Found myself regularly checking the oil temps on the moto, on account of the furnace-like blasts coming up. It’s a good bike, but it is air cooled. Temps were in limits though. Just a hot day for two wheels. A hot day down at the aerodrome too. We’ve four wee circular vents in our greenhouse canopies and when the sun is beating down they’re nothing like enough.
We had an empty back seat for the first go ’round, and there’s a retired USAF type that works with me looking to get back into the flying gig for pay. Flew F-16s, lots of previous civil time, a commercial rating and a recent Biennial Flight Review. He went along for the ride and demonstrated that some things – formation flying, to name just one – stick with you.
There’s a lot of learning going on when you first take on formation. The way radii of turn change from turns into and away. The correct power compensations to stay just there. The way you keep the lead’s belly on the horizon in turns away, and how you keep the picture constant on turns into by stepping down. Saves a lot of bother, looking over the canopy rail. In instrument conditions you maintain the same sight picture no matter what, since your lead becomes your attitude reference.
We don’t fly instrument formation anymore, or instrument flight for that matter. This is a part-time job.
It takes a fair amount of coaching when you first start flying form. After a while it’s the most natural thing in the world, you don’t even think about it. Sort of like shifting gears on your manual transmission in traffic. You just do it. Tiny, continuous throttle movements that occur before a deviation can even be observed. Seemingly random stick movements in a semi-circular pattern. Gentle rudder squeezes to keep her tracking. When it’s done properly, there’s no sensation of relative movement at all between the two aircraft. Yet everything is in a constant state of adjustment.
It’s not exactly zen. But it’s not so very far away from it either.
The second hack was with young Tyler and his Big Brother Peter, a Marine recently returned from Iraq. Tyler’s wide-eyed, fetching mother watching the brief expectantly, seeking reassurances. His young sister squirming, evidently jealous of the opportunity. Himself all moppet haired and brown eyes, and a smile that went from ear to ear.
A hot day, as I’ve mentioned, and the paying customer went ill on the first bout. It was if anything hotter on the second go. Tyler didn’t seem to mind.
He wasn’t exactly a talkative lad, although polite when spoken to. I was a little concerned about his reaction once we’d broken the flight up over Black’s Beach. Gave him the airplane, taught him straight an level, asked him for a turn or two. Some folks are very happy straight and level, but get a little quilty when the world goes aslant.
He took to it like a fish returning to the ocean. Like he’d been made for it. “This is so cool,” he said. Being only 13, not realizing yet that it wasn’t cool to acknowledge something cool. I could tell we’d have a great time.
He was if anything a little too happy to bend her over in a turn, exceeding our bank angle limits of sixty degrees and two g’s. Thought nothing of the kind of negative g push-overs that cause old carburetors to cough, and ancient hearts to flutter. Not that there’s anything that can really go wrong, so long as the airspeed is up. The engine will push the prop, or the prop will pull the engine. Still, hearing your only motor give out gives a jet guy pause.
Our first fight was fairly epic. We got a good bite at the merge and were pushing the fight fairly, when I noticed that our adversary was working well above us. It won’t do to let a man get much more than a couple of hundred feet above you in a 150 horsepower aircraft, you’ll never make it good without going past the aerodynamic limits of the airframe. And while you’re climbing to meet him, and then ruddering her over, he’ll make good time on you. It takes patience and willpower to let the airspeed build up again. Because g turns the airplane, and airspeed provides the g.
We were between a rock and a hard place when our adversary started to trade his altitude advantage for airspeed. His nose was fairly on when I coached young Tyler to forestall the threat by easing out his bank angle and gradually climbing back above Pete. It’d be fish heads and pumpkin soup if Pete didn’t get greedy and try to square the corner for the kill.
But of course he did. He’s a Marine infantryman, and they tend to go for the throat. When I saw the stall break I knew we had him. As he leveled his wings and lowered his nose to get the wind moving over his wings again we swooped down for the kill. It had gone on and one for the span of a book, but Tyler’s smile was like a second sunshine.
