How to Fly an Old Vintage Airplane
First, you must
get a clear sense of the historical era you have now entered! Without a little respect and
appreciation of the history of this faithful old airplane, it might just bite you in the
butt, before the day may end! A little different flight training may help!
Now, you can walk
up to her with pride and respect, for you are now a good student of history! All of
a sudden you see an uncomfortable sight, the little wheel that steers the airplane on the
ground is fixed to the tail, instead of the nose! Unstable Steering, modern young pilots
would eagerly declare! Baloney, you declare! Only real pilots, fly tail wheel steering
airplanes! You will need a little more finesse with airplane controls, but we have
confidence in you! So go ahead climb aboard, check her out, fuel, flight controls, engine,
etc. Fasten your seatbelt and have some fun! Where are all of the fancy radio navigation
and computerized hardware? No worry, this is seat of the pants flying, by using your map,
compass and what you see outside! Trust me, you will again, be just fine!
Look outside,
yell clear and make sure no one is in front of the propeller! Now it’s time to
advance the throttle, pump a few shots of fuel to prime and listen for her few coughs and
belches of exhaust, as she fires on time! She makes a beautiful rumbling roar, as all of
her seven cylinders come to life! Let her warm up for awhile, making sure oil temperatures
and pressures are in the green. Take a good look outside, get a feel for wind direction,
velocity and what runway to take. Advance the throttle slowly a little and your on your
way, but remember steer with your feet on the rudder pedals. Quickly decide what type of
wind your facing (tailwind, headwind, crosswind, etc.) and use opposite controls
(ailerons, rudder, elevator, mother in law etc.) to counteract the wind
effects. Don’t panic now, just because you can’t see in front of the
airplane. Make small clearing turns on the taxiway and remember, we still have confidence
in you!
Lined up with the
runway centerline, last minute engine run-up check, flight controls check, altimeter check
and at last you are ready for flight. Advance the throttle slowly, keep her lined up with
the centerline as you roll down the runway and use a little rudder to compensate for
propeller torque. Keep the stick forward just enough to lift the tail and then ease it
back when you have enough forward speed to fly, alas you are flying. Keep the nose down
until you build enough forward safe airspeed, throttle back a little, put her in a climb
attitude and on your magnetic course heading, alas you are still flying! Now, Relax and
feel yourself slipping back in time, to Vintage Aviation’s Golden Era! Enjoy
yourself! You are now flying a “Grand Lady Of Aviation!”
Robert Drake Jr.
Author
My Girlfriend, A 1959 Piper Pacer
And The Canadian Rockies
Well, how do most great adventures begin? A question a young pilot
should of asked, if he had given the slightest thought to the challenges facing him, but
there she was staring into his very sole with her beautiful eyes! She liked him and the
thought of flying together to Alaska, was an adventure too great to pass up! She was
really beautiful and after each and every beer he drank, the idea of flying her to Alaska
in his small vintage airplane, became closer to reality! How tough could it be? Canadian
Charts, a good compass, a great airplane, a whole lot of confidence and a few prayers!
With the early morning sun shining in his face , he left Eastern
Washington, flying southwest to Portland, Oregon and dreaming now of great romantic
evenings with her!
His spirits, were now at an all time high! All 150 horses of his
dependable airplane were humming along, as they flew across the bay to Abbotsford B.C.
with just a few moments of daylight to spare! What fun this is, flying in the middle of
the Canadian Rockies, using landmarks, compass headings, dead reckoning and sharing great
romantic moments in time with a beautiful lady! He had to pinch himself a few times to
make sure he wasn’t dreaming! As the wings of his small airplane sliced through the
windy and uncertain mountain sky, he just realized, his beautiful girlfriend was also very
kind and a lot of fun! Melting glacier’s were looking quite picturesque, as the sun
would shine off the 12000ft. and 14000ft. B.C. mountains, quite a breath taking scene! One
for the camera, as we both were left with a great loss of words! We were flying up the
Fraser River to Prince George B.C. and after landing, found a very nice Canadian Pub for
some evening fun.
Unable to fly out to the coast of Alaska because of severe
weather, we flew through a scenic valley, on our way to the beautiful Banff, Alberta. We
were lucky to find a motel with a hot tub and spent a nice evening relaxing, enjoying each
other, while drinking some fine wine! It’s hard to find the words to describe how
beautiful this was, having flown here with my lovely girlfriend! Flying , with wit, wisdom
and by the seat of my pants , reminds me of scenes from an old classic movie! I felt like
an old time aviator! Uh, Oh! I wonder what grandma and grandpa tourist must think, as
they, just walked by, seeing us having fun in the hot tub! Oh well, that is what makes
life sometimes a little too interesting! My girlfriend just turned to me and
grinned!
Over the years, I’ve never forgotten that Canadian adventure
with my girlfriend and vintage airplane, like scenes from a great movie, they just improve
with age! I learned a lot about what’s important in life, sharing great scenes, with
great and special friends!
Robert Drake Jr.
Author |
