WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW!WOW! WOW! WOW!
I'm finally calm enough to write.
The BASICS:
It was the first calm morning in days; cool, and clear with scattered cirrus and some low level haze. Not a bump in the sky, like butter.
Got there early and had to wait a few minutes because another flight was scheduled and so they were going to do a formation take off. (Gee, I guess if if I have to, and theres no additional charge, well, I guess it's OK
)
Hung around their museum (OK, hanger full of collectibles and projects) and it was fun.
The plane was a T- 6, twice the weight and horsepower of anything I've done.
Did some formation work (L & R echelons, in trail, and abreast right), about half dozen steep turns, some wing overs? (chandell s? lazy eights?
) then barrel roll, aileron roll, and a loop. I'll have to watch the video but I think there were two of some of those three.
At that point I needed some straight and level to let my tummy descend to its normal location! NO PUKE! (that's very important!). All that took 17 minutes so; in two minutes we would've had to head back anyway.
I accomplished my goal, which was to see the ground on the wrong side of the sky before it happened by mistake. Now I feel a burning desire to spin an airplane. Goodness this stuff is addictive!
My CFI was great! I did most of the flying after the take off and formation in trail. I flew during the other planes formation in trail. He talked me through everything adding or removing input when I goofed during the aerobatic stuff. and he did the final spiral to landing.
The GUSHING:
It was sooooo cool. Real s-turn taxi (no I see why they have to do it).
A big plane. It is so powerful, it can do so much! (oddly, it is placarded "No Spins" After we finished the aerobatics I was allowed to just fly without purpose, so I did turns and precision stuff like hold altitude, hold heading. Once I stop whipping my head all around trying to see and mentally record EVERYTHING, my pilotage improved dramatically and I began to "wear" the plane more comfortably.
I really think for the first time in my life I FLEW, not piloted, an airplane.
It was one of the most intense and exhausting thirty minutes of my life.
What an incredible day, I don't know why God blesses me so but: Thank YOU Lord!!!
The downside:
It is too expensive to do often. However, I think it did more for my piloting skills than any two hour "hamburger run" ever did. I will do this again. I want to do the Texan at least one more time because it's, ... well, ...
so BIG. (Yes, size matters
). But at over $700 an hour (tax, tag, title and dealer prep) it is a big out of my league for anything more than a lifetime memory experience. After another thirty minute T-6 adrenaline rush I think I'll find someone with a Citabria or Pitts to do spin training.
Thanks for letting me share. WooHoo!
P.S. They deserve a 'plug': Warbirds Adventures at Kissimmee Airport
we'll leave it here where fewer souls lurk. 
Permagrin has a whole new meaning.
