It's good for the soul...

[Frank Giger]

....touch and goes, that is....

Jim (who owns the Champ) took some pictures the last time I flew, but I didn't have a thumb drive with me to get them. Today when I went up for my hour of psychotherapy I remembered to bring one.

In fact, I didn't know he was taking them at the time - he wanted pictures of it landing and went out with his camera. Normally an audience is bad juju, but maybe since I didn't know he (and the other airport guys) were out there it went well.

Slight crosswind - not much to speak of, though...



Eyes on the far end of the runway....



Let it settle...



Rumble-rumble-rumble...



WHAT? No bounce?



And at the center of the runway? Naw...



Let's try that again, it went far too well!



(on another pass)



The leaves are changing color, so I meandered up and down the Coosa river and over the ridgelines just soaking it all in before doing some touch-and-goes.

[Joe LaMantia]

HI Frank,
What a GREAT little airplane! We had a lull in the wind yesterday morning here in Ohio, so I managed to get some of that same medicine in our club TriPacer. I will be able to hold a positive mental attitude for about a week. Winter is threatening to arrive and that will be depressing, thankfully the Holidays will bring family and enough distraction to keep me mentally stable until spring.

Joe

[rosiejerryrosie]

Hold that thought, Joe. February will be the worst. Thank God it is the shortest....

[Frank Giger]

My webserver is down for maintenance....pics will return today or tomorrow.

On February, a funny story:

Last winter down here in Alabama was brutal. Temperatures plunged down to the teens at night and only rose to the 20's during the day - not unheard of, but definately disagreeable to our Southern senseabilities.

Jim, my instructor, and I were talking about winter flying and he went on a sort of rant about a student he had during the coldest part.

"So this guy keeps showing up, never once cancelling," he griped, "while I sat in the right seat dressed like an eskimo with my arms wrapped around me and my feet turning to ice, he was wearing a sweatshirt, sneakers, and happy as a clam."

"Wow," I say.

"It was so cold that the examiner couldn't get his plane started and we had to reschedule the check ride," he went on, "and rather than just going home he flew anyway - thank goodness it was solo. Had to of been 25 degrees, and that CTLS doesn't have a heater worth spit."

"Uh, Jim," I say meekly, "that was me, and it was 19 degrees."



"Yeah, well the examiner said he passed you so quickly just to get it over with and warm up a week later."

"Really?"

"Why do you think the oral took an hour and a half for a Sport Pilot? He was trying to figure out a way not to have to fly in the cold!"

[Joe LaMantia]

Frank,
I don't really mind the cold, having been born and raised in Wisconsin, we're happy when it "warms" up to 20 degrees in January! What I find depressing is the total lack of sunshine from Dec to Feb. Once February rolls around we get some nice bright days and the sun stays up till 5:30 or 6:00. Here in Ohio I rarely see temps below 10 degrees and minus temps are really big news. I don't fly much in winter even though it can be really fun on a bright day. The main problem for me is getting the airplane out of the hanger. The door rails fill-up with snow and that stuff melts and re-freezes to ice, which in turn makes opening the doors close to impossible. Last year I spent several hours getting the airplane pre-flighted and the hanger doors open only to find I couldn't get any traction in the ice puddle in front of the door when I tried to pull the Cherokee out!

I think the cure is to take a winter vacation to Fla. or AZ and get some dual while I wait out the winter, all that takes is time and $. Being retired I have the time, and as usual I will accept cash donations!

Joe

[rosiejerryrosie]

Huuh, Joe. You didn't tell us where to send the donations..... Frank, apparently, doesn't need donations as he has a very successful advertising business selling space in his signature block....

[Frank Giger]

When I lived in Montana there were similar problems with snow and ice from late September to (often) late April.

Then I moved back to Alabama.

Problem solved.

[Joe LaMantia]

Frank...Smart Move!
Gerry, All donations can be sent to my attention, ( no sense in bothering my wife) at 749 Crescent Drive, Sidney, Ohio 45365. As of this writing, you cannot take your donation as a charitable gift, but if I receive a large amount I my be able to qualify for tax exempt status! Feel free to dig deep!

Joe

[Hal Bryan]

My webserver is down for maintenance....pics will return today or tomorrow.

So glad to see them back this morning, Frank! I flew a Champ out of Snohomish, WA, for years, and absolutely adored that airplane. Your pictures and captions really make me miss it...!

[rosiejerryrosie]

There is a simple joy of flying a simple airplane that all the bells and whistles in the world can never duplicate....