Two Pilots & an LSW: Tailwheel Current

Friday, March 21, 2025

Tailwheel Current

It was sunny and in the 40s, and also unfortunately windy, too. But I was hitting 15,000 hours, and I didn’t feel like doing it on a 340 trip to Ohio or something. I always take up the T-6 for the 0000 hours, but it is still down for annual this time, so I took the Champ. The winds were 19 gusting to 26, but not far off the runway. I went out to Kokomo and ate crockpot hotdogs with the guys, left over from last night’s EAA meeting.

Last night there were about 40 of us out at the hangar, had the crockpot chili dogs, and Jeremy Crume spoke to everyone about his flying history (he started with us and now he flies wide body jets internationally for UPS). I was peopled out within an hour. Night stuff is hard for me, that’s when I’m tired, and when I’m tired I have trouble with groups of people. *sigh*

Anyway, after my crockpot chili dogs lunch, I took the Champ up. The winds were so strong and the brakes so bad I had trouble getting turned around on the ground more than once. lol. I went over to Glenndale to look for a package Steve thought might be there. The winds were a pretty good crosswind over there, so it made for a fun little first time I’ve landed the plane since December. ;) The package wasn’t there, in fact Steve found it back at Kokomo later. So I headed back to Kokomo and did 3 or 4 more landings. The winds gusting to 26, when you’re in a 3-point landing in a Champ with vortex generators, means that it comes down kind of like an elevator, just touches down and stops rolling right there. It’s funny. It’s also tricky when a gust goes away and you just plop. I had some good ones anyway though. The engine out landing was really funny, I couldn’t hardly make the runway unless I was right on top of it already when I pulled the power. It made me laugh, made me smile, and felt very nice.

Steve, AE and I went to Harvey Hinklemeyers, came home and he went out on the deck with the guys and I came inside to get ready for the upcoming week. My two days off are over with, and now it’s time to get back to it.

I ordered a couple more work shirts last night, and some sleep shorts, bamboo, and they got here this afternoon. Amazon really is amazing sometimes. I am trying various woo-woo things, and grounding sheets is up, only because three people I know ended up telling me they use them, and really like them. Two of them are very wealthy and otherwise intelligent businessmen. They say they sleep way deeper and better on them. Steve is suspicious and slightly mocking about it, but willing to humor me. So I put them on two days ago. But you need to have skin touching them, and I sleep in clothes, including socks to keep my feet warm, so that isn’t going to work. I bought these bamboo sleep shorts so my legs would be on the sheets, and I haven’t worn the socks the last two nights. My feet weren’t as cold as I expected them to be, and fortunately I don’t usually have to get out of bed in the middle of the night when it IS cold on the floor. One guy said he felt a difference in his sleep within a week, another said a couple of days. I did sleep well the last two nights but I don’t know that it was any different than other nights when I do sleep well. Time will tell, there, when I get back into a time frame where I sleep like crap again. But I really have woken up the last two days with a lot of energy though. Maybe it’s that time, time to have energy no matter what. These things are supposed to help with inflammation and other things too. Is it woo-woo? Maybe. Doesn’t hurt anything though, and I needed new sheets anyway.

Now. Tomorrow I take the Cheyenne to Marco, FL. I think I’ll stay and eat a sammich while I’m down there. No reason to be in a hurry to get back. :)

Today was Ann's birthday, and Morgan's birthday too. Morgan flew the Meridian to Florida then got home in time to take an airline flight...back down to Florida. With her Mom, for her birthday. She loves beaches, so her Mom's taking her on a little girl vacation. Ann...well, if you celebrate your earthly birthday in heaven, she's doing it with the love of her life, so that's all good.

This guy was on a serious news channel show. The man needed a friend, a real friend, to call him and tell him that it's one thing to be a tranny, fine if that's what you're going for, but it's another if you're a straight white businessman, chairman, and that someone really messed up your make-up.