We lost the middle hack – you can’t win them all – and won the third in short order. My only real work was to keep Tyler from overbanking the airplane and going directly for the shot rather than patiently tracing his adversary’s flight path with an unload for airspeed. There’s a zen-like element to closing the deal too, one that takes time to envision. More time than Tyler had, although his aggressiveness at age 13 made me smile right back at him.
He was pretty quiet on the way back home, and after receiving a few monosyllabic answers to the usual questions I let him be. When we’d shut her down and climbed out he shook my hand firmly while smiling all throughout. His lovely mom was happy to have him back, his sister begging for her own chance to tear the sky asunder.
A hot day to fly. But a good one.
Reading about the kid made me grin (still smiling). Apparently I’m still not old enough to know it’s not cool to say something’s cool… ’cause that’s exactly what I’d say in his circumstance.
I sense that boy may take over where you left off, Navy wise.
One thing for sure, he’ll never forget you or the ride.
On the oil temps, the motor can take far more heat than you. Standard fare with an air-cooled motor, once oil temps reach about 300 degrees you ought to schedule an oil change. Dino oil change every 2500 miles, synth change every 5000, more often it it’s turning black or exceeds 300 degrees for extended times. Drop these mileage numbers in half if all your time is spent in traffic or stoplights.
Can’t help you on keeping cool in the aircraft. But then, when you’re clawing for angle and calculating energy, you don’t really notice the heat, do you?
– Max
The falcon cannot hear the falconer.
Love that poem.
And what rough beast, its hour come ’round at last/shuffles towards Bethlehem to be reborn?
Yeah, that’s good stuff right there.
Either time for open canopy or sumptin with a big heat exchanger to blow cool on you whilst blowing hot out the back. I took my nephew out two weeks ago. 28 and never in a plane – of any kind. Now a PA-32 Lance isn’t exactly a demoness in the sky, but she will scoot. He got up to 2500, level turn followed with “I don’t feel so good”. Puke in the bag. Gave him a sprite, and then he was off. Kept trying to bank at something waaaay past 60 deg. Rest of flight he was fine. Asked what was in the bag, and he told me “Taco Bell”. Well duh! Maybe your youngun will be a naval aviator one day and look back at The Flight and connect the dots.
That formation thing? I’m thinking it must be an acquired taste:
http://www.papagolfchronicles.com/2007/05/formation-clinic.html
Nice write up, but if flying form makes your head hurt, try in-flight refueling. Takes the mid-air collision aspect of form flying up a notch as you are actually required to hit something.
Cool bike!
My brother-in-law bought one like yours about a month after I rode over to his house on my KLR650. Once you get that itch, you gotta scratch it.
If I did not enjoy being off-road so much, though only 25% of my average ride, I would have a BMW 650/800. Nice bikes.
My 14 year old is like young Tyler, not much more than a word at a time to be said. As a mother, I have spent countless hours wondering if he’s going to be cursed with a vast inability to communicate, not a good trait in a business world as an adult. Now I’ve come to the conclusion that he is just going to be a man of few words and when he speaks, people will listen, as that’s what his friends have already confided in me. I love your description… that grin in itself is worth 1000 words. 10 to 1 says that Monday morning at school, Tyler will be telling his closest buddies about this absolutely amazing weekend he had with this Naval Aviator. And… the conversation will come up for years to come with his Marine Brother, probably at Thanksgiving dinners. Y’all made memories.
Lex — people ask me why I don’t fly privately. I make up excuses about not enough time to get (and stay) IFR proficient, blah blah blah. Reality is, the only thing I miss is flying form. You are lucky to have: a) a capable a/c, and b) someone you trust. I have neither. The IFR excuse is easier, because the average Joe wouldn’t understand.
Thanks for reminding me what I am missing.
I think this may well be may favorite post of any given week – when you tell us about your weekend flying experiences. Collect them and issue them as a novella of some kind. They are so enjoyable.
Lex,
Another great read.
