(Badwater Bill) wrote
what did YOU do that weekend?

You wouldn't believe me if I told you. You'd come back with another
of the endless follow ups you morons concoct to make yourselves feel
you have superior skills. Would you believe that I was with Jim
Campbell at Mohave just as Burt Rutan's boys were about to make a 55
second burn and attained 212,000 feet msl at apogee in their space
ship?

I might believe that. But I didn't ask where you WERE, I asked what
you DID. It's pretty cool that Burt Rutan's boys got that altitude.
I'm sure it was really cool to design that ship, and even cooler to
fly it. Might even have been cool to work on it. So is that what you
did? Or were you just a spectator?

That twin Comanche is slow, it has dangerous flat spin characteristics
with one engine out, and no useful load. If you weigh a couple
hundred pounds and you fill it with fuel, you'll only get two more
medium sized people in it without busting gross.

Full fuel, 3 200-pounders, and some bags - and you've hit gross -
that's about right. As for dangerous flat spin characteristics -
well, I prefer not to spin twins at all so their spin characteristics
don't concern me, but if you feel the need you go right ahead.

But, my point was not to run down your airplane. My point was to run
down the people.

Well, at least you're admitting it. That's something. Now tell me,
why is that important to you?

I actually think twin Comanches are fun to fly, even
though they burn 15 gallons per hour and only go 160 mph.

You must have had some really crappy Twin Comanches. Their engines
wouldn't start and they would only go 160 mph on 15 gph. Well, don't
feel bad about it. My first plane was a dog too. But just FYI, your
speed estimate is low by about 15% for that fuel burn, at least for a
reasonably rigged plane with properly functioning engines. Are you
sure you had your fuel servos adjusted properly?

A
Cessna-210 has the same burn but does 200 mph, plus carries 1000
pounds of people when it's full of fuel.

I've never seen a normally aspirated C-210 that would do 200 mph but
whatever. BTW - how does it perform with one engine out?

But most of the people who read this group wouldn't know that, or
know the differences. Just like they don't know the differences
between what we all once envisioned the RAH fly-in to become.

If you stop ingesting mind-altering chemicals, you might stop seeing
those visions. If not, I'm sure competent psychiatric help is
available.

Seriously, I've read your stuff. Workshops on riveting, fabric and
dope, and whatever else. There's already a fly-in for that. It's
called Oshkosh.

But, as you said, it's just a party now... just John
Johnson's annual picnic.

And the problem here is what?

You want a flyin that will be something different? One that will suit
your tastes? Go ahead, put one on. Nobody is stopping you. I even
promise to show up in my slug airplane. Drag your C-210 out; we'll do
some low passes in formation if you can keep up.

Michael