To Buy or to Rent?

The other day I posted the following Facebook status: “2012: Buy an airplane or rent an Extra 300L for $372 per hour. Hmmmmmmm.” I had many responses that argued in favor of each option. Why even think about this now?

I want to move up to Intermediate competition in 2012. To do so I will need a more capable acro plane than the Decathlon. I could either buy an airplane or rent one. There are very few aircraft capable of such performance, and even fewer available for rental. Both options are expensive. I wanted to explain all the stuff that goes into this type of decision. It is not as simple as “write the check.” ("Write the check attributed to Brian Falvey.)

There are two aircraft that I could purchase that would be up to the task of higher level competition aerobatics: a Pitts S1S or a DR-107 One Design. Both aircraft are in the same general price range with the 107 being a little more expensive but packing even more of a punch. The price range on a Pitts is about $30k - $40k; a One Design is somewhere between $40k and $50k. That is just the purchase price and is probably the easiest aspect of this whole thing.

Airplane ownership is broken down into two expense categories; fixed and direct operating costs. Fixed costs are those things that need to be paid for regardless of how many hours the airplane is flown. These include hangar, insurance, and loan payments. The direct operating cost (DOC) is the money it takes to get the airplane up in the air; fuel, oil, and maintenance reserve. Setting aside several dollars towards maintenance each time you fly is a good, if not mandatory idea.

A cream puff One Design popped up on Barnstormers this evening. I love it. I want it. Here is how much it would cost me:

Purchase price: $43,500

Loan payment: $400
Insurance: $166
Hangar: $0.00*
FOC: $566 per month


Fuel: $60.00
Oil: $ 7.00
MX reserve: $30.00
DOC: $97.00

To buy the airplane and park it in the hangar, I will have to fork out $566 each month. The second I want to fly it, the credit card comes out and I am out $97. If my acro budget allows for $1000 to be spent on acro, I can own the airplane and fly 4.5 hours each month. If I take the total cost, FOC’s and DOC’s and divide that sum by the number of hours I fly I can determine that it will cost me $222.22 per hour to fly that airplane if I fly 4.5 hours each month. If I only fly it two hours in a month, those two hours cost me $380 each. If I flew 10 hours in one month, those ten hours would cost me $153 each (but total expenditures go up to $1536.) Since $1000 is my current max, and only if I am earning that extra income I’m looking for, the DR-107 will run me $222 per hour to fly.

The trouble with ownership is realized the instant something breaks. This is an acro plane. Stuff will break. An engine cylinder is $1000. Radios can break. Tires are $60. I could have to replace any number of things that could send this budget into a tailspin.

If things got bad, I could sell the airplane. The way this thing is priced, I could probably sell it without taking a big hit if nothing major happens to the airplane or engine. If I have a tight month, tough luck. I still have to pay the FOC’s.

I will follow up with the argument for and against rental. For now I am going to go drool over that sweet little One Design.

Hooooollllllddddddddd.

I am in a holding pattern of sorts. I want to head to Alabama as prepared as possible within the constraints of my current budget and when Mother Nature allows. I've been reading up on aerodynamics, walking through sequences, and working extra at the airport. This still leaves lots and lots of time for planning…and planning…plotting…and dreaming…and planning.

One thing I’ve realized about myself is that I will make a snap decision; accept it as fact; operate as though it is definite; and then slowly question it and weigh my options. It’s a Benjamin Button bass ackwards process but its what I do. With that in mind, I’ve been going on and on about getting a second job. I will be spending one of my off days teaching in the Decathlon. This should get me about halfway to my goal of an additional $1000 per month. This means that I need a little part time gig that will earn me another $500 per month. Most little part time gigs pay wages that exist in the lower stratosphere of earnings. This equates to many many hours worked to get to my goal.

How is this for a smarter alternative? Spend three evenings teaching in the Decathlon. Three evening lessons doubles my instructor income. KAZAAM! That gets me to my goal of $1000 per month. Throw in the intangible benefit of spending more time in the cockpit and this starts to sound pretty good. The only downside to this is that I have to wait a few months for the daylight hours to extend past 3pm.

I look at people like Chelsea Engberg (cross country shout out!) or Dave Traver and they are out there killing it everyday. From the outside looking in these people are what they do. There is no line between what they do and who they are. All the folks I look up to have this trait and its one that I want for myself. Throwing myself in the airplane as much as possible instead of stocking shelves sounds like a good way to get myself further along that pursuit.

I Used to Have a Budget.

I had my car inspected this morning. I knew that I would need at least two new tires. I even knew that the bill would come out to about what it ended up coming out to. But still...



As if my previous posting about needing a second source of income didn't drive the point home, I believe the above photo will. My budget is constructed of toothpicks. It cant take much sway like the occasional $527 car bill.

I have not lined up the elusive second job just yet. I HAVE been working 7 days a week at the airport with my extra two days being spent as a flight instructor. I've had the license for over two years. I might as well use it. This will slow down until I go to al-a-BAMA in January or February to fly with Greg Koontz.

I'm going to fly this weekend and take a first look at the Sportsman routine for next year. I figure I can run through the whole thing right out of the gate. By doing so I am treating it as though it were an "Unknown" sequence, but I will save that for the next update.

As always, thanks for reading.

The 2011 Sportsman Known Program

I am looking for the demon lurking in the 2011 Sportsman Known (compulsory) routine. I can’t find it! What am I missing?!?!! On paper the routine is easier. The total amount of points that can be earned dropped from 143 last year to 133 in the new routine. Where is the catch?

The routine is as follows:

1) 45 degree upline (same entry as last year)
2) One and a quarter rotation spin (almost the same second figure as last year)
3) Hammerhead with a quarter roll on the downline (figure 5 from last year)
4) Reverse wedge (figure 6 from last year)
5) Loop
6) Half Cuban
7) Pull-pull-pull humpty (figure 7 from last year)
8) Reverse Cuban (figure 3 from last year)
9) 2 Point hesitation roll: roll inverted – pause – roll upright
10) 270 degree turn

Out of 10 figures there are 6 that were in last year’s Known program. On one hand that’s great. I already know how to fly them but now I can polish them up and make them all sorts of pretty. Jim Wells advised me last year not to worry about box positioning or presentation as much as just flying the figures as well as you can. I’ve got an opportunity to do really well here. The highest points are going to be won, or lost on the hammerhead, wedge, and reverse Cuban. I scored well on all three last year minus the infamous idiot moment on the wedge in my last flight.

