My first 6 lessons...

[peejman]

I know there's more than a few airplane people here, so I'll share my experience...

My wife and I celebrated our 10th anniversary earlier this year. We concluded that mid-July wasn’t the best time for a get-away so we elected to wait until the fall. My anniversary gift to her was 3 days at Disney. Her gift to me was a ride in a Stearman.

I’ve been somewhat of an airplane nut my whole life. My Dad is a pilot and used to take me up in rented Cessna 150’s as a kid. Even though I could barely see over the instrument panel and couldn’t reach the rudder pedals, he’d let me fly the plane some. I have great memories of that. We quit flying maybe 20 years ago because it just got too expensive. Minor things like time and money have kept me from pursuing getting a pilot’s license. While the FAA has changed a few things to make it less expensive, it’s still far from cheap.

I’ve always loved the idea of flying an open cockpit biplane in the classic barnstormer fashion. Maybe it’s the romance of it, the freedom, the glorious sound of that radial engine, or watching “The Great Waldo Pepper” too many times as a kid. A Stearman in full PT-17 livery is one of the most beautiful planes in the world. If we win the lottery, I’ll probably end up in jail for doing silly things in the Stearman I’ll surely buy.

So while searching for other things to do while in the Orlando area, my lovely wife found this place… Fantasy of Flight, World's Greatest Aircraft Collection and the associated Welcome to Waldo Wright's Flying Service and booked me a ride in the Stearman. The Fantasy of Flight attraction is absolutely fascinating by itself, but more on that later…

I read the part about “hands on the controls” on the website and thought the same thing you did… Yeah, right. A little straight and level, maybe a turn or two, that’ll be about it. Reality: if the ride was 30 minutes long (I honestly have no idea, I was having way too much fun to think about looking at my watch), I flew for 29 of those 30 minutes. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

The airplane I flew was originally built in 1942 and performed flight instruction duty during WWII. Rob Lock is the owner/pilot/mechanic. Rob’s father paid $500 for it as a clapped out crop duster in the 70’s. He spent the next 17 years restoring it to airworthy status. It spent the next several years in typical barnstormer livery. In 2008, it was restored it to authentic US Navy N2S-3 livery with a few modern upgrades (electric start, radio, disk brakes, etc.). I spent several minutes looking it over before we started (gotta do that pre-flight walk around) and it’s in fantastic shape.

Rob got me set up in the front cockpit, started the engine, and taxied us to the end of the runway. While taxiing the length of the 5000 ft grass strip, Rob explained that over the next 30 minutes, I (who’d never really flown before) was going to complete the first 6 lessons a prospective pilot who enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1942 would have done. Um… ok.

We reached the end of the runway, turned into the wind, and checked the gauges. Ready for take-off, Rob pushed the throttle forward and we were quickly airborne. A couple hundred feet up and before we’d cleared the end of the runway, Rob says “Take the stick and pedals and get a feel for it.” I do so and feel the airplane move around a little while I gingerly move the controls around. Neato! Rob says “Ok?” me - “Yep”. “Good, you have the plane. Continue this climb to about 1200 ft, turn left about 90 deg, and follow that road.” Um… ok.

Off I go, into the wild blue yonder…

Edited October 26, 2011 by peejman
corrected aircraft owner's name

[peejman]

Over the next 20 minutes Rob had me complete a few turns both directions, with only verbal coaching… “a little more rudder… pull nose up a touch…â€. We quickly transitioned to lazy-8’s at ever increasing bank angles. I was having a ball and am quite sure an involuntary “Weeee!†escaped at least once.

Then he showed me what “fast†and “slow†mean in a Stearman. I pulled the power back and airspeed dropped through 50 knots. “When you can smell the exhaust, you’re going slowâ€. The smell and heat from the engine quickly became apparent. I pushed the throttle forward to go fast. “When you can hear the tension wires sing, you’re going fastâ€. As airspeed increased past 110 knots, the wires began to sing. “It’s that simple, no need to look at the airspeed indicator.â€

After that it was time for stalls. I’ll admit to having a little anxiety about this part. Dad used to practice stalls when I flew with him. That’s been a long time ago and I recall it being quite a roller coaster ride. Per Rob’s direction, I pulled the power back about half way and pulled the nose up to maybe 30 deg. I began to smell the exhaust, then felt the heat as the airspeed dropped. A moment later, the controls began to feel dead and the nose gently dipped below the horizon. Cake. The next one was a little more dramatic, power back to flight idle, nose up hard… at least 45, maybe 60 deg. The smell and heat came quickly followed by a slight shudder in the controls and the nose dropped a little more dramatically, though still less than the roller coasters I’d ridden the day before at Disney.

