T-6 Day Two

I woke up this morning and looked outside and it was just another beautiful day. We're supposed to get storms for the next few days, so these warm, sunny days are just perfect. We went out to Kokomo after lunch, and Kaylee got to play with Jamie and Gwenie and the rest of us just enjoyed the breeze and shot the breeze and all that good stuff for awhile. Nathan got the T-6 out again, and I did the take-off from the back and just flew around a little. It felt a little more natural today. There was a decent crosswind, a little gusty, nothing huge, but noticeable, and that was good practice. I took my camera along this time and took some shots from the back of the airplane. He landed, and it was Chuck's turn to go for a ride. I do believe he had a good time too, from what he said and the smile on board. :) We wore Nathan out after that, so we resumed one of our more enjoyable activities-relaxing on the couch or in the chairs, drinking, eating cookies, watching either "The Deadliest Catch" or an aviation show/dvd, talking sometimes, resting sometimes, and enjoying the day.

As the afternoon wound down, Nathan asked if I wanted to go up and work on some takeoffs and landings, which of course I'd be delighted to do. He put me up front this time. It's funny, the first takeoff was reminiscent of yesterday's first takeoff. The instruments are in different places than where I'm used to seeing them, so I would go to check my power and couldn't find it, or my airspeed, and just like any flying, if you focus too long on one thing, something else wanders on you. :) It was also a different sight picture. But it wasn't bad, just not as smooth as I'd like. I was cruising around up there, flying along, and suddenly I really looked around, and I got the ole pitter patter of the heart going. Here I am, in the front seat of a T-6, with the canopy open, the wind blowing on my face, the sun shining, the air warm, the fields, the rumble of the engine muted by the helmet, the smooth feel of the plane...it was just beautiful. Peaceful. Perfect. My version of heaven has *got* to have not only streets of gold, but runways too. It has to have an afternoon or two just like that.

I wish I'd had my camera for that one, but my battery had died at a most inopportune moment-naturally. ;)

The landing part kind of blew the peaceful side of it, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the practice. :) Landing #1 was actually landing numbers 1-3. lol Like yesterday, I bounced the first one, just more than once. I let it drop in. New sight picture again, trying to remember what to do and catch up to the airplane on a different kind of pattern, yadda yadda. Landings #2 and 3 (or 4 and 5 depending on how you look at it) were fine when I touched down, then that last one got my attention. A gust of wind at exactly the wrong time, full rudder in the opposite direction and it's not doing anything, afraid to hit a brake in that configuration with the tail still barely up but too fast to bring it down, pointed at the grass to the side of the runway which is a direction I don't wish to go...Nathan had to rescue it. Oh, the ignominy. ;) I came home and re-looked up the procedures for the overhead approach...power settings, altitudes, when/where, so that instead of trying to hear or think about what to do there, I can already have that down better. And I really am rather eager to get back up there and get the landing configuration to click so I quit bouncing the first one. Usually there IS only one at a time, so it would be nice for it to be good. ;)

Everybody has said that it's tricky on the ground, and it is, particularly since it's a new breed of animal altogether for me, but it's an amazing experience, and quite valuable. You have to focus on what you and your 'dancing' feet and your airplane are doing at all times-no complacency or zoning out in this one. I was feeling pretty good about keeping things fairly well under control until that last one, but I think even that was an excellent experience. Now I've seen it start to "go", I've felt it start to go contrary to my efforts to prevent it. Like I said-got my attention. Chuck's comment from observing from the ground was that I'd never make it into Glenndale like that-which is true, as I was also landing too far down the runway. I told him to let me get the actual landing down, and then I'll shorten it up next. ;)

We had to end on that one as it was time for all of us to go home. What a great day! I'd pinch myself but I think the T-6 did that for me at the end there. ;)

As for the blog stuff, well, originally I was going to use a different blog for the flying stuff so as to not bore to tears the majority of people who read this who are not pilots; but two blogs seems like just too much effort on both my part and anyone who reads this. So, the deal is as the deal always was-nobody has to feel obligated to read or find anything interesting whatsoever in anything I say. ;) But I'm sure enjoying it!