Just like the term "full circle" suggests. Here I am in the learning curve of relearning how to fly a taildragger. 44 years ago I first soloed a taildragger. It wasn't my "first solo". That was in a PA-28 nose wheel. So my first taildragger solo was a "checkout". Like one would get today. Except today one gets a taildragger endorsement in one's logbook to satisfy a regulation. Back when I first soloed that Champ when I was 18 yrs old, of course there was no endorsement required. In fact the taildragger was called a "conventional" gear airplane. Nose wheel was unconventional. I flew some other taildraggers way back then. When I was maybe twenty and in college at "Maryland". I checked out in a yellow Piper J-3. We all know that airplane. When I was a kid the words "Piper Cub" meant any small airplane. The guy who checked me out was Jeff Brinkerhoff. His dad George was a renowned pilot and barnstormer. I still remember that checkout. It was a balmy Spring day and we were bounced around and it seemed more kite-like than even the Champ. After a little airwork and 4 or 5 landings we were back on the ground. I knew I was rougher in this thing. You had to fly from the back seat, I didn't quite have the feel yet. But I was very happy when Brinkerhoff said he would like me to come back tomorrow and he would fly one pattern with me and if I was ok like my last landing today I would be signed off for solo in the cub at College Park. I came back the next day and flew with him again and he went around with me just like he said and got out and I took the plane for the rest of the hour and shot landings and tooled over the family house in Lanham. Little did I know, a few years later I would become an instructor at College Park and log 400 hours riding in the front seat of Brinkerhoff's J-3's teaching primary students how to fly. It was a huge honor to know and be friends with Brinkerhoff.
After that, I wasn't quite done with taildraggers. When I was about 25 I was working at Cumberland Airlines. I got my foot in the door there because they needed a primary instructor. Later, I got a job flying the US Mail for them. During that period I bought my first airplane. A Citabria. A 7-ECA. It was like the Champ I had flown. It was, in fact, the same airframe as the old Champ. But all dolled up by a new company called "Champion", then "American Champion". But my Citabria wasn't new. It was a bit worn. But to me it was wonderful and I could write a hundred blog posts of adventures and flights of fancy in the little 7ECA.
During one winter I guess it was 76/77 I wound up in Pittsburgh flying Air Mail and Emory Airfreight. It's too long a story to begin to tell here. What a winter. It became a huge stepping stone an my aviation career. I got 175 hours in a Beech 18T. This was a Hamilton conversion. twin beach with PT-6 turbines. Although it did not require a type rating, it was run by a two pilot crew and that was required by the contracts for mail and freight. (And you needed two guys to load the freight!) This was my first "Captain" job. This Beech was a taildragger. It was nicknamed a "Kerosene 18".
Ok. Just one more taildragger from the past. When I was 27 and 28 yrs. old I found myself flying DC-3's. I got about 400 hrs. SIC time. (Not sick time. I learned all about that at the Major Airlines) SIC second in command. Co-Pilot. Being a DC-3 copilot is an interesting job and you are too busy working to learn to be the Captain. But that's another story. I guess I got maybe 6 or 7 hundred hrs. Captain. So add in another 1100 hrs. tailwheel to my logbook.
So here I am today 30 years later I wanted to go light sport. Cheaper, no medical, simpler, back to the fun. So sell the Cher OH Key right? No I'm not ready to do that. But I wanted a light sport airplane. The hardest thing about getting what you want is figuring out what you want. I decided it had to be a 7AC Champ. It couldn't be a 7ECA, my favorite. Because it is too heavy to be a light sport. Oddly, like I said above, it is really the same airplane. I couldn't find a 7AC. They all need engine overhauls and recovering. Or they are all done like new and dolled up. Then they start at $47K if you can find one.
Usually airplanes find me. That's how I got my Citab. That's how I got my M10 Cadet. And that is how I got the Luscombe I just bought one month ago. A Lucombe for me, for my light sport plane. Luscombe was not even on my radar. I didn't think it was cool. I never paid much attention to them. I figured since I couldn't find a Champ, I'd just wind up with a J-3. They start at $40K. Anyway the Luscombe came to me from a friend who hated to get rid of it, but he had too many toys. Nice toys. Like a '56 Cessna 310 Songbird straight tail tuna tank gorgeous Oshkosh winner. So he never advertised the Luscombe. He offered it to me and I said yes. Now I own a taildragger, like my first plane. I am the "full circle pilot".
A few weeks ago another buddy who is immensely qualified gave me an hour's dual in the Luscombe. Then I started flying it solo. I'm learning to fly all over again. It has been a humbling experience. I used to be a real hotshot in taildraggers. I'll never even say that again. I could do a whole blog post about the details of the various techniques and problems that I have been working on since I started flying the Luscombe. Before I close, just let me give one example and suffice it to say I've been working at this! Every project is more difficult than you expect it to be. After getting in about 35 landings and maybe7or 8 hours in this thing, I finally got in my first "wheel landing". And I hopefully can perfect that as I go so that from now on all my crosswind landings can be wheel landings which makes it go better. Oh, and by the way I have loved every single minute of it. And the Luscombe is basically the same type of light sport classic plane as the J-3 or the Champ except it costs half as much, goes considerably faster, and is all metal.
I took it to the Horn Point fly in. And the Kentmorr fly in. And hopefully many more to come. My Cher OH kee is parked outdoors. And dirty. And not flown. And only gets attention from my nephew and his uncle. It probably thinks I don't love it anymore. But I love it very much. And I newly appreciate it's electric starter and it's nose wheel.
GAI ::::+::::
Monday, May 28, 2012
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