At this point, Rob says “Congratulations, you’ve completed your first 6 lessons. A prospective WWII pilot would have been expected to solo after 8-12 hours of instruction. I can tell from your ear-to-ear grin that you’re having fun. (There’s a mirror mounted to the top wing that allows eye contact. It’s original to the aircraft and short of shouting really loud, was the only way for an instructor to communicate with his student in 1942.) We’ve got about 10 minutes left, what do you want to do?â€

I paused, looked around, and just enjoyed the moment. I noticed a small herd of cows in the field below. Then I noticed there weren’t any houses nearby. I couldn’t resist the temptation… “Well… I’d really like to buzz those cows down there.†Rob – “Then push the nose over and let’s go.†“Sweet!†During our decent, Robs points out the green tank between my feet that’s labeled “Smoke Oilâ€. As we approach tree top height he says “Let me drive for a minute. Cows hate the smoke. This will be fun… “. We swoop down below the tree tops and send the cows scattering through the smoke like roaches when the light turns on. I’m grinning like the cat who ate the canary.

I retake the airplane and we head back toward the airport. I fly it all the way in until just before touchdown. Once we’re on the ground, I taxi us back to the parking spot. I’m a little disappointed that it’s over already, but what a fantastic experience! Even now writing about it, I can’t suppress the grin. Fun stuff.

[peejman]

The Fantasy of Flight attraction is a must-see for any airplane enthusiast. It’s located near Polk City, FL, about 20 miles southwest on I-4 from Orlando. It’s easy to find with signs from the interstate. The eclectic collection of aircraft, most of which are airworthy, is amazing. It seems like you can’t turn around with finding a one-of-a-kind, or last-of-its-kind airplane. A few examples… the only 2 seat, dual control P-40 Warhawk trainer that still flies, the only un-restored, exactly as it was in 1945 B-24 Liberator that still flies, the only B-26 Marauder that still flies… the list goes on.

Note the oil pans under these planes. That doesn’t mean they’re Harley’s, these old engines leak when they sit. An oil pan means it’s got oil in it and could be made ready to fly in short order. The number of flight ready aircraft here is simply amazing.

Air car anyone?

The Gee Bees. While you don’t need poofy hair and a falsetto singing voice to fly one, you might have that afterwards…

They have a neat diorama set up with a walk-through of a B-17, several flight simulators, and an area for kids. Speaking of B-17’s; they also have a ball turret from a B-17 on a stand in the hanger. I found that personally very interesting as my great uncle Bob got to enjoy that unique view of the European countryside from one during WWII while he wasn’t shooting at Luftwaffe fighters and trying not to freeze to death.

This was next the B-17 diorama… I didn’t ask, but I bet it runs too.

Uncle Bob’s seat…

[peejman]

They perform a flight demonstration daily. During my visit, the demonstration was with a Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, which is a plane used by the Luftwaffe as a spotting, reconnaissance and ferry. It’s most famous for it’s short take-off and landing ability (STOL) which was put to use during a famous WWII rescue of Mussolini from a rough mountaintop while surrounded. The demonstration pilot highlighted this capability by getting the plane airborne in less than the length of a modern jumbo jet. He also demonstrated this by showing how slowly the plane could fly. Turned into the 15-20mph wind, the plane appeared to nearly hover overhead at about 15 mph ground speed.

The tour of the restoration work areas highlights Flight of Fantasy’s mission… keep them flying. They employ a handful of highly skilled A&P’s who restore these aircraft by hand. The warehouse areas highlight a staggering collection of parts of every sort and particularly engines. There’s an entire shelf full of complete, new-in-the-box, straight out of their 1940’s shipping crates, Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12’s. In the back, there’s a stack of shipping containers that hold new-in-the-box Pratt & Whitney R2800’s. There’s shipping crates stacked up outside containing various aircraft awaiting restoration.