On the other hand…(say this with as whiney a voice as you can muster, and stomp your feet like your having a temper tantrum) but I like learning new stuuuuuffff. Waaaaaahhhhhhhhhh. (end whiney voice.) Not only that, but guess who else saw these 6 figures last year? EVERYONE THAT I COMPETED AGAINST. So, while it is really easy to sit back and say this is a piece of cake, you have to sit back and say “crap.” I’ve got a lot of work to do if I’m going to win this thing.

The 2011 competition season has officially started.  Ready…set….GO.

Nice slice of humble pie.

When someone better than you suggests something, you had better listen. I spent last night looking over the intermediate sequence for next year. I want to fly it! I want to get in there and kill the sequence! It is a tall order. My need to do this was gaining momentum last night and I was starting to imagine my speeds and pulls throughout the routine. I was going to be a badass.

Tonight, on a whim, I decided to go see if anyone had left comments on any posts. There was one from a month ago that I had somehow missed. I posted about flying the intermediate in the D. “Adam” responded with this:

“The Decathlon CAN fly intermediate level sequences...but that doesn't mean you should. Even though the POH states that the plane can handle +6/-5G and snap rolls, plenty of people have found these stresses can seriously damage the aircraft wings and fuel tanks.__Read this poor guys tale of flying the SD in Intermediate:_http://iac35.aerobaticsweb.org/news/Hammerhead-Fall-04.pdf__Try and keep to under +5/-3.5G (ie Sportsman), and be wary of snap rolls!”

If you read the story that Adam provided you will see a tale of someone…again…better than I am that experienced some heavy maintenance issues as a result of flying his D at the intermediate level. I have no interest in doing that to my beloved Decathlon.

I admit, I had envisioned myself showing up at contest and flying the D through the sequence and scoring poorly, but I had figured that maybe I would win some respect points from trying it. The funny thing about flying is that oftentimes you are giving more pats on the back for the flights that you DON’T take. The classic line: the superior pilot uses their superior judgement to avoid having to use their superior skill. Maybe I would have won some points, but imagine the embarrassment when I harm the airplane trying to be a badass? Not worth it. Not worth the harm to the airplane and not worth losing the respect of people that I look up to. I may attempt some of the figures in practice but “Adam” is right. The D is a Sportsman airplane. Now I guess I just have to go win Sportsman.

I am guessing I know who Adam is (Extra 300 out of MD?). If I’m right, I’ll buy the first round next time I see you. Thanks for looking out for this newbie. I appreciate the guidance and support.

No money, mo' problems

Mo’ money, mo’ problems is ringing true for many but so is No money, mo’ problems. I fall into both categories at the same time. I have some but I need more, because I got more.

I moved into an apartment October 1, 2010. I tossed everything I owned into the back of a U-Haul and hit the highway. The space that wasn’t taken up my possessions and a queen size mattress was taken up by the amount of guilt the move created. I needed to move but I could have stayed living at home with Mom and spent the money on flying. I constructed a budget that would allow me to live on my own and set aside a few hundred dollars a month to fly. That was a great idea but there were some extra expenses related to the move; property tax on my car; an increase in a student loan bill (“You are in the graduated payment plan, sir.” But that doesn’t mean my payment goes DOWN over time? “No sir, it increases.”)…you get the hint. Variables come up and as they come up my flying fund goes down. All the way down. To zero.

I could sit and whine about it but the answer is simple: get a part time job. My goal is to find another $1000 a month to support this little habit of mine. That sounds like a lot of money and it turns out it is. Part of this is going to be taken care fact by shifting my week so that I am working 6 days instead of 5, with the 6th day being dedicated to teaching in the Decathlon. It is extra work so that means extra income. Even if I bill 8 hours each week that leaves me several hundred short of my goal. I may start giving guitar lessons to make up the difference though the local market is saturated. Other options: waiting tables, bartending…something to do in the evenings. I am open to suggestions and or referrals. Two to three nights per week would be ideal.

Don’t forget: “Winners are simply willing to do what the losers won't.” If that means working 80 hours per week then so be it.

I Had an Actual Idea

Stop the press! I had a thought! An actual coherent idea! This is a new experience that I could get used to.

A long while ago I told myself that I needed to do something every day that would push me along towards the made up finish that doesn’t actually exist. If I did just one thing that will amount to 365 things I did each year that will benefit my career and subsequent life. 365.

I would say my tally of things done in 2010 is somewhere in the 100 region. 365 – 100 = 265. That means that I wasted 265 days of the last year. If you recall (not that you will but I do) I once wrote that I want to be accountable. Well here I am. Standing to be counted as lazy and inefficient. I did compete this year but I could have done better. Somewhere along the way I forgot about this whole one thing a day idea. I probably had laundry to do or a lawn to cut. Thank God I don’t take prescription meds. Or have pets. Or kids.

So, new feature to be added to InvertedJourney.com is the “What did I do today” window. Each day I will update this window with that day’s accomplishment. There will be a running tally of the number of things I did so we can keep track. We = me and those of you playing along at home. There may be some days where multiple things happen but SOMETHING has to happen everyday. I should probably tell my web guy about this. This is GREAT. Updating the website will not count as doing something.

To get the ball rolling (these will not count in the official tally) I will sum up yesterday and today.

Yesterday: Called Greg Koontz in Alabama to discuss heading down there in January or February. I want to learn from the Jedi Master of Decathlons. Great guy, cant wait. This will be the topic of one, or many future posts.

Today: Followed up with Mike Goulian. I emailed him awhile back about airshow flying and he invited me up to see him once the airshow season is over. The season is over but it isn’t seeing as the ICAS convention is coming up shortly and everyone is hustling to get ready for that.

Ready? Go!

Brain in a Jar

I hate to think that this will be a war of attrition. There must be moves and shakes that I can do to speed this whole thing up instead of “staying the course.” Shouldn’t I be out there hustling for the next big break? Shouldn’t I be living in a van so I can have a Pitts in the hangar? Do I owe 2008 a royalty for using the term “staying the course”?

