Back in the saddle - flying again!

ALRIGHT! That felt good!
After a 2 year hiatus, I'm back in the saddle again!
I was so mentally ready!

Although I've only flown 4 times (last year once for a 20-minute
hop in a Piper Tri-Pacer tail dragger on a grass strip), I hit
the rectangular patterns, maintained altitude on turns, hit
my flight levels and directions almost dead on (although I
was having some troubles with rudder coordination, and taxiing was
like a keystone cop comedy!).
It was AWESOME!
I could not have lined up on final better.
Although, I pulled the throttle a little quick on the flare and we
dropped a little faster than I would have liked that last 4 feet - it
was one little step away from a greaser. It really surprised me - but I
got the sight picture better than I thought,
and John really pressed me to fly the plane visually rather than looking
at the instruments so much.
That was a great step for me.

Whew!

It was nice!

I was in a 1980 Cessna 152 - and my new instructor - although different
from my last instructor that I REALLY liked, was very good and I'm
quite comfortable with him.

Gary

It's a great feeling - none better. I often find that my first flights
after a break go well, and tend to go downhill from there :-(

On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 09:47:21 -0500, GEG
wrote:

Although I've only flown 4 times (last year once for a 20-minute
hop in a Piper Tri-Pacer tail dragger on a grass strip)

Just curious here, what's a Tri-Pacer taildragger? Is it a Tri-Pacer
converted back to Pacer specs?

Thanks, Corky Scott

Corky Scott wrote:
On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 09:47:21 -0500, GEG
wrote:

Although I've only flown 4 times (last year once for a 20-minute
hop in a Piper Tri-Pacer tail dragger on a grass strip)

Just curious here, what's a Tri-Pacer taildragger? Is it a Tri-Pacer
converted back to Pacer specs?

That's what I'm betting it is. They call 'em a PA22/20. I think
there are more Tri-Pacer to Pacer conversions than there are original
Pacers. They're great fun to fly (especially the 150 & 160 hp
versions).

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

Yes - it is a PA22/20.
I don't know much more than that.
It wasn't fun taxiing around, but was sure a fun plane to
fly/fly in.
I wouldn't call it luxury - but what a blast!
In it's day, it probably was luxury (to some degree).
It is a 4-seater. I got tired holding than hand-hold to see
up over the dash while taxiing.

Welcome home Gary. Hope you're able to achieve whatever aviation goals
you've set for yourself. Definitely stick around and let us know how
things go for you


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-IA Student-Arrow Shopping Student

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Congratulations.
Never flown in a short-wing Piper. Guess that's why they drop like
that. I'm a Cessna pilot nice wing, good speed and price tag. It's
said that if you're in a pacer and drop a brick out the window and chop
the throttle you'll beat the brick to the ground. I never really
accepted the challenge of a taildragger either. My husband rebuilds
them so I see all the mishaps. We have a Champ project he's been
working on, (but has gone and got a real job so don't know if/when the
Champ will get done). Also picked up a Pacer project, fuse looks good,
haven't seen wings yet (he's probably hiding them from me). It's the
one with the nosewheel so I might help more on that project.

Keep up with the taildragger and you'll master it. I think I'm too old
to learn but if we ever get this Champ done, maybe I can get the
necessary time to get it figured out. We've always flown out of grass
strips. Narrow barbed wires both sides, major Xwind 99% of the time so
I'll keep the Beast from the East (1957 182). These gas prices aren't
helping at all. With an airplane project in the works there is never
enough money for recreating.

Glad to hear you have a good instructor, flying should be fun. Keep up
the good work. Maybe I'll have to get the Beast out and take it for a
spin, make that fligh; now that the mud has finally drid up. Even
though I have 100s of hours I still have trouble with things like
altitude, always flew in the backcountry and just flying along geeking
at the scenery, not much traffic. Now I like catching the thermals and
gaining some free altitutde. On my 3 take-offs and landings at a
towered field I got to almost 2000 feet above where I was supposed to
be. Tower brought it to my attention. There were some real fancy
houses I was flying over and I wanted to make sure I could glide to the
next field, but to keep out of Dyess AFB airspace I dropped back down.
That was in the Beast. Loves to climb all the time. The first time I
did a turn in it I gained 3,000 feet but turned out perfectly on the
heaing. Good thing my instructor is a good sport. He said to do a
tight 360 and make sure I turned out at the right time. Well instead
of pulling the throttle I figured some back pressure would get us to 85
knots and that would be a good speed. We was pinned back in the seat,
looking all over fr the horizon. Probably figuring the elevator had a
major malfunction. Gosh I just love flying. Was hoping to be able to
keep this Champ and have "The Ayuhtollah of Aviation" give lessons in
it off our little grass strip here. Just have to wait and see what
happens.

