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COOL AIR
October is here and so is the best flying weather you will
find. So fly that bird! For the first time since last May that
plane will grab the air and pull you toward the clouds with such
ease. You have to love flying in the fall. That even includes
you high country folk’s pilots. When density altitude tend to be
more palatable than in the summer time. So for the next six
months your plane should grab a cooler, stronger air and give
you a good experience.
HANGING ON THE PROP
 Well,
if finally happened. I got to fly an Extra 300. WOW! What more
can I say??? That plane is such a great performer, even with my
not so smooth aerobatic moves. I found the Extra a smooth and
powerful machine. The three hundred horse power will take
it up to the top and just hold there.
Aerobatic pilot Guy Baldwin of Tulsa, owner of the Extra, was at
the controls on that torque roll. He took the Extra straight up
and hung it on the prop until the airframe started to turn due
to the torque of the engine. WOW! After a 180 degree turn, Guy
let it fall back in a tail slide and then dropped the nose over,
giving me a great view of terra firma in the windscreen…
straight down! Never have done one of those before. Wonder how
it would feel in my Zlin 526 F. Without doubt the Extra flight
was one of my favorite flights. Guy gets a high rating from me
for the flight and for his performance at the Fort Scott Air
Show. It is a Great Little Kansas Air Show that you should
attend next year.
Editor's Note: Guy Baldwin was killed while performing in
the Extra 300 at the Tucumcari Air Show on October 4, 2006.
100 YEARS AND COUNTING
As we close in on the 100th Anniversary of the first flight,
what better way to celebrate the event than to take someone
flying and share the experience? Since pilots represent only one
percent of the population, there are a lot of non-flyers out
there who need your help getting airborne. The next time you
point your SUV toward the airport, call someone on your cell
phone and offer them an experience they will remember for a
lifetime. It may be the beginning of a new pilot. The youth will
be our replacements in aviation. Share the experience.
THIS I APPRECIATE
AOPA will send me an e-mail if, and when, the President’s
Air Force One travels in my “neck” of the woods. I don’t always
know where the president is. Not that I care! I do care if I
jump into my plane for a short local flight and don’t call
Flight Service. If the president is anywhere in a 30 mile radius
from me, I really do care. It is possible that I could be
talking to my local FSDO. They are nice folks, but they have a
job to do. The worst case scenario is I could be shot down. Yep!
That old fear is real. Most likely won’t happen, but should I
fly directly over the president, it could. If you are not on the
AOPA list to receive the email, I suggest you go on line and get
on it. It is worth my subscription price to belong to AOPA. |