Following behind each compliment is a judgment. As soon as I hear a “good job” or a “nice writing” there is someone waiting in the wings. They are ready to pounce on everything that they think that I should have done and they are quick to ridicule for what they perceive as an opportunity lost.

With the last entry discussing how I chose not to pursue a different career and maintained my current, though adjusted profession, I have received a bit of flak from folks. With that in mind, here is the decision I had to make in plain terms.

Here is your opportunity.
You must sign on the dotted line.
We cannot guarantee you that you will do what you want to do.
If you are able to get to that objective, all will be good in your world.
You have no real control over the outcome of this.
You must first go through a battery of tests and a medical exam.
Before you do that, you MUST sign on the dotted line.
Should you fail the medical exam, you will still have a 6-year commitment doing what you do not want to do.
We cannot guarantee that you will pass this medical exam, especially with a right elbow that does not have the required amount of supination and flexion.
If you sign on the dotted line we will send you to training for 5 months. During these 5 months you will paid enough money to maintain your bills. At the conclusion of these 5 months you will not have a full time job. You will have to find another job to support yourself. You have exactly 30 days to find a job that will pay you enough money to support yourself before you have achieved complete and total financial ruin.
We cannot guarantee you anything.
Sign here.

In another lifetime I may have chosen to continue this. Who knows? Maybe the planets will align one day and I will find myself able to pursue it without risking that financial ruin thing (which is not hyperbole). I believe in taking risks but I also believe in being smart in the mitigation of those risks. As great as this could have been for me it could have been equally disastrous.

I have always sought out stories of people braver than I am that have put it all on the line for something they believed in. I have been hard on myself for not pursuing some of these options. Is it possible that my putting it all on the line action has been the refusal of these opportunities? Is that just a cozy rationalization? When does safety and comfort blind us from freedom and the pursuit of happiness? How much do those full body scanners really see anyway?

The Have's and the Have Not's

I constantly wrestle with how much information should be divulged through this website. While I want to be transparent as possible, I am bound by professional courtesy and respect. In doing so I may have molested the virtue of what this whole thing is about; to portray in as clear a term what it takes to reach a goal.

A large part of what the struggle (not to be too melodramatic) consists of is finding the monetary means needed to pursue this sport. This is not a cheap thing to get involved with. “Mo’ money, mo’ problems” sold a million copies but dammit if I shouldn’t send Biggie $5 just for being painfully accurate. As a quick aside, yes I know Biggie is dead and also that giving someone $5 would only further contribute to the conundrum of mo’ money. What’s to follow? Mo’ problems. That’s what. Anyway…

With the need for the almighty dollar floating around like a thick fog in all these dreams I have, I can get distracted. I swing from option to option but have yet to pull the trigger on anything. My job, though airplane rich, can feel like a job sometimes. I get restless and I argue myself into a corner with “need to make more money” on one wall and “not happy” on the other. Sometimes this leads to some rather dramatic mental excursions.

The most recent one had some great promise. It felt certain that it would be something I would pursue and I would better for it. The momentum took hold of me and almost caused me to sacrifice everything I know for a shot at something different. In the end, it looked less like a gamble and more like a game of Russian roulette where only one chamber of six is empty. My boss knows all about this and has been nothing but supportive of my decisions and thought processes throughout. In telling you about this I am not violating any work agreements or causing any surprises to anyone. I had to hold off on writing about this until I knew how the story would end and all the pertinent parties had been notified.

The end result of all this is more flight time for me. I will be doing more instructing in the Decathlon and flying with some really great folks coming up in the next year. I have to rededicate myself to my future and take advantage of what I have instead of getting caught up in what I don’t.

Onward and upward.

Ambiguity is a Beautiful Thing.

Reality showed up on my doorstep a few weeks ago with a bad attitude and rolled up Sunday edition of the New York Times. It smacked me around for a while before it sat me down for a nice long chat that lasted…a few weeks. When it left without closing the door (no one said reality had any manners) I was left to my own devices but with the gem of having grown a little wiser, a little older, and with a bit more resolve.

It is a known fact that I am drowning in student loan payments. This is not something I try to hide behind or use as an excuse. It is something that I, and many of you, have to deal with. Unfortunately the enormity of my education debt feels like a giant anchor. The things that we would all really like to do are lying just beyond our reach. It is the things that we can reach, maybe with a little stretch that we can use to destroy the locks around our ankles and finally extend. What am I talking about? Nothing really, I just like metaphors. Kidding.

I’ve been living in a sort of dream world it seems. I discovered that I will have student loan payments until the ripe old age of 44. Bam. Kapow. How does that taste? Like crap. There are plenty of things that I need to do before I hit 44. I am not going to sit by as my life becomes a supporting role to Sallie Mae and Nelnet. No no, this will not do. It was with some starry eyes that I have dreamt of flying aerobatic competitions and putting everything I had into blissfully ignoring the fact that the rest of the world does not care how noble your goal is. It wants its money. Now, kid.

I’ve been thinking about this non-stop for weeks. I have tried several times to put this into some sort of a blog entry. I chose Inverted Journey as the title for a few reasons. Inverted is an obvious reference to flying upside down. The sensation of flying in that attitude is one that you cannot describe. It happens fast. The Earth is not where it should be. It is confusing and uncomfortable. This whole process of working towards a dream is a journey. The choices I’ll make. The good days, the bad days and the even the days where my motivation has tanked and the only thing I can resort to doing is sitting on the couch watching Field of Dreams. I’ve got my first competition under my belt. I’ve barely begun this journey. But, I am able to look at with sharper eyes now and see with greater clarity what I need to do.

A Non-emergency

Pilots are trained to prepare for emergencies. Engine failures, fires, electrical problems, radio failures, forced landings, control failures, and even hijackings are discussed and reviewed by every pilot even in their most embryonic stages. All of this is done with the hope that you never have to call upon the training. You will never react better than you have prepared. I found this out this past weekend.

I departed TF Green on a south easterly heading towards the Newport practice area. I was set to practice intermediate figures. I reached 3000 feet and configured the airplane for the cruise out to the practice area. ATC cleared me on course after keeping on a specified heading for several miles. Had I turned direct to the practice area I would have been flying out over the middle of Narragansett Bay. I elected to fly tight along the shore of Bristol should I need to make an emergency landing. This is something I do regularly. A good pilot is always, without question, eyeing the ground for a potential landing spot.