Miss those nice crisp clear days we had in Downeast Maine along the
coast and you could see hundreds of miles. Seems like we only have
about a couple of dozen of those a year here in Texas. Well congrats.
Carol, the Homesick Angel. N330F, Bangs International, Bangs Tx.

("Homesick Angel" wrote)
Narrow barbed wires both sides, major Xwind 99% of the time so I'll keep
the Beast from the East(1957 182).


Sounds like your strip needs to be turned a little bit into the wind g

....or is it already facing the least worst direction now? :-)

Jay has it pretty good down in Iowa City, with that big triangle shaped
former WWII bomber base of his.

http://66.226.83.248/ap/04272
(IOW photo from AirNav.com)


(Um, English 101 help needed above ...worse or worst?)

Montblack

"Homesick Angel" wrote in message
oups.com...
Congratulations.
Never flown in a short-wing Piper. Guess that's why they drop like
that. I'm a Cessna pilot nice wing, good speed and price tag. It's
said that if you're in a pacer and drop a brick out the window and chop
the throttle you'll beat the brick to the ground. I never really
accepted the challenge of a taildragger either. My husband rebuilds
them so I see all the mishaps. We have a Champ project he's been
working on, (but has gone and got a real job so don't know if/when the
Champ will get done). Also picked up a Pacer project, fuse looks good,
haven't seen wings yet (he's probably hiding them from me). It's the
one with the nosewheel so I might help more on that project.

Keep up with the taildragger and you'll master it. I think I'm too old
to learn but if we ever get this Champ done, maybe I can get the
necessary time to get it figured out. We've always flown out of grass
strips. Narrow barbed wires both sides, major Xwind 99% of the time so
I'll keep the Beast from the East (1957 182). These gas prices aren't
helping at all. With an airplane project in the works there is never
enough money for recreating.

Glad to hear you have a good instructor, flying should be fun. Keep up
the good work. Maybe I'll have to get the Beast out and take it for a
spin, make that fligh; now that the mud has finally drid up. Even
though I have 100s of hours I still have trouble with things like
altitude, always flew in the backcountry and just flying along geeking
at the scenery, not much traffic. Now I like catching the thermals and
gaining some free altitutde. On my 3 take-offs and landings at a
towered field I got to almost 2000 feet above where I was supposed to
be. Tower brought it to my attention. There were some real fancy
houses I was flying over and I wanted to make sure I could glide to the
next field, but to keep out of Dyess AFB airspace I dropped back down.
That was in the Beast. Loves to climb all the time. The first time I
did a turn in it I gained 3,000 feet but turned out perfectly on the
heaing. Good thing my instructor is a good sport. He said to do a
tight 360 and make sure I turned out at the right time. Well instead
of pulling the throttle I figured some back pressure would get us to 85
knots and that would be a good speed. We was pinned back in the seat,
looking all over fr the horizon. Probably figuring the elevator had a
major malfunction. Gosh I just love flying. Was hoping to be able to
keep this Champ and have "The Ayuhtollah of Aviation" give lessons in
it off our little grass strip here. Just have to wait and see what
happens.

Miss those nice crisp clear days we had in Downeast Maine along the
coast and you could see hundreds of miles. Seems like we only have
about a couple of dozen of those a year here in Texas. Well congrats.
Carol, the Homesick Angel. N330F, Bangs International, Bangs Tx.


Hey I must've flown over you today, Temple to Abilene via the south side of Brownwood! Where is your strip-- I
don't see any marked on the sectional near Bangs...

Cheers,
John Clonts
Temple, Texas
HPU '77
jclontsAThotDOTrrDOTcom

Please get that Champ flying!!!! We need more taildraggers to learn in. Most
flight schools don't offer a taildragger. They are impossible to find around
East Tennessee . I can drive over 6 hours north or about 7 hours south to
the nearest place!!! UGH!

Patrick