Back in the saddle - flying again!

Homesick Angel wrote:

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.

Carol,

It's been really nice reading your posts here. 'been a -very- long time since I
was in something little, or lighter than 200,000lbs. I'd have to have Mr.
Peabody and Sherman set the Way-back machine back almost 24yrs to remember
laying hands on a Champ or Tri-Pacer, but reading your posts here made that time
seem not so long ago.

I feel bad for those learning to fly now.. just for the costs involved. At
Chandler Airport(near Phoenix) a 172 goes for $70+/hr. To give you an idea how
longs it's been for me.. I learned to fly in central NJ, and St Pete, FL. I
could rent a Champ for $9/hr... wet.. an Instructor would be another $3/hr. A
150 would be $11/hr wet. Those days are long, long gone, but the memories
remain. These days, I strap into a big Boeing and get to look down from FL390.
A different kind of fun, no better, no worse. Oh, it's still flying, and I try
to hand-fly as much as I can but there are a few days when I'd rather be in a
Champ, or Bellanca, or J3 buzzin around at a couple thousand feet, window open,
arm hangin out, throwin' a roll of TP out the window, cutting it on the way
down... I feel for those learning now, but I envy them too.

TJ
B757, PHX
================================================== =======================
Living the dream, one red-eye at a time...

Capt. 'Wild' Bill Kelso, USAAC wrote:

I feel bad for those learning to fly now.. just for the costs involved. At
Chandler Airport(near Phoenix) a 172 goes for $70+/hr.
That's about the going rate around here as well (central CA, Sacramento
area). Despite the costs involved, it's well worth it for me to fulfill
lifelong dreams of flying. I've only been at it a couple of years
now and have a ton of fun (despite presently being an instrument
student...ya, I know, it's a twisted sort of "fun"). I'm working toward
co-ownership and someday hope to get a commercial rating and perhaps
become a CFI as well. Worth it? Definitely!


--
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)

Jack Allison wrote:

Capt. 'Wild' Bill Kelso, USAAC wrote:

I feel bad for those learning to fly now.. just for the costs involved. At
Chandler Airport(near Phoenix) a 172 goes for $70+/hr.
That's about the going rate around here as well (central CA, Sacramento
area). Despite the costs involved, it's well worth it for me to fulfill
lifelong dreams of flying. I've only been at it a couple of years
now and have a ton of fun (despite presently being an instrument
student...ya, I know, it's a twisted sort of "fun"). I'm working toward
co-ownership and someday hope to get a commercial rating and perhaps
become a CFI as well. Worth it? Definitely!

--
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)

Jack,

There is nothing that can take its place... flying's worse than an addiction!
And you're right, nothing compares to its fun. I do feel for those learning
now. I wish you a lot of luck.

TJ
================================================== =======================
The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

Dear Capt Wild Bill and Co.

Been busy doing everything but flying, haven't even had time to think
about flying. Been watching the Army choppers fly by. Jets had a dog
fight for about an hour over Bangs Intl about a week ago. That was so
awesome. My head is still spinning from the aerobatics. Got all new
nuts, bolts, and flying wires for the Champ and they will probably go
on this weekend, so at at least the tail section will be done, unless
we're trailering the Pacer project to its new home. We got the
ailerons covered last weekend. Then just need lots of coats of dope on
the wings. Guess it would be nice the cowlings and door got painted to
match the wings and fuselage. Probably end up flying in the Champ
before the 182. Runway got muddy again, but it's probably almost dry
enough. Guess I'll just have to push the Beast from the East out and
go flying. I don't know about flying around at a couple of thousand
feet, maybe 2,000 AGL.. Pretty flat out here in this part of Texas,
San Ana VOR is the only hill, and that's probably
only a couple hundred feet. Usually stay North of it to avoid the
metropolis of Santa Ana.

