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5/8/06 Upcoming Adventure to Montana - I visited a hangar to ask about a landing light, and suddenly that turned into being asked to deliver a 1946 Ercoupe 415-D to southwestern Montana. It's a tiny two-seater and this particular one has 100 horsepower. The plane is almost ready to go, and my best friend and I will be flying it 1,000 miles west late this month or early next. It will be my greatest adventure yet! I can't get John Barry's Dances with Wolves soundtrack out of my head as I imagine flying across the open plains in an antique aircraft. Am I crazy? Possibly. But this is a very unique opportunity to see more of the country and enjoy at least 12 hours of flying.
5/13/06 Montana Trip Dates Set - It's official: I'll be flying the Ercoupe to Montana the last week of May. Depending on weather, my friend and I will leave around Memorial Day. Our return airline tickets are reserved for June 2nd. Today I visited the plane for the third time since knowing I'll be flying it. I hung out with the current owner and the mechanic for a while. The plane's annual inspection is almost finished. It is neat to see some of the inner workings of the plane. For example, with the cowling removed you can really see the angle that the engine is canted to the pilot's right. That helps eliminate some of the left-turning tendency that an airplane normally has in a climb. I also saw how the trailing-link landing gear works, and that was a revolution in its time. The finishing touches of the inspection will involve me washing and polishing the plane so it is all shiny and beautiful!
5/26/06 Go For Launch - It's finally sinking in: that little Ercoupe, my friend, and I will be headed for Montana within a few days. The airplane is back in one piece after a successful annual inspection and should fly tomorrow (Saturday), hopefully with me in it. I'll be getting some official training Sunday. My Memorial Day weekend is being spent putting the final touches on preparing for this major trip. I'm keeping an eye on the weather to plan the best time and day to depart. Looks like Monday or Tuesday as planned.
Meanwhile I have been very busy in flight instructing and just answering the phone, because I'm picking up five new students so far in June. My current students are still making good progress. My 16-year-old student Chris soloed for the second time today-- his first at Brennand Airport on our 2,450 x 20-foot runway. I have another student who is on the verge of his first solo. Earlier this week, one of my students experienced his first dual cross-country, where we had a scenic trip to Madison and then over the hills to Baraboo / Wisconsin Dells and back. The view of the Wisconsin River in the late evening sun was gorgeous. Also this week I did some instruction in the Civil Air Patrol plane, which I hadn't flown in a while. The weather has cooperated much better lately than it was in early May with all that rain. |
