This morning went much better. I still woke up way too early and couldn't get back to sleep, but at least my head was clear. It's hard to describe how happy a person can be to wake up without a headache!
This day was packed out too. Steve and I got out to the airport around 9, and pulled out the Cheyenne, 340, and T-6. I topped off the T-6 with oil, Steve topped the left engine of BOB, I did the right engine, we pulled IT out, then put away the 340 and the Cheyenne. I pulled the prop through on the Six, got the fuel truck over, all this work, and JP got there around 9:45. He took BOB up with Zach F. and did three currency takeoffs and landings while Steve and I waited on the ground. When he was ready, I fired up the T-6. He took off on 32, I took off right behind him, and spent the next several minutes trying to cut him off or catch him. We didn't communicate via radio, we just flew down there together, flew over the field nicely, and then I thought he kicked me out to land, so I backed way off to give him space to land and taxi clear. Then he made a radio call that our flight of two was coming down for a pass. I'm like...DOH. I'm not anywhere close to him. So I powered up as much as I could, cut him off as much as I could, and I caught him, and then about blew past him in the process, and the pass did not look good because I was all over the place. So uncool. lol
The winds were gusting a bit, and I caught a gust right on landing, but managed to make a good one out of it. It was fun being there and being parked and having the Twin Beech, the T-6, and the Mustang all there today. Larry J. said that this was the first time a Twin Beech had ever been into Noblesville. Cool Beans! We had a good burger, and AE brought his homemade ice cream, and we had a nice time seeing folks. Trevor was there with his camera, and I met a couple of important folks I guess, and we had a nice conversation.
When it was time to leave, we decided to do another pass for the cameras. I took off right behind JP and tried to cut him off, but he wasn't powering back nor giving me time or angles to catch him, just like on takeoff out of Kokomo. I told him I wanted to come up on his right, hoping he'd swing to the right and let me join up, but he just stayed in the pattern. He turned base, I told him I was pretty far behind him, and I knew if I didn't catch him soon, I'd be doing a pass exactly like the first time. I really needed him to see where I was back there and pull back his power and give me an angle and a second to join up. But when he turned base, I judged where we were vs the runway, and I thought, well, I'm not going to get to the right side, but maybe I can catch him and join up on the left. So I left my power up, aimed at him, cut him off, and thought maybe I'd get it done. Well, it worked out great. Right as I was coming up on him, I realized I had enough "smash" (energy) that I could swing right underneath him and form up on the right side after all. I did it, came right at him to the left, dipped under and swung up on the right, and locked into place as we were on fairly short final. We came down and did our pass, and then departed the area to the north. I was pleased with how it worked out. I didn't have much time to get and stay stable tucked in there, and I think I drifted back a bit at one point, but all in all, I was quite pleased with myself on it. :D
Got back to Kokomo, and there was more work. First was getting the fuel truck over to top off both the warbirds. Then I had students. Three of them. The winds were gusty, and the first was a tailwheel person who wanted to finish their endorsement but didn't perform well at all in the winds making it so I couldn't sign them off. The second was in the 172, and she did great, and I think I'm going to be able to solo her in the next flight or two. She did better as a pre-solo student than the Commercial multi pilot did in the tailwheel, for the record. I ended early with her so Steve could fly me to Marion to pick up the T-6 there to park at Kokomo for my training sortie in it tomorrow. Got back about 20 minutes late for my last flight of the day, which was back in the Champ, and that was also takeoffs and landings, it was calmer by then, but still didn't go quite as well as she hoped. We went over to Glenndale to do some, and unfortunately found we were crashing a wedding. Sam H. got married today and as we landed and taxied by, we saw the ceremony was going on RIGHT THEN. Yikes, talk about being a distraction! Not cool! LOL So we got out of there as fast as we could and went back to Kokomo to practice instead.
I finally called it after an hour and a half. I was so tired my body ached, and I said "That's it, I'm done! We're calling it for the night."
8:30 I headed to Wendy's and home, where I'm trying to work up the energy to go to bed. I'd be asleep already if I didn't have to get up to go lie down.
Tomorrow like I said, T-6 instructing with Larry, hopefully good weather and a good safe time.
I have a lot of pictures from today but I'm too...guess what...tired, to download them, adjust them, and post them. So here's the one I put up on FB. I liked this one. The rest I'll get tomorrow. Oh, and the first one I put up on Instagram. I took this one on the way home from Noblesville. A ground photographer (Trevor) took the second one. :)
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