Don't envy you folks in Phoenix. I work for a company out of Phoenix
and spent about a month and a half commuting from Paulden AZ to the Big
Lights. Grew up just outside NYC and had road rage back in the 1970s
way before they decided it was a disorder. Went to the stix of Maine
for 20 years just to get away from traffic. Two moose (or is it meese)
crossing the road were the only thing you'd have to worry about holding
up traffic. I could see me waiting at Sky Harbor International for an
hour or two, or being caught in a pattern, or waiting for a parking
spot at a gate. Must take a special kind of person, and I'm not that
special. I'm getting all nerval just thinking about it.

They just closed the little commuter line between Brownwood and Dallas.
Changes about every 2 or 3 years. Think it was Mesa this time, Big
Sky before that, and then something else and we've only been here 3 1/2
years. Maybe I ought to start a little commuter airline. BWD to
Dallas in a Champ. Dont' know if that would work, spent a whole day
just getting to Dallas and back to Brownwood in a Cub once. Was "real
close" to being dark when we landed in BWD. Flew with my flight
instructor. He was not impressed at all. Got spoiled by that 414 I
guess. The first three or four times he'd get in and look around for
the starter button. I asked him what are you looking for? Guess he
forgot it was a flop me/prop me. Guess there was a head-wind coming
back and he was getting real grumpy. Good thing he was in the front
seat and didn't have enough room to turn around and slap me. Cause I
kept asking, we there yet?? What's taking so long?? Ain't we passed
this landmark yet?? Hey lets fly over to Comanche and go a few touch
and gos?? And that was a 90-HP cub. They sure do fly nice and easy
though, feel so light and graceful. Too bad I can't fit in the front
seat very well. Knees hit the gas tank, can't move around, and I have
to dislocate at least one hip and a knee getting in and out, and
tempted to just dive out and land on my head to get the disembarking
process over with, other than that it's all fun. Good thing my husband
has short legs and can fit in the front.

Be really great if we could keep the Champ and start a taildragger
school here. But don't know if I could take the stress, and we'd have
to move the fence near where the runways used to intersent, because
it's barely a wing-span wide. Been meaning to do it for a couple
years, but my husband's such a great pilot he can land the 182 and use
less than 1/4 of the 2,000 foot runway, and even when I'm landing he's
right there to make sure I don't mess up. Don't think I'll ever be
able to widened it enough for a 757. Tom keeps trying to buy another
1,000 feet off a neighbor so we can extend the runway, but we don't
need it for our planes and there's enough maintenance and mowing and
the grass hasn't really started to grow yet. I've been letting some or
all of the 40+ goats and ? 30-year old mule escape and mow and whack
the weeds in the afternoons for an hour or so and they've been doing a
real good job at keeping it under control.

Well take care. Keep em flying. If you're in the neighborhood buzz on
by. Don't see many 757's real low so it would probably catch my
attention. There's a big new biege water tower with BSUD on it that
you can see from 40+ miles away. There are also several cell phone
towers in the area in case you're low, but I guess they are all over
now. Seems like every time we go flying there are new ones. Progess I
guess. God bless and fly safe, Carol, The Homesick Angel

Dear All,

We're about six miles west of Brownwood, 2 miles east of Bangs. Just
south of 67/84. There's the "new" beige BSUD water tower and a bunch
of cell phone towers on the North side of the main highway. We've just
to the south of that. There is also another grass strip about a mile
east of us. There's a guy with a bunch of a pallets just at the north
end of the runway. You skim over those pallets, the train tracks, the
blackberry bushes, and you're here. There used to be two runways, but
plowed one up for more hay, was only 20 or 30 degrees difference and
the trees were really tall on the end of that runway and our neighbor
did want us to cut them, and it was shorter than the one we kept.
Where they intersecteed at the half-way point in the runway, it narrows
down to about a wing-span wide. Pretty scary if you're used to long
wide runways and not used to crosswinds. Going to have to move the
fence back, but been saying that for almost five years. Even if I move
the fence there's a berm there that would probably be almost as bad.
When we first bought the place 5 years ago, there were bit trees at
both ends. The ones at the north end were great cause it seemed like
if the wings cleared on both sides you were lined up real good for the
runway (wihich has always been a problem for me). Guess the trees or
my approaches scared him too bad, and the trees left and I'm still
here. That was the first time I ever had a glidescope or any kind of
VASI system. It was real neat passing by and if you we were just a
little above the trees you'd make the runway.