The best looking twin out there for your consideration.
http://www.twinnavion.com/forsale.htm
Lex,
I am planning mid-Oct for a visit to S.D. and plan on signing up for an air combat experience.
What is the best book to read about energy management, angles, gaining the advantage and other technical information to be aware of? Does the beginning of each competition start the same way each time?
Seems like I need to know which way to point the nose, climb or descend to take the advantage first…. I’d like to give it some thought ahead of time.
AirMail/
“Fighter Combat: Tactics & Manoeuvering”
by Robert Shaw is pretty much the bible these days. Came out after my time and is ever so slightly dated now by advanced missile technology, etc., but still the gold standard as far as I’m concerned.
Thanks, I’ll hit Borders on the way home !
Airmail/
Forgot to mention. It’s ALL good “poop,” but for your purposes concentrate on the traditional horizontal maneuvers such as hi & low speed scissors, etc., against low wing-load similar aircraft–as opposed to the vert. stuff w. hi wing-loaded and dissimilar ac tactics–as there is a TON of stuff to absorb as you will see..
Vrigil Xenophon,
Thanks. I imagine anything vertical is short lived with such a low power to weight ratio however is is what I understand. Using the horizontal is something I need to think about….Lex says the rules permit upto 60 degrees of bank and 2 G’s (positive I suppose). Maybe an immelman and then I could convert my altitude advantage to airspeed…using a split S from the the top once I see the quary……..
I am a sponge.
When you’d like to have some practice, go to http://www.totalsims.com/ and grab WarBirds.
I’ve worked with a few of the folks who wrote the game, and a few of the trainers who initiate new pilots. The physics are as they should be, the mechanics as close as can be done on a PC. This isn’t MS’s Flight Simulator, this is “burn up on the runway because you forgot the cowl flaps in your checklist.”
Disclaimer: not responsible for your lack of a social life once installed. Also not responsible for any purchases made you think might give you an advantage. If you set aside the divorce, loss of the house, and child support payments this is really a very very inexpensive way to fly.
– Max
You guys need to get some more maneuverable aircraft for your simulated air combat or something – it seems like you’re putting it to the limits every weekend.
Airmail/
You’d better be–PLENTY to soak up there. Just as long as your middle name isn’t Bob and your last name “Square-Pants.”
Virgil,
I am going to go into this with the objective of keeping it simple and not screwing up. Several years have gone by since I flew the Aerospatial Robin, Aeronca Champ, J-3 Cub Starduster II and Citabria. My first aerobatics instructor had a ground level waiver (he was a cropduster by profession) and we started out with me learning how to point the nose in any direction, from normal and inverted flight. All of this work led to spin entry, spin recovery (within 1.5 turns at a specific heading entry and recovery altitudes). We practiced until I could do them from the left and right positive or inverted, with 1, 2, 3, or 4 turns to recovery. Once I got my head around that we focused on aircraft attitude in the vertical, aileron control of the advancing leading edge, rudder and elevator inputs. I started out with simple aerobatics and progressed to some advanced maneuvers including hammerhaed stalls, snap rolls, split S, immelman, outside loops, four and eight point rolls, even to the point where they would rent me the Aerospatial Robin with parachutes. Took my girlfriend (she later became wife no. 1) she didn’t like wearing the chute, much less mild aerobatics. Last time I flew a J3-Cub, it was on floats and I got my SES (single engine seaplane) rating (2004).
I never thought about what it would take to get behind another airplane in the air while they were trying to do the same. I can not wait.
Airmail/
LOL! My first civilian IP in basic-entry pilot tng in T-41s (C-172) was an old west Texas ex-crop-duster–said to me the 1st day: “I’m either gonna make ya the best pilot in the program or wash ya out!” I dunno about the “best” bit, but at least he didn’t wash me out. LOL–he was a character tho–as most of those guys are.
Thanks Captain for taking such great and special care of my favorite nephew. As I’d hoped and expected, you made a right and lasting impression. I appreciate it shipmate.