I've been a licensed pilot since 1970, taking my basic pilot training in a Piper Colt (N5485Z) at GBG (Galesburg, Illinois,) municipal airport and international peapatch. That old Colt was a cantankerous, underpowered, unforgiving plane. I'd sure like to find one today...flying might be affordable again.
Most of my hours are in Piper, although there have been occasional forays into the world of Cessna, and there was that half-hour of insanity spent in an Aeronca Defender. Interesting airplane. It's funny how the nose and the tail really do want to switch ends when you land too fast.
Now, I'm no flying ace. I don't do IFR, and from time to time I fall out of biennial, and need to get back in the air to sharpen up. But like many who don't fly as much as they'd like, the love for flying remains.
I hope you
enjoy the links on this page. And come back from time to time, since this is
a work "in progress." It'll be changing a lot.
Warbirds are a delight. The dreamer in most of us aviators takes us back to the days of the P-51, the Corsair, and P-47. The folks at North American Top Gun can make that dream come true. Bruce Moore and his "squadron" of five North American T-6's give the ordinary (as well as the extra-ordinary) a chance to take the stick of this historic World War II fighter trainer.
I had the opportunity to fly with Bruce in N55A, a plane which was manufactured by North American's Dallas plant and delivered to the U. S. Navy in 1943, making it technically, an SNJ. Bruce's wing man this day was Josh Wilson, flying a T-6 Texan, serial number 53-418. This plane is all decked out in a beautiful yellow paint job, and can be seen on page 98 of the June 2000 "Flying" magazine.
I was all psyched up for some aerobatics, and maybe an opportunity to gun down the guy from the newspaper, who was also there for a media ride. Unfortunately, Illinois weather is not always cooperative. A low had just screamed through the midwest, and wrap-around moisture left us with scud and a ceiling varying from 1200 to 1800 MSL, too low for anything other than a simple wing-over.
The ride was still spectacular. I keep looking at the video tape (the planes have a video recorder with cameras on the starboard wingtip, top of the tail, and on the instrument cluster, so you can have a vhs tape of your flight) and thinking back about how smooth this airplane flies. The controls aren't heavy, and the big 600 horsepower Pratt & Whitney Wasp gives more than ample thrust to hang that bird on its prop.
The exchange of cash for an hour (or more, depending on the package...and the cash) in one of these beautiful warbirds is certainly worth it, for any pilot, or would-be aviator. One would think it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but if you do it that once, you'll want to do it again.
Visit the North American Top Gun site for pricing, barnstorming schedule and locations, or to drop a couple of dollars at their pilot shop. Pick up a bumper sticker for $2, and look like a warbird ace. Click the logo above to visit their site.
On roll out, Dan applied full afterburners, lifted off, then held in ground effect with the gear up, accelerating to 275 knots. Calling, "Ready, hit it!" He pulled up into a 5 G high-performance departure which had us at 8,000 feet in about 15 seconds. Indredible. After a quick ride to the Pruett Military Operations Area, just west of Beardstown, Illinois, it was now time for aerobatics.
To sum it up: The most intense workout I've ever had. I was more exhausted after that 35 minutes of aerobatics than anything has ever tired me before. It is beyond words. Admittedly, I'm not in the shape I should have been, but this was incredible. What fun! Dan did the Blue Angels Diamond Roll, slow flight, acceleration to 600 knots (that's mach .90) at 600 feet, and a nice loop. It was all very tiring for somebody like me who's not in real good shape. I was so tired that during that boring 6.5 G minimum-radius turn, I decided to take about a 10 second, very refreshing nap. The video of the flight very clearly shows the top of my helmet. Good-night, sweet prince. Dan relaxed the g's and I was back with him. How I wish I were young & fit again.
Thanks to the United States Navy, the Blue Angels, Lt. Dan Martin, AMS2(AW) Benito Gutierrez, Springfield Air Rendezvous, and their show coordinator Kim Curry, for making my media flight possible.
They don't let you go flying until they're sure that you're medically safe, though. Thanks, too, go to Blue Angels Flight Surgeon Lt. Tamara Schnurr, M.D., as well as my personal physician, David Steward, M.D., Chairman, Department of Internal Medicine, SIU School of Medicine, for extra efforts to get me off the ground and into the air.
I had feared that Springfield Air Rendezvous might suffer from bad weather, being moved to early May. I was also concerned that attendance might suffer since they'd just done an airshow last fall with the Thunderbirds. Based on my personal observations of attendance, congratulations to SAR! Yet another WORLD CLASS AIRSHOW!
If you at all enjoy aviation, this is an airshow which has been perfected. It's one to put on the calendar as a "don't miss."
EAA is dedicated to serving all of aviation by fostering and encouraging individual participation, high standards and access to the world of flight in an environment that promotes freedom, safety, family and personal fulfillment.
EAA is the
host to one of the world's largest airshows, held at Wittman Field, Oshkosh,
Wisconsin.
Reserved seating is only $85 for
four days of racing and airshow. General admission is $60. Take your SPF-30!
Bill Long's Aviation Web Ring is
just what it sounds like. It's a "ring" of aviation web sites connected with
"next" and "previous" as well as "random" locations.