It might not look like an airstrip because I usually let my 40+ goats
graze on the runway at least once day. Today they took off for the
main hangar and then the T-hangars were the hay is stored. Never would
have gotten them out there and they would have eaten themselves to
death. Also have to watch them closely so they don't go out and devour
the 50+ fruit trees. Never realized a goat can climb a tree but have
several that are real good at it.

Guess the strip used to be on the maps back in the 80s but got deleted
some how. Have thought about putting it back on, but that requires
paperwork which is laying around here somewhere. Kind of like it nice
and quiet in my secret location - so don't tell too many people.

As for a crosswind runway, the western half of the property is
goatland, hangars, and farm equipment so we'd have to refence a couple
of thousand feet for the goats and there's quite a slope running down
to the SE corner with a bunch of houses at the end. We've scared the
heck of the guy with the pallets and the other people on the north end
already. My husband does bush pilot landings, back side of the power
curve, clearing the engine in the old Cubs and Champs, so it sounds
like it's not running right. I make airline approaches, takes me about
10 miles to get slowed to landing speed in my 182, stay a little high
and fast, and glide on in without changing the power much. There have
been people and State Troopers come tearing in looking for the plane
crash. Have gone to the highway dept and requested a sign for the main
road, but that hasn't happened yet. But haven't been doing nearly
enough flying, but once we start up again, will have to get some signs
made.

Tom covered the ailerons last wekend and I helped with the screws.
Still have to butyrate, nitrate dope a wing, final coats of dope on the
wings, paint the cowlings, doors, etc. Want to buy all new glass.
Have new flying wires and nuts and bolts for everywhere. Might put the
tail together this weekend. Was waiting on our mechanic, but he's
starting himself a new business. Names Cory and he's in Cisco, Teexas
at the airport up here. So if anybody needs any work done, he's an
excellent mechanic, and real reasonable. Been working on all our
planes for 5 years now and never had any problems.

Patrick. If you get a bunch of people together who want to learn a
taildragger, Maybe I could convince my instructor, the Ayuhtalloh of
Aviation, to fly the Champ out to Tennessee and a bunch of you could
get taildragger time. He's working on his CFI instrument (or
something) rating now and that 414 is really spoiling him. He gets
frustrated with the GPS that costs more than a taildragger and doesn't
work, or the HSI. At least with a Champ you don't have to worry about
that. I have very little faith in instruments. Seeing as how we have
all antique airplanes there's always some instrument that's wacky. I
know I've spend far more money on just basic instruments and radios
than anything else related to flying - not considering initial cost.
But usually we can only afford a project or neglected airplane so you
kind of have to expect that. I'll talk to the Ayuhtalloh and figure
out if he can do it. (if we ever get this Champ flying.) He's staying
pretty busy with students, flying a 414 and 337 for people, giving
lessons, etc, a

Sorry it took so long to get back to people. Ya' all take care.
Carol, The Homesick Angel.

Dear John,
Will try to E-mail you the USGS map of Bangs, Bangs International is on
it. Don't know if you'll get the E-mail cause I used to be the
sharpest knife in the drawer, but have come to realize that somebody
keeps putting me in the spoon or fork drawer. I picked the map where
it's zoomed in pretty close cause it shows the runways better. You can
zoom out to get a bettet idea of where exactly it is at. But if you
find the water tower you'd got it made. I can see it from 40 miles
away, but don't fly unless the visibility is real good. There are a
cell phone towers all over and more every time I fly so watch out for
those. Sometimes lightning knocks the lights out on them. The one my
sat dish internet connection works off of is line of sight out my
kitchen window and I need that for work so I can't complain about that
one. Well take care. People are always buzzing by, but by the time I
get to a window they are long gone. Guess it wasn't a Cub. Must've
been that Thorpe or RV out of BWD. Take care. God bless. Carol, The
Homesick Angel.