This is as artsy as I get. Imagine its 1944…

Anyone Autogyro?

Count the tally marks on this nose…

Speaking of noses, nice artwork

They even have a few for the kiddies…

A fascinating little helicopter. You may notice the lack of an engine. It’s got two very small pulse jet engines, one on each rotor tip to make the rotor spin. Per the notes, they have flown it but it’s so horrendously loud that the locals nearby called 911.

The website recommends 4 hours to tour the shop. We were there for 7, including about an hour for my Stearman ride, and I felt rushed at the end. There’s so much to see, every plane has a story. Next time you’re near Orlando, make time. It’s worth it.

[mikegideon]

Great stuff. I still think the P51 is probably the prettiest airplane ever made.

[mav]

Very cool. I enjoyed reading your story on the Stearman. Thanks for sharing.

[LazyAce]

Flying is one thing I really miss. I did a bunch of it about 36 years ago but gave it up for 2 kids and a new house for the wife. Now I don`t think that I could pass the medical due to health problems. It is a different world up there.

[daddyo]

Wow. Great story and great photos.

My dad was also a pilot and I have great memories of going up in his Cessna 182 when I was a kid. Like your dad, at some point he found it too expensive and didn't have the time to devote to it anymore. He flew the P-47 Thunderbolt in the Pacific Theater during WWII and then continued his flying career in the Air National Guard in Memphis while he was in med school, doing air shows around the state in a P-51 Mustang.

He always said he wanted to fly when he was a kid and when the war came along he saw the Army Air Corps as his ticket off the farm.

[MacGyver]

Neat trip! That's a cool museum, too!

My grandfather flew over 300 missions in a B-17 during WWII. Flew missions in both theaters, including a bunch of missions in an H model that had a lifeboat atttached instead of bomb. One of my fondest memories with him was getting to fly with him in a B-17 that the Confederate Air Force was moving across the country several years ago. He was in his mid-80s and in failing health, but when that plane pulled of the active runway and taxied up to where we were standing, he may as well have been 18 again. He tossed his walker aside and pulled himself right up in the plane.

I keep his IFR "diploma" on the wall in my office.

Edited October 25, 2011 by MacGyver

[Guest hawkeye10]

Man that was a great post. I enjoyed reading every line. Looks like you had a ball. Don

[mikegideon]

Very cool. I enjoyed reading your story on the Stearman. Thanks for sharing.

Yeah. Me too. Sounds like you need to find a way to get your license.

[peejman]

Thanks all for the comments. Flying the Stearman was a dream come true for me. Unfortunately a mortgage, 2 kids, one income, and $90/hr rental rates just aren't conducive to flying lessons at this point.

Neat trip! That's a cool museum, too!

My grandfather flew over 300 missions in a B-17 during WWII. Flew missions in both theaters, including a bunch of missions in an H model that had a lifeboat atttached instead of bomb. One of my fondest memories with him was getting to fly with him in a B-17 that the Confederate Air Force was moving across the country several years ago. He was in his mid-80s and in failing health, but when that plane pulled of the active runway and taxied up to where we were standing, he may as well have been 18 again. He tossed his walker aside and pulled himself right up in the plane.

I keep his IFR "diploma" on the wall in my office.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]630[/ATTACH]

300 missions, Wow! That's got to be nearing the top. Uncle Bob didn't enter until late in the war and I believe he transferred to something else after he'd fulfilled his requirement. He never talked about it much. He and both his brothers were all in the European theater at the same time. Amazingly, all 3 came home alive. Like many others, they're gone now.

Next time you're in the vicinity of Savannah, go here: Mighty 8th Museum | Savannah, GA They have a really nice library and are maintaining a database of 8th Air Force personnel.

[peejman]

Flying is one thing I really miss. I did a bunch of it about 36 years ago but gave it up for 2 kids and a new house for the wife. Now I don`t think that I could pass the medical due to health problems. It is a different world up there.

Similar to Dad. He let his medical lapse, then had triple bypass and can't pass it now. I believe the new Sport Pilot category doesn't require a medical if you have a valid DL, but since he already has the Private Pilot license, he can't drop back to Sport Pilot. That doesn't make much sense to me, but that's the government for you.