A few minutes into the cruise the engine hiccupped loud. The airplane shook momentarily and the engine sounded like it was not getting fuel or not firing on one cylinder. The whole event only lasted a few seconds but in all my years of flying I had never experienced such shaking. The engine smoothed itself out and ran normally after only 5 seconds but that was enough for me. I pushed my mixture control forward, checked for oil pressure and temperature, both of which were normal.

At this point, the airplane is flying, I have altitude, I have airspeed, and I have power from the engine. I turned towards back PVD and then announced I was coming back in. They asked why and I told them I had an engine warble but that it was not an emergency. Had the engine continued to run rough I would not have hesitated to declare an emergency and get on the ground. Even still, I wanted to be on the ground and fast. I stayed at 3000 feet until I was back over land. I made a diving approach back towards the airport, keeping my energy state high until I knew I could reach the airport should my engine fail. My touchdown was smooth as butter.

The whole thing took 9 minutes from the engine warble to my touchdown. I felt great that I did everything right. Looking at the engine, we (me plus mechanics) determined that it was water in the fuel as we could not find any evidence of a bad spark plug or other likely culprits. I’ll be back in the air as soon as work and weather allow.

Multi Camera Editing

I have one camera. I have one camera mount. That doesnt make for a very interesting flick. I took the D out a few weeks ago and tried different camera positions. By splicing together the footage I shot, I thought I was able to make a convincing video that makes it look like I am dealing with a larger set up than I really do.

The Move

In the middle of my bedroom stand four boxes. Books, movies, a P-51, and a Christen Eagle and Cessna 170 are all in boxes with “AVIALL” written in blue italics. FRAGILE is scrawled across the box with the Eagle and Cessna to remind myself of how angry I’ll be if, upon unpacking, the biplane is no longer a biplane and the Cessna became the world’s first retractable gear antique Cessna model. I’m moving. I’m not happy.

I once read that moving is the most traumatic experience a person can go through next to the death of a loved one and a divorce. Seeing as how all my closest friends and relatives maintain their pulses and I am as of not yet wed, this is the worst thing that I can do to myself. So why go through with it? The simple, irrefutable argument to move is that it is time. When I moved to Rhode Island a smidge over four years ago I took a significant paycut while assuming a 100% increase in my total student loan debt. I could not afford rent. I continued to not be able to afford rent for the next four years.

I should be happy but as I said 129 words ago, I’m not. In addition to realizing how pointless it is to own books and movies, I now have to pay the previously unpayable apartment rent. This would once more be fine if I did not have ambition. If you have been reading this blog for more than 30 seconds you will know that somewhere in me lies a substantial amount of ambition. Trying to maintain this ambition while also dealing with a growing sense of reality makes for an uncomfortable existence, like eating a king size Charlestown Chew in front of your dentist.

I could be pouring a ton of money into my flying instead of moving out. I’m 29 years old. I remember being in my early 20’s looking at people that were 29 that still lived at home and thinking “oh please don’t let that be me.” Fast forward a few years and bam, here I am. But, its time to go. I found a place that doesn’t kill my flying budget while still satisfying my need to be on my own…with a roommate. My friend Mark was about to lose his roommate. The price is right, the roommate is right, and the timing was right. Yes, was. Why only was? I realize I ask lots of these questions when I write but if you can show me a better segue I will give you $0.01. It was good timing until Sunday night when I realized that I will have student loan payments until 2024. I will be 43 years old and still paying off student loan debt. My kids had better be amazingly smart or be able to throw a baseball 115mph or dance a mean ballet.

Once I move, I’m not moving back home ever. Not unless I get into some terrible accident that leaves me in a constant vegetative state (for the record, pull the plug on me. I’ll come back as a bird or a falcon or something cool.) This means that starting next month I will forever and forever have a housing payment and a student loan payment. I am suffocated, drowning in my own personal finances. How can a dream that I’ve had since I was 10 be shoved into a corner like this? For awhile the answer was blissful ignorance but I cannot hide behind that anymore. Nobody puts baby in the corner and we sure as hell don’t put flying in the corner either. I’m not about to start making excuses for myself. I will have to work harder and smarter in this pursuit from here on out.

Until I figure out how to do that, I will continue to bathe in stress. No joke, between work, moving, and money stuff I am a walking bag of nerves. Has anyone ever got so stressed out that their face starts twitching? No? Just me? GREAT. It is only temporary of course so we will be back to normal in a week or two. Until next time folks, keep the dirty side up, hug the people you love and eat plenty of chocolate.

(See? Even writing this made me a feel a bit better.)

Intermediate Flying in a Super Decathlon

Sunday morning I took the D out to take a glance at the intermediate figures would feel like. Looking over the sequence card, the routine should be flyable in a Super Decathlon…in the hands of someone that knows what they’re doing.

I have been flying Sportsman sequences for the past few years. Loops, rolls, spins, rolls on lines, hammerheads, and any combination thereof are found at this level of competition. You will not see any negative g pushes, snap rolls, or many hesitation rolls until you get to the intermediate. This is exactly what I was looking at when I headed out to the practice area. I wanted to look at a P-loop, vertical upline with a push to level, and a pull-push-pull humpty with a quarter roll on the downline.

First up, the P-loop. Draw the letter “P”. Imagine you are the airplane and you starting from left to right at the base of the looping portion of the P. Simple as that. It is a loop with a vertical downline on the back of the loop. On the sequence card they have a snap put at the top of the loop but seeing as how I have yet to snap the Decathlon I just wanted to fly the loop and see what my energy state (altitude, airspeed) would be coming out of it. The figure is easy to fly (without the snap mind you) and I moved on quickly.

Figure 2 is a vertical upline with a push to level flight. From straight and level you pull vigorously up so that you are going straight up. Wait a second or two and then push the nose back down so that it is level with the horizon again. It sounds simple but keep in mind that your airspeed is bleeding off faster than you can blink when you are going straight up. You have to have enough airspeed after the push to fly away from the figure without descending. I knew my airspeed would be low but I wasn’t prepared to see the airspeed indicator all the way at 0 mph after I pushed level. The first challenge presents itself. The D is so draggy that even with an entry of 150mph, I had bled off all my airspeed after only a short vertical line. The problem is that you need to fly away from the figure. The next figure is a spin which is a great combo, but you cant go right from the push to the spin. This would score horribly with the judges, most likely a 0. I’ll need to enter the figure faster.

