jmaynard
Cleared for Takeoff
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2008
- Messages
- 1,487
- Location
- Fairmont, Minnesota
- Display Name
Display name:
Jay Maynard
I made my first real flight as pilot in command of my new airplane this morning. (I'd gotten some time in yesterday, while getting a ride to the factory, but not much, and no landings.) I was, quite frankly, nervous about it. I'd only done passably in the Zodiac I flew back in February, and this one was my airplane!!...
It went far better than I'd expected, and as well as I could have asked for. We got going early so the wind and turbulence wouldn't be a problem. It paid off, because we were pretty comfortable the whole time. We flew over to a nice, but little used, airport about 15 miles away, and for the next hour plus, I made takeoffs and landings in all of the aircraft's various configurations, with a couple of go-arounds and one power-off approach thrown in for good measure. All 10 landings failed to suck; none were real greasers, but they were all quite acceptable. The airplane did just what I told it to, and I finally felt like I knew how to fly it. It's almost like it knew it was performing for its new owner.
I think I'll keep it. We're still working through a list of things to be fixed, but it's shrinking steadily, and by the time I leave (likely, Friday morning), it'll be empty.
We'll do the traditional handing over of the keys picture with me in the TRON costume, and then I'll taxi down to the aviation college and get pictures with the students and faculty down there. That will likely be tomorrow afternoon. (They're fixing some paint issues on the airplane this afternoon.)
It went far better than I'd expected, and as well as I could have asked for. We got going early so the wind and turbulence wouldn't be a problem. It paid off, because we were pretty comfortable the whole time. We flew over to a nice, but little used, airport about 15 miles away, and for the next hour plus, I made takeoffs and landings in all of the aircraft's various configurations, with a couple of go-arounds and one power-off approach thrown in for good measure. All 10 landings failed to suck; none were real greasers, but they were all quite acceptable. The airplane did just what I told it to, and I finally felt like I knew how to fly it. It's almost like it knew it was performing for its new owner.
I think I'll keep it. We're still working through a list of things to be fixed, but it's shrinking steadily, and by the time I leave (likely, Friday morning), it'll be empty.
We'll do the traditional handing over of the keys picture with me in the TRON costume, and then I'll taxi down to the aviation college and get pictures with the students and faculty down there. That will likely be tomorrow afternoon. (They're fixing some paint issues on the airplane this afternoon.)