[MacGyver]

Next time you're in the vicinity of Savannah, go here: Mighty 8th Museum | Savannah, GA They have a really nice library and are maintaining a database of 8th Air Force personnel.

As a kid, one of my favorite thing to do was go to air shows and aviation museums with him, because he had stories about every plane you saw.

He flew with the 8th, and the Mighty 8th Museum has a lot of his stuff. He donated a bunch of it a few years before he died.

I've got his logbooks in my safe. They're prolific because he continued to fly after the war as a trainer and then for Delta until he retired in the 80s. It's amazing to look at pages from WWII and see page after page of bombing runs. Unlike many, he would talk about it. It's probably as close to an example of "just war" that we have, and I think he saw it that way. We really owe those guys a debt of thanks.

[peejman]

As a kid, one of my favorite thing to do was go to air shows and aviation museums with him, because he had stories about every plane you saw.

He flew with the 8th, and the Mighty 8th Museum has a lot of his stuff. He donated a bunch of it a few years before he died.

I've got his logbooks in my safe. They're prolific because he continued to fly after the war as a trainer and then for Delta until he retired in the 80s. It's amazing to look at pages from WWII and see page after page of bombing runs. Unlike many, he would talk about it. It's probably as close to an example of "just war" that we have, and I think he saw it that way. We really owe those guys a debt of thanks.

That's some good stuff. I'm sure it's fascinating to look through. Unfortunately all I have is memories. I know he had some memorabilia, but I don't know what came of it. One of his brothers was in the press corps and he'd talk your ear off about all the places he went, things he saw, and stuff he did. I've been pondering how to go about asking the remaining relations about it. I have some fear that it may be a delicate topic.

[Murgatroy]

Great read, I am terrified of flying, but I love planes.

[Guest bkelm18]

I really wish I could afford to keep my license current. I got my Private License when I was 17 and unfortunately haven't flown in probably 5 or 6 years. I really miss it. There's really nothing else like the feeling of power you get when you're piloting and aircraft.

[Jasongar8]

Amazing post. You made me really want to get down there and see it. Fantasy of Flight is the only big aviation museum that I havent been to. My Dad is a private pilot, so we have been going to shows and fly ins since I was a small child. He has pictures of my brother and I at the controls of his Piper when we were just 4 or 5.

The great thing about Fantasy of Flight is that one man owns all the aircraft. His name is Kermit Weeks. My Dad has met him a few times at Oshkosh. He says he is really down to earth and loves to talk planes and flying with anyone.

If you guys havent been to Oshkosh, you need to go. It is the biggest fly in in the country. Any plane you can think of, someone probably has one up there. It is amazing. A lot of people camp under the wings of their planes all week. Some colleges even open their dorms up for people to rent and stay in. I think around 500,000 people came to the show this past July. For that week, the control tower there is the world's busiest.

Edited October 26, 2011 by Jasongar8

[mikegideon]

Great read, I am terrified of flying, but I love planes.

I love flying, but am terrified of gov'ment employees fondling my junk.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

If somebody likes to fly old biplanes, the sport license thang with lightweight planes sounds do-able financially? Low and slow. Even lower and slower than rotary-engine biplanes?

The lightweight sport planes seem analogous to air motorcycles? About as uncomfortable/impractical to travel a multi-day cross country in a lightweight plane as on a chopper? But the same kinda thrill of being very "close to the experience"? Bugs in the teeth and all that.

A friend was into lightweight planes and got me interested enough to read up on it. It wouldn't be wise for me to try that because I'm a one-eyed doofus with no depth perception and slow reflexes. Sure as the sunrise I would fly right into a tree or powerline that "snuck up on me". But looks like great fun and almost-affordable to do.

Googling around, found a website with a compendium of lightweight plane accident reports. Interesting read. Some rather tragic-- People who either got very unlucky or idiots who forgot to tighten up all the connections before taking off-- Get a few hundred feet up and then the plane comes apart at the seams. Ouch!