The last item up for viewing was the pull-push-pull humpty with a quarter roll on the downline. From level, pull up to vertical, count a few seconds and then push the nose over in a half loop all the way until you are pointing straight down. Before pulling out of the dive, roll the airplane 90 degrees. Congrats. Figure flown. These are fun (see previous post about trying this out a few months ago) so I was comfortable trying it out. The pull out was pretty hefty. I was watching my airspeed during the pull out and it was climbing fast. If you pull hard enough, you can control your airspeed. I pulled hard enough so that I arrested the airspeed at a safe amount. Once I was level again I was stunned to see I had pulled 5.1g. That is way more than I ever pulled in this plane before. It felt fine on me or the airplane. I shouldn’t need to pull that much. I should be able to manage my energy better so I can keep the G down below 4.5.

What have I learned? Everything in the intermediate sequence is faster, harder and requires a refined touch to make it work. If I can pull this off in the Decathlon it will be a huge personal achievement. I like the challenge and I cant wait to take this further.

(Yeah I know this post is not my normal style of writing. I had to post quickly. I'm packing my stuff to move in a few weeks and time is valuable. A post will follow about this little change o' scenery)

Aerobatic Purgatory

Since the contest I’ve been in an aerobatic purgatory. The season was over. There wasn’t anything new to practice. Was that it? Had I satisfied my aerobatic labido after just one contest? I was fearing the worst until this morning.

Sequence proposals for next years contest season have been posted by the IAC. I got the news this morning in my email inbox via an email list I am on. There were already a few people supplying some commentary before I even had a chance to look over the sequence. The most common gripe (most comments are gripes) was that the intermediate sequence is too easy.

I was thinking of moving up to intermediate before I even competed. After flying the KJC reality took over and changed my view on this.

Old Self: I want to move up!
Newer Self: Dude, you’re not ready.
Old Self: Waaaahhhhhhhhhh
New Self: Shut up. Go do well at a contest first then we can talk.

Then of course this intermediate sequence pops up and its just sitting there with open arms WAITING to be flown by me. It would be easy if you have been flying at this level for awhile. If you were thinking of moving up it is a prime opportunity to up the ante a little bit. I have to at least try it. There is a snap roll, and some vertical rolls that will be a challenge in the D but other than that….why not? Next time I fly I might just give it a go.

Roll Rate Upgrade

I love the Decathlon. I really do. It makes any Cessna feel like its stuck in cement (and I love me some Cessna’s too.) Flying the other Decathlon at the contest was a revelation. That airplane had twice the roll rate of ours.

While I was at the contest I took some photos of the aileron (flippy doo thingys on the wings that make the airplane roll) deflection using my hand as a measurement. I wanted to compare the photos with the aileron deflection of 317SD back at PVD. The pictures tell the story. I was missing some deflection!




After a call to American Champion Aircraft we learned that the ailerons should deflect to 19 degrees positive and negative. When we measured ours we were under deflected by…a lot. I’ve basically been flying acro with an airplane that was set up not to roll like it should. No wonder all my rolls have been really difficult!

The culprit was found in the left aileron gap seal. There is a little bit of room between the leading edge of the aileron and the aileron bay of the wing. If air can pass through that area it creates a lot of drag and reduces performance. To combat that, ACA glues a strip of fabric from the aileron to the aileron bay, creating a seal of the gap (hence calling it a gap seal.) When our airplane was assembled back so many years ago the strip of fabric was glued in improperly, restricting the aileron from extending to its full 19 degrees. The simple fix was merely to undue the gap seal and reseat it at the appropriate point. Vwallah! Instant increase of roll rate.

I cant wait to try this out. I am expecting a few “wows” and ‘holy craps” on my next flight. Now I just need to wait for the glue to dry and the winds to stop blowing a gale. Probably wont be flying until next weekend.

Mike Goulian Has Already been Down this Road

The two pilots I look up to most are Sean D. Tucker and Mike Goulian. Imagine how happy I was when Goulian posted the following entry on his website. I read it and promptly emailed Mike. I didnt have his email address but I did what my friend James did with a famous photographer...I guessed. I was right and received a reply:

Hi Chris,
Greetings from Germany. Thanks for writing and I am glad you liked the post. Congrats on your flying.
I hope that EFA is doing a good job for you.
Please get in contact with me this fall and we will do some flying together.
Hope you are well and that Horizon is doing well. We need all of the aviation customers. possible these days.
Take care and fly safe,
Michael Goulian

Fly with Mike Goulian this fall? Okay!

His blog that prompted the email follows. Give it a read. Goulian is at the top of the sport/industry. Proof that this is all possible but not easy.

I WANT TO DO WHAT YOU DO

Posted on: 07-22-10
More often than not the e-mails we receive through our web site asks one of the following questions: “how do I get started”, “how do I become an air show pilot”, “how do I become a Red Bull Air Racer”, and last but not least, “how do I get a sponsor”. There are many avenues to get there, but I will share with you my thoughts on “making it” in the sport flying world.

GETTING STARTED
That’s an easy one. To start on your aerobatic flying career, simply go to www.iac.org and find an aerobatic flight school near you. I’m sure that once you do your first roll and see the world from a different perspective, you’ll be hooked. However, the journey is just beginning, and it’s not going to be an easy road to the top. The real answer to the question “how do I get started”, is that you need to have a dream and an undying passion for the sport in which you have started.

I personally started my flying career in a Decathlon trainer, but the more advanced two-seat Pitts and EXTRA are good too. They are certified and offer a good platform in which to learn.

GETTING TO THE TOP
Well, I think there is no such place as “the top”. It’s all about your perspective. For me, being invited to fly at EAA AirVenuture Oshkosh back in 1998 was a huge thrill. Then, my inclusion in the Red Bull Air Race was another real thrill for me. I’m excited and honored to be living a life in the air and I don’t take it for granted for one second.

