Rides

We had a Young Eagle rally at Kokomo today, and our 7 airplanes ended up giving about 50 kids rides. It was suuuper hot and muggy out today, so it was good we cut it off by 1:30 pm, and still got the rides done.  Meanwhile, I had started out with 1 T-6 ride, a make-up from the Indy event we got weathered out on. Then Steve added another guy who wanted his daughter to go on a ride and had been asking for a long time. So he added her in. Then that same guy wanted his son to do it too. Then a 4th guy was a "thank you" flight for driving our Trailer up to Oshkosh and back home for us.  The first rider was the 'thank you', because he was there already and ready to go. We went up and had a good time, and I stayed up for awhile with him.  Second round was the young lady. She was nervous, and she didn't talk a lot. I asked if she wanted to do some flying, and she said no. So we wandered around gracefully for awhile. I asked if she wanted me to do some more aggressive maneuvering or if she liked it just like this. She said just like this is just fine.  Before we went back in, I asked if she was sure she didn't want to fly it herself, because she wants to take flying lessons. I said I was an instructor and I wouldn't let her do anything that was wrong or scary. She said "I really, really don't want to do that". So I said okay, I wasn't going to try to make her, I just didn't want her to regret it later. We came in for a landing, and Steve later said she had a huge smile the rest of the time she was there. :) Next up was her brother. Young teen. As soon as he spoke, you could tell he wasn't neuro typical. I'd guess decently high on the autism spectrum. Morgan got him buckled in, and he said "I'm not sure I want to do this". She asked what he said, and he said "I'm having second thoughts". Well, that started a thing. I don't want to take a kid up who doesn't want to go, especially not one who may panic or freak out on me. Even if I take the stick out back there, he has access to a lot of things that could do us both harm if he wigged out. Steve came over to talk to him, and suggested we go another day. The kid says "But I was looking forward to doing it today". So he was doing that thing where no matter what you suggest, it's not right. Go? I'm not sure I want to go. Okay, don't go. But I want to go. Mmm. He then calls his dad from his cellphone strapped into the back seat. I'm staying out of it, but I wasn't interested in taking him up so now it's just a matter of how to be gentle with him in it. Steve talks to the dad and him, and suggests he get out of the plane and we let the other guy go instead, while they discussed it. So I take up the 18 year old who is joining the ROTC for Air Force at Purdue this fall and wants to be a pilot. I took him up for about 30 minutes. Did some more aggressive maneuvering, a low pass at Glenndale, a roll, all the things. He had a good time too. :) Came in for a landing, shut down, and found out that Steve had indeed called off the kid, same reasons I didn't want to do it. I can't have that. He told him we may try again another day, but explained why we have to be careful in there. The kid's dad, by the way, is a student pilot in the Cherokee 180, and ended up doing a groundloop in the 180 with Jerry, the instructor, by stomping full left rudder on takeoff, and spinning around on the runway. Which is hard to do in a nosewheel airplane like that, but he managed it, and Jerry couldn't overpower his feet, because he's a stocky dude. They didn't hurt anything, just ended up doing a 180 in the 180. But wow. And yes, I definitely don't want to take a young man up who will be back there by himself and may lose it as soon as I add full power, or turn, or lift off the ground, or whatever. Can reach mags and fuel valves and canopy emergency open and rudders even if I do take the stick out, or unbuckle his belts and try to 'get out', God forbid, or whatever. So...no.  Once he was canceled, I hadn't shut down the T-6 with the prop back, so I needed to fire it back up. So I took it around the patch one more time. I was going to do more, but there was a black pickup truck that parked by the end of the runway and was watching me. I need to do some practice on 3-points and other things, but I don't want anyone in my back seat and I don't want pickup trucks parked and watching me. I want to do it in peace. So I did the one landing, taxied in, shut down, topped it off, and we put the T-6 away for the day.

We had burgers, dogs and brats for lunch after the Young Eagles, and then tonight Steve, AE and I went out to Pastarrific for salads and drinks before making it home finally at the end of the day. Long, hot, sweaty, but decent day. No pictures though, I totally forgot, guess I wasn't in the photos mindset!