Long, hot, sweaty. 8 a.m. to about 9 p.m., with one hour break for lunch and time in between each flight to grab a water bottle. We had a high 80% humidity day with temps upwards towards 90. I flew in the 172 for three lessons, and we had the aerobatic guys out in full force today. I did an illegal right traffic pattern and they stayed in their box for the most part, and it worked. Then I had a trip down to Metro in the back of a 172 with a student flying and a brand new CFI in the right seat. And I wasn't very comfortable with that. But they did a good job. They dropped me off down there so I could fly in the PT-26 with a fellow. Full fuel, hot day, high density altitude, two people, even using flaps on takeoff, we did not clear the city with enough margin for me. At all. In fact, I was actually...concerned. Fortunately he did a good job climbing out steadily and smoothly, no big pitch changes or turns. I said probably the most deadly serious, stern, no kidding thing I've ever said to him or most people in an airplane when I said "Do NOT dump your flaps right now". I've had more than a couple people dump their flaps on me when they wanted to "climb better" or "get more lift", and put me in a bad spot, but if he'd have dumped flaps right then, well, I was already about looking into the windows of a few businesses down there, and it wouldn't have gone well. So after we got up and away, we went over to a different airport to practice our takeoffs and landings, as I had no desire to do that again on purpose. We had a really good flight though, a lot of progress made in one flight, which I love. After we filled it back up with gas (which I hate out at that airport for that exact reason, but it's the way they track who owes what on fuel), Walt had his T-6 out on the ramp, and I took it and flew it over the area where I'm supposed to do the flyover on Friday. The formation that was supposed to get together to practice today couldn't, and Guy #2 doesn't think he can tomorrow either, which means our first time flying together will be for the real deal, timed to the National Anthem, etc. This makes me nervous. So I went out and found the place, found landmarks for it, timed at a specific airspeed a two minute and 1:15 minute mark (the length off the song), and ran it a few times to make sure the timing was good. To do that, I also hit my stopwatch at my 1:15 mark, and started singing "The Star Spangled Banner" at the top of my lungs in the airplane. I hit "And the hooooome of theeee braaaaave" and Boom I was dead center at 1:15 over the 'crowd'. Now if only that can happen Friday too.
I landed back at Kokomo, put the Six away, and I was just one big ball of sweat. It's 90 some degrees out here, 80 some percent humidity, I've been in airplanes since 8 a.m. and I am done and a hot sweaty mess. Tomorrow looks even hotter, for the record. *sigh*
The little PT that could. Barely.
A much higher view of the city than I had earlier. ;)
In Walt's T-6, doing a run over the "spot".
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.
Even if both those things seem to be fading throughout the country right now.
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