To get to the top ranks of World Aerobatic Competition or air show flying, you’re looking at approximately ten years of practice and training. Maybe more. There is simply no easy way to get to the top except for old fashioned blood, sweat, and tears. It costs a lot of money and will take a lot of time. In fact, to get to “the top”, you’ll have to give up EVERYTHING for the next decade. That’s it, you can’t do anything else. Eat it, breathe it, sleep it, and live it. If you don’t give up everything to chase your dream, you won’t realize that dream. However, the kid in the next state or country who is just a little bit more hungry than you to “get there”, will make it. So don’t give up.

Money helps, but it’s not vital. Many people have made it in the sport by working like crazy at night while flying acro during the day. It’s a longer road, but one worth traveling. That reminds me of the winter of 1995 when I ran out of money and my parents couldn’t afford to help me make the bank payments on my EXTRA 300S. There was only one thing left to do…. put the payments on my credit card. I was not going to let a lack of money keep me from my dreams. So I built up about 20K worth of credit card debt over the next six months. That September I won the US Nationals and started making money flying air shows. After about a year, I had paid off my debt. Those are the kinds of tests that one will be faced with along the way. As the saying goes, “if it were easy, everyone would do it”.

RED BULL AIR RACING
To be in the RBAR, you have to become an aerobatic champion first. It’s that simple. To handle an aircraft like it’s an extension of your mind, flying MUST be second nature. You can only get that instinct through many hours of low level acro flying. Being invited to be in the RBAR is the ultimate honor and one not to be taken lightly. It’s an unforgiving game. BUT, it’s worth the wait!!!!

HOW DO I GET A SPONSOR
Most people say to me, “I need a sponsor and then become an air show pilot”. From my experience, the sponsors come last. First, you need to show courage and determination by becoming a winning aviator. Second, your flying and your attitude must be mature enough to handle the privilege and responsibility that comes with flying the colors of a company.

I took my first aerobatic lesson in 1985 and “signed on” with my first title sponsor in 2004. To me, the 19 year wait was worth it!

WHAT NOW
Well, that’s my two cents on getting started towards a life of sport flying. Now, all that’s left is to make a decision on whether it’s right for you. If you feel this is “your destiny”, you must “go for it” with all of your drive, determination, and passion. Again, it’s not an easy road. But, if you persevere, you’ll be rewarded with a life of adventure!!

http://mikegoulian.com/latest/blog/i-want-to-do-what-you-do

Rainy Day Clean Away

We've had some steady rain for several days now in Rhode Island. There isn't a whole lot to do other than give the airplane some well deserved TLC. My vholdr camera is still kaputz so I attempted to make a snippet of a video using only my Motorola Droid phone. For what it is, its not bad. I'm hoping to make it to Keene, NH this weekend for a group practice session. Video post will follow!

As far as this is one is concerned, I dont think youtube could have chosen its initial thumbnail better. Has there ever been a more flattering shot of yours truly? I suggest and hope not. The volume may be a little soft. Go with the flow folks, it was shot with a cell phone.

Post-ed: Thumbnail has been changed for your protection.

Competition Reductions and Deductions

So boys and girls, did we learn something at our first competition?
-“Yeeessss Mister Pooorrrttteerrrr” (think 1st grade group greetings and Pledge of Allegiance)

1) Practice smarter – I can loop and roll and hammer and all that stuff. Great. Why didn’t I win? Because I can loop and roll and hammer safely but not necessarily as prettily as the next guy. How does one increase the prettiness of their flying as it appears from the ground? Get someone that knows what pretty looks like and have them coach you. From the cockpit I haven’t a clue how it looks from the ground. Unless there is a massive rule change, you cannot assign yourself points on the basis of “I thought it looked good from the cockpit.” That would be like Criss Angel applauding himself after doing an illusion in front of no one. Wait…he probably does. Moving on.
2) Use my own airplane: The EFA Decathlon was sweet as could be and anyone would be lucky to fly it. The only reason I say use my own airplane can be found in my bank statement. My share of the Decathlon for the weekend was only $504. Not bad at all considering what it was. If I didn’t have any other option, well there you go. But I do have another option…maybe. I spent $504 to put an hour in my logbook. Had I flown my Decathlon it probably would have cost me more but there would have been more hours in the logbook. If I can get the insurance debate settled that would be great. If not, well that will have to be the price of doing business. Once more, a huge thanks to EFA for allowing me to fly with them. I wouldn’t have been able to compete if it weren’t for all your efforts.
3) Don’t be such a whiner: 5.5 hours in a car drving back from New Jersey was a lot of time to get the wwaaaaahhhhhh I wanted the trophy waaaaaahhhhh’s out. Whatever. I competed. I had fun. Now I know what to work on for next year. I didn’t come home with a trophy but I came back with a huge insight as to how I may go about killing it next year. (note: I said killing “it” meaning the competition. Not me)
4) Double check the hotel room keys that are given to you before opening the hotel door you think you are supposed to open. Trust me on this one.

Kathy Jaffe Challenge 2010 Part 3

There I was, thinking I was done. My first competition was in the bag and I placed a respectable 9th of 13 as the highest first time Sportsman competitor. So, it was with a slight gasp that I awoke Sunday morning to find out that we would all fly one more round. No guarantees.

There had been some talk that the folks at EFA would let me fly solo on the third flight with the first two rounds of competition counting as the rental checkout. Marc Nathanson gave me the green light and his phone so I could relay my credentials over the phone to their home office up in Bedford, MA. The morning briefing went as usual with the order of flight being read and all the rules and regs being released amongst an attentive if not fully awake audience of acronuts.

I wasn’t nervous. I wanted to show everyone that I could do this. I wanted to show everyone that I am a competitor and I know what I’m doing with the airplane. I wouldn’t have to think about having a person watching over my shoulder from the backseat. It was me and the airplane, with only the judges watching from the ground. I walked the airport all morning going through the routine in my mind (pull, set, count 1-2 roll 1-2-3-4 pop, float pull squeeze set verify pull set look wait...). I went through the odd looking practice of walking the sequence on the ground while several other pilots did the same little dance by their airplanes. The only thing missing was an iPod with the proper soundtrack cued up.

I was waiting for the orange DR-109 to start up with Del Coller at the controls. Once he was in his plane that would be my signal to get in 821EF and fire it up. A quick pop of his engine and I was running the acro harness over my shoulders and across my lap tightening the belts tight enough so that you couldn’t fit a finger under them. I like to be snug.

