Jet Setting

Today wasn't a productive day as far as me flying myself around--I didn't get any formation flights in with the T-6. The winds were gusting to 28 and the other fellow in the T-6 didn't want to go, and 28 knots is pushing me too, even if it is close to the runway. We got a whole brief in, got it all set up, went outside to fly, and...halted. The winds were not too much for the jets, however, and there were at least eight of them here. I sat in the back of an L-39 for the first time, and went up on a 4-ship with two L-39s and two T-33s. I found myself raising my eyebrows a couple times when they did fingertip turns over 90 degrees bank angle. I've never looked at another airplane from that angle before, and in anything I fly, I'd be falling down on top of them. It was pretty wild. Great view, there is great visibility from the back of the L-39, and plenty of room and air, so even with all the yanking and banking and Gs that I'm not used to pulling, I did fine. We'd been doing a lot of maneuvering in all directions for about 45 minutes straight when the T-33s broke off and the two L-39s were going to do some stuff. The one guy said "Let's do this for real this time." I thought by that he meant they were going to go bananas with it, so I thought about the fact that I didn't have a barf bag with me, thinking "Man, I just ate a big bratwurst. You're not going to make me regret that, are you?" Fortunately they were talking about something else and did not end up making me have to tap out. The T-33s were flown by Vlado and Paul Woods, I was behind Dave "Mildred", and I can't remember who the other L-39 guy was. At one point Dave warned the other L-39 that he was going to give me the controls. So I took over, promptly got sucked, couldn't get the power figured out, only had it for about two minutes and was just figuring it out and getting into decent position when it was time to head in. Of course I've never even sat in a jet before other than Nathan's Gnat, but if somebody's going to offer to let me try it, even if it's in formation, well, you don't turn that down as long as they're paying attention. ;) So that was a new experience.

Let's see. A Mig-21 was out bombing around, doing passes, having fun, a Super Pinto (yeah, I had to ask too), the two T-33s, a Yak made it in (not one we know), and at least five L-39s. The rest of the day all the jets went out and recertified themselves as wingmen and leads, doing several sorties. I was left to my own devices from lunch on, until dinner, about 8 hours, while they got that accomplished. The winds never did die down, so that's just all there was to it. But it's better to go with somebody, have at least one person you can hang out with or talk to. After awhile you just look like the abandoned red-headed step child. ;) We had a nice dinner at the hangar, and a guest speaker from Ukraine who is there to create a bridge between owners/operators and the engines in the L-39, which are currently a problem for Americans to get repaired, overhauled, etc. They showed a memorial video of Glenn "Skids", who was one of the Hoppers, who died at an airshow last year in a crash. And then while they all stayed to drink and hang out and talk more jets, I hitched a ride back to my room around 10 pm. I'd been up since 5:15 a.m. and had been out there since 8 a.m. I was really ready to be alone for real, in my room, where I didn't have to find something to pretend to do. Everyone's been friendly, really, don't get me wrong. Thus far this has only been about the jets, but I'm hoping tomorrow the guys from my area in the Yaks make it in. If they do, I'll get to fly. If they don't...I may go home early, and count the people I met and the formation in the L-39s as worth the price of admission.

It's only 10:30 pm here, but I'm really tired...jet lag? ;)