Piper Cub on Skis!

     This winter day I went to the airport just to take some pictures with my relatively new camera(a Nikon D3200 with a 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6). However, it did not take long for my instructor to find me and offer to go up with me around the patch a few times in NC98286. There was one student before me, so I waited for about an hour, but got some really good shots during that time.

NC98286, the 85hp Cub

     After Joe had finished his lesson, we went out into the freezing 10° weather to the airplane. The engine was still warm, so it fired right up despite the temperature outside. Since this was my first time flying the Cub on skis, Joe took the airplane, taxied to runway 26, and did the first pattern to demonstrate for me.

     I took the airplane and went around the pattern 3 times using runway 8. All three landings were surprisingly soft, and were complemented nicely by the soft snow. The first two times, I did touch and goes because it was cold and I could climb out very quickly and clear the trees. The third and final landing was a regular full stop.

     When flying the Cub on skis, you really do not have to do much of anything very different. Obviously, there are no brakes so you have to be careful when taxiing. More throttle is also needed to get going in the snow, but once you get "rolling" you slide along easily. However, Joe warned me not to put side load on the skis by turning two sharp because the plane could easily flip over. Overall, when flying the Cub on skis you just have to use basic soft field techniques(Keep the stick back, 3 point full stall landings...). Finally, when landing you need to be sure to landing on the backs of the skis to prevent them from digging in to the snow.

     This was my first flight in several months, so it felt incredible to get back up in the air especially in the snow and sunset. For some reason, this flight will go in the top of my list of my most memorable flying experiences; right up there with my first solo flight. Something about winter flying makes it so special. Perhaps it is the cool, calm air. Perhaps it is the solitude felt when you're the only one in the pattern. Or maybe, it is s special because of the beautiful scenery you see from that point of view. Whatever it is, winter flying is extraordinary.

After a break, I'm back in the Cub!

     After a break of almost 4 months, I was itching to again find myself in the sky. Whether it be weather or my busy schedule, there always arose a reason for me to not be able to fly. Finally, I took to the skies again on 1/20/2013 which was the first flight of the year. Only the Cub was open this weekend with Joe, so I booked it. Besides, I hadn't flown in a while. I might as well return to the basics.

     This Sunday, it was a chilly 28F so Joe and I were both bundled up to go flying. Once we got out to the airplane, we found that N98286, the "big" Cub, was low on gas. So after several attempts, we got the engine running and taxied to get some fuel. After nearly freezing, we got the airplane fueled up and were ready to fly. The winds were steady at about 10kts, sometimes gusting to 15kts before we took off. This gave us a nice wind straight down the runway and also a little crosswind practice (nothing I couldn't handle even after taking a 4 month break). After completing the simple CIGAR checklist, I taxied to runway 26 and prepared to take off.

     The power that airplanes have in cold, dry air is amazing. As soon as I increased the throttle, we were practically in the air already. After reaching 1500ft much sooner than usual, I headed towards Caesar's Creek Gliderport where I practiced a few landings. The first one took me by surprise with a little bump, but after that I regained my "feel" of landing the Cub. After getting my landings down again, we headed back to Stewart to do a few more.

     Once again, the first one was a little bouncy because of the wind. But after that, I managed to squeeze out smooth landings one after another. After an hour, it was time to head in to the hangar. Overall, it was a great flight after having to take such a long break. Thankfully, I was not as rusty as I had imagined I would be.

     Sorry guys, no video this week. After about 20 minutes, my GoPro suction cup mount suddenly failed because of the cold(I think). But, here is a quick picture taken after the flight.

This Flight: 1.0 Dual, 1.0 Total, N98286, 40I-2OH9-40I
Total hours to date: 20.2

   

My Second Solo Flight and Strong Winds

     With it having been almost 3 weeks since I have flown last, I thought I would go flying. I tried to book the Cessna 150, but it was taken for a Cross Country flight. So, I went up in the Cub. I'll start off by mentioning that the winds were pretty strong this day. When I got to the airport, Wright Brothers was reporting winds 2709G21KT.

     Joe and I started off by covering a few ground school topics before heading out to fly. When we finally did, we didn't have too much time because I only had Joe for an hour that day. I took us around the pattern 2 times using runway 26, obviously. I was definitely getting blown around a lot on my takeoffs and landings. So, it proved to be quite difficult and my landings were not exactly beautiful. But, the winds were not helping me. Nonetheless, Joe decided to hop out and let me solo again(usually students don't solo with wind over 10kts here).