The climb to the holding pattern was quicker since I was lighter. I could see Del running through his sequence while I circled up to 3000 feet. The radio frequency came alive with a call “Porter you on freq?”
“Affirm Porter is up.”
“Chris Porter the box is open. You are cleared into the box have a fun flight.”
“On my way.”

Coming up on a right base to the box. There is the judges line. Roll upside down to check the belts. Everything is secure. Ok. 3000 feet at 140mph. Climb to 3500, get the speed down to 60 or 80. Ok. PUSH the nose over diving into the box. Wag your wings three times. The judges are announcing to one another that I’m diving in. Coming up on 3000 feet. 180mph. Level. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Coming up on my mark. Ready, PULL. 45 degrees nose up set don’t let the nose drop remember the comments hold hold altitude 3300…3400 speed dropping 3450 PUSH the nose over PULL the throttle to idle don’t let the nose drop here remember the comments hold hold hold stall warning annnnnd left rudder full aft stick one rotation coming up on..right rudder forward stick check wingtip for vertical set count 1 pull pull pull up to level set count airspeed 140 pull set at 45 wait 1 – 2 – 3 roll push nose up set count 1 – 2- 3- 4 airspeed 60 mph pop the nose float pull pull pull….

Keep that going another 8 figures. It all happens in the blink of an eye. If you blink at the wrong time you’ll screw up. I blinked at the wrong time.

As I was rolling inverted on the 45 upline during the wedge I inadvertently pushed my nose off heading by about 30 degrees. I knew it as soon as I pulled through the rest of the loop. Crap. I took an interruption and came back in on the proper heading so that I wouldn’t get horrible marks for the rest of the flight. Despite that one little snafu I felt that the flight was solid.

Back on the ground I got lots of pats on the back on a solid flight. My confidence was growing and growing with all the great feedback.

Then the scores came out. That 30 degree heading problem cost me HUGE in the points. HUGE. ASTRONOMICAL. The flight might have been good but I did not have enough to over the lost points on the wedge; the second highest point figure in the whole thing. My third flight would be my lowest scoring flight. I held on to 9th but lost the Sportsman trophy.

I then had 5 hours driving back to Rhode Island to come up with all sorts of conclusions…

Kathy Jaffe Challenge 2010 Part 2

I was up by 6am. We all had to meet for the morning briefing at 7am. Topics covered include the holding patterns, wind direction, radio frequencies, staffing, and order of flight for the day. I would be flying 6th out of 13.

That whole morning was a bit of a blur. I wasn’t hungry so I skipped breakfast. A huge no-no in my book. I retreated to a spot away from the flight line where I could watch the first few competitors flying their sequences. I wasn’t nervous. I was ready to go, ready to fly, ready to see how all this would work. If anything I was anxious for my turn in the aerobatic box.

It felt like 30 seconds between the first sportsman pilot taking off before I was getting ready to strap into the Decathlon. N821EF still had that they new airplane smell to it. The paint still looked like it needed time to dry. I had a briefing with Tony Catonese, my safety pilot as provided by Executive Flyers. I had never officially had a rental checkout flight with EFA so I had to fly with Tony. I was worried about having a heavier airplane with a second person but thankfully Tony isn’t tipping many weight scales. Once we were both on the same page we were in the airplane.

It felt different. The seat. The seatbelts. The stick. The prop control. It was different. It was a Decathlon sure but it still felt strikingly different. The same way you step into someone else’s shoes and feel the contour of their feet instead of yours. Once we were airborne the differences were all too glaringly apparent. The airplane felt LIGHT. My chin hit my chest when I saw how effortless the airplane rolled inverted for a belt check. It was easily twice as fast as 317SD. I didn’t have too much time to explore the airplane. As soon as we were at 3000 feet I heard the radio call “Porter you are cleared into the box. Have a fun flight!” Here we go.

And then it was over. I breezed the whole routine in the blink of an eye. I wish there were more to say about it but the cliché rings true with aerobatics. When you are flying you don’t have time to think about anything other than the task at hand. It is a constant battle of “where am I, what am I doing, and what do I need to do next.” I got through the first flight with no big glaring issues and without taking an interruption. Before I knew it I was lining up to land back at the Flying W.

The scores from my first flight weren’t great but so what? I was 10th of 13 with at least one more flight to go. It was only a few hours later that we started running through the sportsman category again. Again, Tony and I briefed quickly and we running down the runway and into the aerobatic hold. Cleared into the box again I was trying to really hit this one out of the park. The second figure screwed me up. I under-rotated my spin by a whopping 30 or 40 degrees. I didn’t realize it until I was coming through the next figure. I knew it would be a giant point deduction if I continued on the present heading so I took an interruption. Taking an “I” costs you five points which is small potatoes compared to potentially getting a zero on entire figures.

To my surprise I moved up in the ranks. I was in 9th after the second flight. Rumor on the field was that we weren’t to fly again and this was the final standings. I was in 9th with the First Time Sportsman Competitor High Score trophy locked up. I felt great.

Funny thing about rumors though. They aren’t always true.

Kathy Jaffe Challenge 2010 Part 1

I know I posted 13,000 Facebook status updates throughout the Kathy Jaffe Challenge. You may be surprised that to know that there are plenty of details that are not encapsulated within those quick jolts of status. There were three days of competition and each day was its own little world of learning. To do the weekend justice, I am breaking the write up into three parts.

The Kathy Jaffe Challenge is held each year at the Flying W Airport and Resort in Lumberton, NJ. To catch you all up on how my arrangements for the contest became arranged here’s a quick recap: the insurance company that insures my school and the Decathlon decided to preclude closed course racing, airshow performing, and competing from our policy. At the last second, the folks from Executive Flyers welcomed me to fly their Decathlon. I never had a rental checkout so I would be flying with one of their instructors in the backseat to satisfy their insurance. Game on.

I DROVE the 5.5 hours to the Flying W Thursday after work. I started to pick up all the radio stations beaming out of Philadelphia. It is down there. I pulled into the parking lot sometime around 9pm. The motel concierge was closed but I was told the bar had my hotel key. While waiting at the bar for the next hour and a half for the key to show up I met some of the folks that I would be spending the weekend with. I was there to compete and see how I stacked up but honestly hanging out with these folks Thursday night was the highlight of the weekend. If any of you read this, thanks for welcoming me with open arms. You all made the contest for me.

