It's good for the soul...

[Hal Bryan]

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

Amen to that!

[Frank Giger]

Yep, nothing like flying a plane without any muss or fuss!

Indeed, we found that messing with the one adjustment - elevator trim - was counter-productive for me. Loads of folks trim the Champ back pretty far before landing to help with the flare, but I wound up fighting this trim, and worse tending to pitch up on the turn from base to final, which is never good.

So I keep the trim for level flight at pattern speed (maybe a quarter inch either way of center). I have much more positive control of the aircraft that way and find I am far less fatigued after an hour of touch-and-goes.

I'm keeping close tabs on the weather for Friday, as the forecasted winds are right up against my personal minimums both in pilot skill and fun factor. But I did break the 40 hour barrier last week! Sixty more and I earn the right to wear a huge, ugly, overpriced watch and pretentious sun glasses.

[sdilullo]

Nice photos, thanks for sharing! My first solo was in a Champ back in '08 so that little plane will always have a special place in my heart...

[rosiejerryrosie]

Yep, nothing like flying a plane without any muss or fuss!
But I did break the 40 hour barrier last week! Sixty more and I earn the right to wear a huge, ugly, overpriced watch and pretentious sun glasses.

Frank, I land the same way. Can't be bothered with trimming in the pattern. BTW in addition to the watch and the sunglasses, don't forget to work on your pilot's swagger....

[Frank Giger]

Nice photos, thanks for sharing! My first solo was in a Champ back in '08 so that little plane will always have a special place in my heart...

Outstanding!

Oh, the wife is going to help me get my Passenger Endorsement tomorrow. Turns out the Champ pics were irresistable!

[Frank Giger]

I had talked the wife into flying with me, but then told her she couldn't come - winds predicted at 12 gusting to 14 would make for a miserable first flight in a Champ!

Not that it stopped me, though. I took the camera with me and just shot randomly out of the open left window and the closed right one, as I had to fly the plane!

I hate waiting! But Jim was teaching a student and making money two ways at once (as an instructor and renting me the Champ). It was an almost perfect crosswind, but slight - the advertised winds hadn't come to pass.



I put the tail to the runway and did pre-flight checks, turned, and rumbled out after they took off.

He went north to the practice area up yonder, so I went to the east.

Pretty chilly to be on the water, IMHO.



But then again, it sure was pretty!



I stayed clear of the Talledega race track:



And just flew around, enjoying the sites. Maybe not the best emergency field...



I felt pretty good just tooling around, though when I slipped once the air came through the window it was kind of chilly. Well, I guess it was!



The wind wasn't as bad as predicted on take off, but I could tell things were gusting up based on being bumped around; my decision to leave the redhead at home was the right one. I used an Alabama windsock to get an update on the wind:



Hmmm, that would be what to the runway?



Well, straight across, of course! Switched over to the weather radio and heard wind at 11 from 110. Runway is 3/21. Dealer's choice!

I picked 3 just because.

Out and around and into the pattern, taking a closer look at that fire on the way:



Landing was fun! I took the Champ left, then right, then left and then swooshie dippy swoosh to the right, gave her a little throttle and wound up with a really pretty wheel landing right down the center!

Suprised me in that the main just kissed the runway.

Oh, now that rocked! Up and around for another!

Lots of burbly crap on final and then the wind just gave up at the numbers; I three pointed without any fuss. Humph. Up and around!

I heard Jim and his student coming in and knew I had plenty of time; it also confirmed my hour was about done.

Three pointed it with zero drama and got off the runway at the first turn off past the numbers, just in time to see Jim's student do a two-fer. Just weird, though, how my last landing was without having to do anything pilot-y.

We settled up the bill, chatted, and as I drove away from the airport the windsock was laying flat against the pole. I knew that last landing wasn't any sort of mastery - it was a gimme!

[Joe LaMantia]

Hey Frank!,
Very Pretty Pictures! Kinda reminds me of the "Lake Country" west of Milwaukee where I learned to Fly!

Joe

[rosiejerryrosie]

Yessss. Very nice pics and good commentary. Keep flying and keep posting!

[Frank Giger]

This Friday's flight is gonna get scrubbed, as my work schedule changed and I'm working Thursday.

I work third shift (2300-0700) and have to be really careful about fatigue, especially since I'm working against my body's normal clock. Lots of times I feel awake and ready to go after work, but in fact I've lost some fine motor skills; I check it by juggling - I normally stink at it, but after a shift am absolutely miserable. It's sort of like drinking coffee after drinking alcohol; one might be awake but that doesn't mean one isn't under the influence.

I grabbed the controlled airspace DVD from Sporty's and am going to take the time to get it to sink in using an old technique instead. Namely I'm going to mark out an airport and the different points where one does stuff in the back yard. Then it's arms out ("I'm and airplane!") and walk in, stopping at each point to rehearse the tasks and expected radio calls, "land," and then "fly" out until released.

If anything it should be entertaining to the neighbors.

It might sound like a silly thing to do, but I used that technique in the Army to teach my guys how to call in close air support and medivacs - it works!

I want to get the controlled airspace endorsement before the plane is finished to open up more airfields to me; after that it's saving up for the basic aerobatics course (Greg Koontz's place is just up the road!). I don't plan on competing or anything; I figure it as a class in precision flying that will put more tools in my pilot box.

Plus I got a real kick out of spin training....

[rosiejerryrosie]

I like your technique for learning new, complex tasks. It breaks them down into smaller segiments and the physical movement involved helps to sequence the smaller segiments into a coherent whole.