Video with the GoPro

     When I started taxiing, the wind of pushing the little, light Cub really fast so I had to rely on the brakes the entire taxi. My first time around wasn't too bad, but the winds were definitely affecting my landings. On the second takeoff, a HUGE gust of win struck me and I banked pretty sharp to the right. I tried my best to correct for it and after that the winds seemed to die down at least a little bit. During that gust, my dad and instructor had to run after a runaway Citabria about to hit a hangar. I made another landing with a subtle bounce. After that, I went around the pattern 2 more time with little difficulty. Although, I had to really concentrate with the winds. After 4 patterns, I took the Cub to get fueled up and called it a day.

     One thing I learned today was to never fly when even a little uncomfortable with it. Honestly, I was not 100% confident this time. The wind situation made me a little uneasy. But, I still flew despite my fear. This may not have been the right decision at the time because I wasn't really having fun. I was a little too nervous about just getting the bird on the ground. I advise that you tell your instructor if you are not comfortable.

This Flight: .3 hours dual, .4 hours solo, .7 hours total, N77500, 40I-40I
Total hours to date: 19.2

First Solo!!!

     My birthday had finally come. It was September 4th 2012, and I was extremely anxious to do my first solo flight. It was on a Tuesday, so I had to impatiently sit through school all day before I could fly.  Throughout the day, there very low clouds and a 30% chance of thunderstorms.

     After school, I went straight to Red Stewart Airfield. Joe walked in the building after he was up with another student, and he saw my Medical Certificate sitting on the table. He said that today was the big day! We didn't waste anytime on the ground because the weather was looking good for the time being. We walked out to the Cub, N77500, and taxied out to runway 26. All during this time, my parents were taking tons of pictures and videos...

My first video of two from my First Solo - GoPro HD Hero 2

     I went through the basic CIGAR checklist and took to the skies with Joe in the plane. My first landing that day was just about perfect with just a little crosswind from the left. We took off again and Joe said to me that he would "land" this time and try to scare my parents and grandma a little bit. He purposely made a bad, bouncy landing, then lifted back off again. I made another decent landing after going around the pattern and pulled off of the runway.

     Joe stepped on the brakes as I was taxiing back and turned around to talk to me. He asked me if I was ready. I said "yes" of course, but I must have looked nervous because he asked me if I was okay. I was fine and he stepped out of the airplane. Joe told me to do 3 landings then park the plane next to the glider. I started to taxi to the runway again, but this time I was completely alone. No one was there to help me if I needed it. Everything was completely under my own control and I was responsible. I taxied by my parents who were next to the runway filming with a big smile across my face. Before I pushed the throttle forward when I was lined up on the runway, I took a deep breath. The engine then roared and I picked up speed. The plane lifted off very quickly and I took to the skies--alone.

My second video of two from my First Solo with outside footage

     The first thing I noticed was how fast the little Cub climbed with only one, light person in it. I looked in front of me and saw a huge cloud that I could see was pouring down rain. Thankfully, this cloud broke up right in front of the airport and I got through my whole solo without weather issues. Before I knew it, I was also up to 1,500ft(550ft AGL) and could start my crosswind. I reached pattern altitude once I was turning downwind. On my first landing, I seemed to float forever and I made a decent landing.

     I was really having fun at this point. I took off again, went around the pattern, and made another successful landing. The winds picked up at this point and switched from the left to the right while I was on final. Oddly enough, this was my best landing during my solo. One last time that night, I took off and went around the pattern. I saw another airplane on downwind while I was on crosswind. It was much too close for my liking, so I did a right 360 while I was on downwind to give us space. I floated for a while on this landing, and finally just let it settle down gently.

     I survived my First Solo!!! I put the plane where Joe told me to, shut down, and hopped out of the plane. After some pictures in front of the plane, my shirt tail was cut off by tradition. We invited my instructor out to dinner and ice cream, so he with us to celebrate.

     I will never forget my First Solo Flight. Now, it's back to the Cessna 150!

This Flight: .3 hours dual, .3 hours solo, .6 hours total, N77500, 40I-40I
Total hours to date: 18.5

Wheel Landings, Emergencies, and Wind

     Instead of hopping straight into the Cub, Joe and I did some ground school. We covered various topics -- VORs, Weight and Balance, Performance Charts, etc... After that short ground school session, we went out to the airplane. N77500 was waiting for us warm and full of fuel. Winds were strong but variable. They were out of the East when we started our taxi. After a long taxi to runway 8, we took off. The airplane felt extremely heavy and I ran out of trim while trying to keep the nose up. The plane was heavy, the day was humid, and it was pretty hot, so it's not a huge surprise.