Several accidents involved loss of power right after takeoff. Some pilots succumbed to the temptation to try to make a U-turn and return to the strip. Too low altitude, too drastic a turn radius in unpowered glide, bank too drastically and fall sideways out of the air. In slow motion. The "right answer" in such a situation was apparently to find as big a gap between trees as possible and hope that tearing off the wings on tree trunks slows up the plane good enough to walk away from?

Those emergency full-plane parachutes sound great except for the problem of losing power just a little too low-altitude? Get an ultra-light with two dang engines and make sure to keep both in good working order!

Apologies polluting the thread with silly thoughts. It sounds like a fun thing to do if one was in good health and blessed with two good eyes!

[peejman]

If you guys havent been to Oshkosh, you need to go. It is the biggest fly in in the country. Any plane you can think of, someone probably has one up there. It is amazing. A lot of people camp under the wings of their planes all week. Some colleges even open their dorms up for people to rent and stay in. I think around 500,000 people came to the show this past July. For that week, the control tower there is the world's busiest.

Oshkosh is another item on my "bucket list". I know a few people who've been and they all say its an amazing experience.

If somebody likes to fly old biplanes, the sport license thang with lightweight planes sounds do-able financially? Low and slow. Even lower and slower than rotary-engine biplanes?

The lightweight sport planes seem analogous to air motorcycles? About as uncomfortable/impractical to travel a multi-day cross country in a lightweight plane as on a chopper? But the same kinda thrill of being very "close to the experience"? Bugs in the teeth and all that.

A friend was into lightweight planes and got me interested enough to read up on it. It wouldn't be wise for me to try that because I'm a one-eyed doofus with no depth perception and slow reflexes. Sure as the sunrise I would fly right into a tree or powerline that "snuck up on me". But looks like great fun and almost-affordable to do.

I believe you can fly what's considered an "ultralight" (essentially a hang-glider with an engine, or one of those fan/parachute things) with only a driver's license. Those are by far the most affordable way to fly. But they still have many hurdles... maintenance, storage space, insurance, where to take-off/land and if that's not your back yard, transportation to/from the airstrip... I've thought about an ultralight but never really seriously pursued it.

Googling around, found a website with a compendium of lightweight plane accident reports. Interesting read. Some rather tragic-- People who either got very unlucky or idiots who forgot to tighten up all the connections before taking off-- Get a few hundred feet up and then the plane comes apart at the seams. Ouch!

Several accidents involved loss of power right after takeoff. Some pilots succumbed to the temptation to try to make a U-turn and return to the strip. Too low altitude, too drastic a turn radius in unpowered glide, bank too drastically and fall sideways out of the air. In slow motion. The "right answer" in such a situation was apparently to find as big a gap between trees as possible and hope that tearing off the wings on tree trunks slows up the plane good enough to walk away from?

Those emergency full-plane parachutes sound great except for the problem of losing power just a little too low-altitude? Get an ultra-light with two dang engines and make sure to keep both in good working order!

Apologies polluting the thread with silly thoughts. It sounds like a fun thing to do if one was in good health and blessed with two good eyes!

Take-off and landing are where any aircraft, regardless of size, is most vulnerable. The attempted 180 back to the strip is a common mistake of an inexperienced pilot. People simply don't grasp how fast an airplane falls without power. You lose perspective at altitude. I did some 180 deg turns during my flight in the Stearman. When doing the first few, I made no effort to maintain altitude. With normal cruise power, a relatively gentle 180 deg turn caused us to drop about 50 feet. So think about what would happen with no power at very low altitude and low airspeed. It's simply not possible. Any landing you can walk away from is a good one.

[Guest bkelm18]

Take-off and landing are where any aircraft, regardless of size, is most vulnerable. The attempted 180 back to the strip is a common mistake of an inexperienced pilot. People simply don't grasp how fast an airplane falls without power. You lose perspective at altitude. I did some 180 deg turns during my flight in the Stearman. When doing the first few, I made no effort to maintain altitude. With normal cruise power, a relatively gentle 180 deg turn caused us to drop about 50 feet. So think about what would happen with no power at very low altitude and low airspeed. It's simply not possible. Any landing you can walk away from is a good one.

When I was training I was taught only to make turns with a failed engine if you've got plenty of altitude to spare, otherwise just establish your glide slope and look for a landing area ahead of you.

Damn. I think I should start selling blood to renew my license.