Then at 2 pm I got in my car and drove to Lafayette, to the Purdue Airport, a place I have never driven to in my life. I've been there a few times, usually picking up the Purdue basketball coach, but I have never driven there, even when I attended Purdue University as an aviation administration/management student. So that felt weird. I had no idea where to go!
I was there to fly a C-150 taildragger conversion, check out Morgan in it, so she could teach Commercial maneuvers to the owner, Noah. It was still quite frigid. He took it up flying right before we got there, and topped it off with gas, so it was warmed up and ready to go. It started right up. She said "Wow, it's really small in here." Yeah, no joke, I told her that's why I'd asked how big he was. She and I fit in there all right because she's stick thin, but he's not very big either, smaller than I am, so that'll be good for them.
We went up and I had her do steep turns, power off and on stalls, and an accelerated stall because she'll have to do that with him for his Commercial, so she/we could see if this was a more docile or a less docile 150. It was apparently rigged correctly as it was more docile. :) Then went to Frankfort and did a bunch of takeoffs and landings. 3-poing, wheel, short. About 8 takeoffs and landings, then back to Lafayette to end the day. She did great, no problem. She's not teaching him tailwheel, but nobody wants to get in and instruct anything in an airplane with someone they don't know in an airplane they don't know either. So...one checkout later, she's ready to go. :)
But it was SO COLD in there. We could see our breath in the airplane the whole time. She was shaking. I had my coat off, but my gloves on. One of the air vents is stuck partly open over your head, so it makes a little too much 'fresh air' in the face. The engine wasn't super happy with it either, it wanted to stumble a little, and after you landed or if you had the power back for too long, it would get grumpy. So I didn't practice an engine out with her in the pattern, because I was worried it would actually become an engine out. So we left that one alone for today.
Drove home, stopped at Arby's, added that plane and flight to my logbook, which pleases me, because even though it's a C-150, it's a taildragger version which are kind of pretty, and I like flying a new-to-me airplane a few times a year. Also a new to me TYPE, which this is not, so that slot is still open for 2024. ;)
Tomorrow is Bowling Green, KY and then home, then over to Cincinnati and home, all in the Conquest. It'll still be cold. I'm already well and good and tired of being cold...
The panel.
The frozen Indiana Terrain with a bright sun that put out no warmth
I forgot to take a photo outside, so here she is in the hangar
Rock On!
Morgan is so tall, slim, and brightly colored, that I often feel short, dull and dumpy. :D
On final at Frankfort, Runway 27, down there somewhere in all that white.
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