     Video filmed with my GoPro HD Hero 2 during my lesson on 8/26/12

     The first landing was normal but long. Runway 8 is somewhat downhill so we floated forever. We switched to runway 26 after we took off again on runway 8. The first time we went to land, we had to go around because another plane and a glider were both landing to the East still. We did a few more normal landings on runway 26 and one emergency. On the emergency, I wanted to fly more "aggressive" than I normally would, so I cut my pattern short and did a huge slip. We fell like a rock to get down and the landing was pretty good.

     Joe decided that we should start trying wheel landings out. This was was very...interesting. We did one exercise a few times to get used to having the tail wheel up in the air. Basically, doing a takeoff but bringing the power back and keeping the stick forward so we didn't lift off. I did this twice, then Joe demonstrated a wheel landing for me after going around the pattern. I then did one. My touchdown was good, but I didn't hold the stick forward like I should have, so the plane bounced a few times before settling down. I wasn't too happy about ending the lesson this way.

     I have a lesson scheduled for my birthday(September 4th). If I can get my medical that day, I will do my first solo flight. If not, I will still be able to get up in the air!

This Flight: .9 hours N77500, 40I-40I
Total hours to date: 17.9

Piper Cub landing practice

     It felt really good to be back in the Cub. In the Piper Cub, you don't have the distraction of a bunch instruments scattered in front of you. Flying this airplane is pure stick and rudder.

     After chatting inside for a bit, Joe and I went out to the Cub, N77500. This is the small, 65hp Cub. I did a quick preflight and Joe propped the engine. The winds were coming straight down the runway and were favoring 26, so we had a very short taxi over there. Following our brief "CIGAR" checklist, everything was good to go.

Video from this lesson with a GoPro HD Hero 2

     We took off and immediately turned Southeast towards Caesar Creek Gliderport(2OH9). This is the location of the Caesar Creek Soaring Club. It's only a two mile long flight, so I just stayed at pattern altitude the whole time. I crossed over the airport and entered a left crosswind for runway 27. It was the first landing of the day, so it was a little bouncy. This was also my first time at this airport. I taxied back on the grass runway and departed again on runway 27.

     Immediately after takeoff, I entered a left base for runway 26 at Red Stewart. This landing was a whole lot better. We did about 5 more landings at Red Stewart before shutting down for the day. Included in those landings were one Simulated Engine Out on downwind and one Touch n Go. My best landing of the day was definitely during my Simulated Engine Out. I made a tight pattern and slipped it down. When I touched down, I didn't even feel a bump. My only indication that we had landing was the clanking of the cub on the bumpy grass.

     Although shorter than the last one, today was really a great lesson. I got a lot of confidence in the Cub and I feel like I am really ready to solo. Now all I have to do is wait for my 16th birthday!

This Flight: .8 hours N77500, 40I-2OH9-40I
Total hours to date: 17.0

Oshkosh is AMAZING!

     Oshkosh 2012 was absolutely astounding. It was a pilot's dream. If you went this year, you know there were tons of airplanes, great people, and unique experiences waiting for you to arrive. EAA AirVenture 2012 was an amazing experience.

     Day 1 - I left my house with my mom and dad at about 9AM and drove up to Chicago. We couldn't drive through without trying some famous Chicago style deep dish pizza, so we were recommended to go to Gino's East by a friend. It was delicious. After leaving Chicago, we took a quick detour to drive by O'Hare and continued up to Oshkosh. We got our wristbands for Sunday/Monday and Tuesday, then went through the entrance to see what we could before the actual event begun. We looked around the booths for each company that were being set up and planned for the next day. Next, I just stood out at the flight line and watched the unlimited amount of airplanes arrive at Oshkosh. I was stoked for the next day!

     Day 2 - On our second day at Oshkosh, we woke up at 5:30AM and got to the Airshow at 6:45AM. I'll go ahead and say, this was way too early. The temperature quickly rose to a solid 101F, making it unbearably hot. Everyone there was seeking out shade or air conditioning where they could find. First thing that day, we went over to the Ultralight runway to watch some powered parachutes and ultralights there. After quickly growing bored of that, we went to check out all of the piper cubs(all 181 of them there). It was a truly amazing sight to see! Never in my life have I seen that much cub yellow. We checked out some of the booths and really took an interest in the Bose tent where they had an excellent Bose A20 headset setup for anyone to try them out. After taking a look at some booths, we headed to the Honda tent where I had the first highlight of my day. The new Honda jet was in there, so we looked around in there for a bit. Then, I was shocked to see Sean D. Tucker standing just a few feet away from me getting ready to be interviewed on stage along with the Honda chief test pilot. After that, I got to meet and get a picture with Sean D. Tucker! He was really an inspiration for me after seeing this video. We wondered around and enjoyed Oshkosh for the rest of the day until the airshow. It was pretty good, but I have to admit I expected a bit more excitement from Oshkosh. After that, we went straight to the Steve Miller opening concert. Next comes my second highlight of the day. As the President of the EAA stepped out onto the stage, my dad realized he was a friend of his. We got backstage and met Rod Hightower, the president! Today was probably my favorite day.

