6/14/03 Flightstar and Yak-52TW Flights - I had two great flights today. I volunteered at Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh for the first time this season and got to see most of my best friends there.

This weekend is ultralight weekend at Pioneer Airport, and more than 40 ultralights and lightplanes flew in. I got another ride in the Flightstar. The weather was great for it! We did some sightseeing west of Oshkosh for about 20 minutes.

Later, I went over to Wittman field with a friend to fly with him in his new Yak-52TW. The Yak is a Russian military aerobatic trainer. The Yak-52TW is the new higher-performance tailwheel version of the popular Yak-52. It has a 400-HP engine and fully retractable landing gear. It flies like a dream! This is the 34th type of airplane I've been in and nothing compares. It handles beautifully and never seems to run out of power for whatever you want it to do. You only need to trim it once during a whole flight. Plus it sounds awesome, like a big warbird! This might just be my new favorite airplane.

We flew west of Oshkosh for an hour. I played around for a while, then let my friend do some aerobatics. We did two barrel rolls and some other fun stuff. There's nothing like looking up at the ground!

6/20/03-6/22/03 Camping Weekend - My family went camping at Council Grounds State Park in Merrill, Wisconsin, in the northern part of the state on the Wisconsin River. I flew there from Dubuque to enjoy two nights of camping and about five hours of good solo cross-country time. This was the first time I filed IFR flight plans under my own name.

Wisconsin River near Stevens Point

Wisconsin River near Spring Green

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