviation way of doing things) that are more advanced and at less cost than what is available from the “regulated”market. Withover 6000 flying you’d be hard to find many airplanes that enjoy equal or greater numbers.
Not as wild as a Pitts on an Extra nor as fast as a Lancair but the best of both worlds. Side by side or tandem seating and you can choose which end you want the small wheel attached to.
But I’m partial, being an RV-4 driver and all. Yeah I know it will never replace the Hornet in Lex’s daydreams but, since at some point he will be paying for the gas, it just might scratch that itch which won’t go away no matter how many Lex Babe’s pile into the Varga for a ride with the host with the most….
And that’s a damned shame.
Lex,
The Super Decathlon is your ticket, like you wanted for Christmas. Just enough performance to keep you interested, easy enough on the fuel to keep it within reach, maintenance would be affordable. I am looking really hard at that Stinson right now. I know my limitations and more than just financially.
GEO6
I’ve never flown an RV but agree with Geo that the Super D is hard to beat for inexpensive aerobatics and some cross country that might take you to grass fields. Although, no IFR panel where the Vans may have capability.
Still trying to understand why in the world anyone would need a glass panel inside a Waco.
Instrument flying in an open cockpit??
I have the AOPA article someplace and the glass panel in the WACO didnt make much sense to me but then if you have that much money to spend on a biplane I guess you aren’t really making your decision on practical criteria (as if any airplane purchase is).
The Decathalon is a great airplane.and a better aerobat than an RV in that it has inverted systems, etc. The RVs are great sport aerobats and the tandem ones being the better of the breeed mainly because of the center line seating and the throttle mount on the left where, by God, it oughta be.
The biggest difference with the RVs is in cross-country performance which, if you don’t have it you won’t be flying anywhere much but if you do you will. I flew half way across the country the Monday after Christmas because I could. The D’lon would have made that not nearly as possible/enjoyable. Also, and this is the biggest cost savings part, as an experimental the RV enjoys MUCH less costs for parts, etc. The D’lon enjoys the benefit of having to buy PMA parts with their associated markups.
The RVs are what I would characterize as great compromise airplanes. The taildragger tandems are great sport planes with good cross country performance and the tri-gear, side-by-side versiosn being great cross country planes with good sport plane characteristics. Of course if Lex really wants to feed the adrenaline rush he can get one of these:
http://www.teamrocketaircraft.com/
Which essentially is what you get when you take an RV and decide to nip and tuck a bit here and there and put a bigger engine in it. Now 3000 fpm climb won’t hold a candle to what Ace Lex is used to in a Hornet but then one might actually imagine owning a Rocket – the Hornet – well maybe somewhere around the 10th bestseller the dream will shed the realm of pure fantasy.
I’m enjoying fantasizing about Lex’s airplane – its always fun to imagine spending other peoples money for them.
Old T: You shoudda been a salesman. (Or maybe you are). RV looks / sounds better than I expected. As relates to the “rocket”: If Lex gets a hankering for Jet A, there are opportunites in partnerships and some in rental. The L-29 we have is cheaper to buy than the Super D but the fuel-what a money pit.
So we’ll keep the unsolicted advice coming and “help” Lex spend his money. With the royalties he’s sure to rake in, there’s no need for one size fits all. He can buy several!
Note to Geo: Hope you get the Stinson. Our EAA club had worked on restoring one years ago but ran out of funds. Very cool plane.
Wilko,
Thanks. Yeah, I am into those vintage/classics- the ones produced from 46 to 49. The Stinson was ahead of its time. I own a Taylorcraft BC-12D built in April 46. What a great little plane but I need something with more useful load.
The 108-1 answers the bill and is still a tailwheeled airplane.
geo6
Yeah you can buy jet warbirds cheaper than piston warbirds – Migs and such as well as the L-29 which seems like the thing seeing its more recent vintage and parts are still available, etc. But the fuel burn will eat you alive. Never having had the opportunity to fly a turbine I can only imagine the rush. So being stuck down low and slow so to speak I can only really talk about those things I know something perhaps valuable to those venturing into the ownership game and “adjusting” to not having that Government Gold Card to fill up with….
Not that there is anything wrong with the gold car mind you – best money the taxpayers ever spent I say. I’m sure the DOD wastes a lot of money through inefficiencies, etc. but at least you get demonstrated capability and a little thing like freedom defended thrown in the mix. And while I love reading Lex and all you guys tell your stories (I truly do!) I’m not so wide-eyed to not appreicate just how damn scary it had to be at times and you just went out and did it anyway. We are reminded all too often that it doesn’t always work out on every mission and some guys (and gals now) don’t come back. If Lex and company have a little fun burning up a few thousand gallons of jet fuel seeing how close they can get to a canyon wall (training of course!) so be it. Sure beats the ways other parts of our guvmint can blow a wad…
As for being a salesman – I confess to spending most of my life doing that. As for selling RVs – I built one and am constantly amazed at how so little can do so much. But I’m a cheap date not to imply I want buy at least my share of the beer anytime any of you venture DFW way.
Okay, third try. Hard copy for me and the family. Case of paperbacks to donate to libraries.
As for winged creatures to buy, step on over to courtesyaircraft.com for your pleasure.