     Day 3 - Our third and final day at EAA AirVenture started about 3 hours later than the first. We were completely worn out after the first day and had realized that it just wasn't worth it to be out in the hot sun that early that day. Thankfully, we were blessed with about 85F weather that day. We got a quick breakfast that consisted of the famous EAA donuts and started our day. We begun by waiting to get up in the cockpit of a C-17 that just happened to be from Wright Patterson AFB which is close to my home. This was a pretty cool experience. Next, we waited in yet another line to tour the Orbis "MD-10." This is basically a name for a DC-10 that was upgraded to MD-11 avionics and such without the MD-11 body. The plane was a flying, mobile eye hospital that travels around the world to treat people in need. After this, we spent the rest of the day in the Vintage Warbird section of Oshkosh until the Airshow.There were a ton of old warbirds over there! After lunch, it was time to go the airshow. This one was much more exciting than the first day. We got to see Kirby Chambliss in his Edge 540 from Red Bull and Sean D. Tucker Perform. The piper cub comedy act today also ended with a successful landing atop a moving truck. Although it was such a great day, it was time to head to home.

     Possibly one of the saddest moments of my summer this year was driving away from Oshkosh that evening. I could have spent all week there, but it was time to head home. Nonetheless, it was a great trip. We are already planning for next year!

It's that time of year - Oshkosh!

     Well guys, it's that time of year. The largest aviation event in the world takes place this week up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin! From taildraggers to F-18's, over 10,000 planes will be taking part in the event. EAA AirVenture is a pilot's dream!

EAA's official promo video for AirVenture 2012

     Tomorrow, Sunday the 21st of July, I will be driving up to Oshkosh since I don't have my PPL yet. I'll only be there for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. But, my first time should be a blast! I will try to bring my good camera and my GoPro so I can post some pictures and videos for you guys. Stay tuned!

Pattern work and good news!

     On the 25th of June, 2012 I made a usual flight lesson in the Piper Cub. This time I was in the 65hp Cub, N77500. At the beginning of the lesson, I met with my CFI Joe and we did a short ground school session. He quizzed me on the aerodynamics section of my Jeppesen Private Pilot book. I did pretty well, so we went out to fly.

Red Stewart Airfield. Not my photo, taken during fly-in in 2008.

     We pulled the little Cub out of its hangar, and got ready to start up. After the preflight walk around and such, I prepared to climb into my seat in the back of the Cub. Contrary to the usual lesson, Joe asked me to "prop" us. This was my first time, so I have to admit I was a little nervous. Joe showed me the basics, and I got the Cub started on my first try. The wind was shifting, but was mostly out of the North. We departed with the door open on runway 26 just to get us in the air sooner. After we departed, we took the Cub up to 3,000ft over Caesar's Creek. The air temperature should only change 3.5°F/1,000ft, but after going up on 2,000ft the temperature had to have dropped a good 20 degrees and we had to close the door to stay warm. I then turned around, and we went headed back to Stewart.

     On the way back, we were a bit high, so I did a easy forward slip to get down quicker. As we went straight into runway 26, the wind sock moved and we had a little tailwind too. But I decided to keep going on the approach. I touched down a bit long but I handled the crosswind good with a side slip. After the first landing, we taxied down to the other end of the runway and took off the other way. We then did 6 more landings. The first 5 were either a little firm but dead center, or soft but I drifted because of the crosswind.

     The last landing was really a great moment. The approach was beautiful and my side slip was perfect. I greased the landing dead center and Joe was very impressed. This was when he said that now I am really "flying." On the way back to the hangar, Joe told me that I should start flying the Cessna 150 instead of the Cub so that I can get the required stuff for my Private out of the way early before my first solo when I'm 16.

     Overall, Joe was very impressed with my flying that day. I'm really looking forward to my next lesson!

    This Flight: .8 hours, 7 landings, 7 takeoffs, N77500, 40I-40I
    Total hours to date: 12.6

GoPro HD HERO2 Outdoor Edition
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