We were rewarded with perfect weather on Friday. The morning was reserved for practice session in the box so folks could see where it was. Rumor was that the box was really hard to fly in. Competition flying started late that afternoon with intermediate, advanced, unlimited and primary categories getting their first flights in. I was assigned as a judge’s assistant to Doug Lovell during the intermediate category. I would watch the flights with him, announce and figure and offer any input if I saw something funky in someone’s flying. The sun baked us mercilessly for the next few hours. I spent the whole day on the judges line watching the seasoned vets fly routines that seem insane.

And then it was time to relax with everyone at the Friday night BBQ. The whole time I couldn’t help my mind from wandering to what would happen the next morning. My first dive into the box. My first call from a starter. The first time I would get validation on all the work I had done. Tons of questions I had would be answered and I would probably discover 1000 more. I didn’t realize that it would be more like 10,000 new questions.

Fulton County Acro Bounty

An hour and a half later, I popped the buckles off of my harness and climbed out of the airplane. My bare feet hit the ramp and sizzled from the heat. Parked next to me was a bright yellow Giles 202 with two pilots hanging on the airplane. I saw one point at my shoeless feet. “I’m not the barefoot bandit! I swear.”

Welcome to practice day kid. You’re gonna do alright.

Fulton County Airport is a picturesque one-runway airport a handful of miles north of Albany, NY. Tucked alongside the Mohawk River, Johnstown, NY is home not only to Fulton Airport (NY0) but also a fine town with the traditional offerings of homestyle eateries, and prepackaged, microwaved, artificial grub. The staff at Friendly’s must have a median height of 6 feet. I’m convinced the local high school girl’s basketball all work at the Johnstown, NY Friendly’s. We tipped well.

The airport hosted an aerobatic practice session. You show up with your airplane, your sequence and your humility and get critiqued from the ground as you flop around the sky over the airport. Unless you have someone spotting you from the ground you have idea if your loop is in fact round or if it looks like an egg. It is an indispensable asset.

I was the rookie. The other two pilots and two coaches have been around the sport for years and could fly circles around most of us with their eyes closed. It was a privilege to have their input.

Jim Wells of Ithaca, NY put out the open invite. It was his Giles I parked next to on the ramp. He had just picked up the Giles having upgraded from a Pitts S2B.

I had met Hans Bok before at Nantucket a few years back. His Sukhoi 29 sounds like a tractor on engine start; a beautiful, powerful, throaty tractor that bridges the gap between nostalgic radial engines and brute force

Hilton Tallman laughs more in one day than most people could hope to in a week. He knows everybody in the sport and I can bet that most people want to know Hilty. If you don’t, you are missing out.

Jim Ward just happened to be in the area. His Extra 300 lives in Washington state along with the rest of his livelihood. Jim offered some great words of encouragement throughout the day.

We each flew three times over the airport. This was my first time being critiqued; being in a waivered box; and flying acro over an airport solo. I had the time of my life. There is nothing that compares to the thrill of diving in to start a sequence. It is like plugging in your guitar when you get on stage, only at 180mph. I thought I knew what I was weak on and the day confirmed it. After trial and error and superb guidance from the troops on the ground my Immelman, and rolls on lines were getting much better by the time I had to head back to PVD.

Flying home I had the overwhelming feeling that I was finally participating in aerobatics. I made the turn from outside spectator and enthusiast to competitor. Enroute home, at 5,500 feet over New York State I finally started to feel as though everything I’ve been working towards and dreaming about is within my reach. The finish line has never been drawn and I don’t know that I ever want it to be, but I am finally in the race, and I am running towards it.

My first contest is Friday.

A Tale of a Broken Camera

A Twofer

I started the day watching the Twin Comanche run up its engines. Three people inside and one open seat headed miles away to Wisconsin for 4 days of bliss. The open seat was mine. I didn’t look at it.

I skipped my favorite trip of the year so I could spend the time practicing for the upcoming contest. I got the green light from my boss to get as much flying in this week as I could provided all my work was taken care off. I hustled all morning so that I could get in the air as soon as possible.

As soon as possible turned out to be 2pm. I had some specific items to take care off with the airplane. I had to see how much altitude I gained at different airspeeds on the 45 degree upline. At 140 mph, pulling 3g’s, leveling off at 75mph, I gained 500 feet. At 145 mpg with the same pull and same exit speed, I was up 600 feet. Every ten miles I increased the entry would add 100 feet. With this I can figure my entry altitude at the contest. If I want the spin to start at 3500 feet, I’ll begin the 45 upline at either 3000 or 2900 feet. Remember, first comes the 45 upline, then straight into a 1 1/2 rotation spin.

The next to do item was find a good “box.” Acro competition all takes place inside what we call a box 3300 feet in each direction including altitude. All the figures are to be flown in the box. Go outside and you are out of bounds and get a deduction of points. I found an almost perfect square made of roads out in Tiverton. This box was slightly smaller but I figured it would be swinging a bat with a weight on it. It wasn’t so much that as much as it was flying inside a box that was too small and had even less room. All in all it went as well as it could for what I’m calling day one. I came away from the flight with some good data.

Flight two was after work. I kept the practice over a pond that was a little larger but still allowed me to have a boundary. The wind was surprisingly strong. I worked my way through the 45 upline, spin, reverse 1/2 cuban, clover, hammer, and wedge. I was slowly moving east as I flew through the sequence. I had Kirby Chambliss in my head. I read something by him where he states that anyone can fly the figures but the champions can work the wind. Amen to that Mr. Chambliss.

I have a few things I need to work on tomorrow. Something happened to my loops. All of a sudden I am not pulling straight through my loops. I’m putting some roll into them and coming out off heading. I need to get this taken care of and quick.

The other one is the immelman. I’ve never been good at them. Don’t know why, the thing has always been my weakest figure in the Decathlon. I haven’t practiced it much because I never HAD to. Now I HAVE to. The immelman is a half loop with a half roll at the top of the half loop. You finish the figure upright and headed in the opposite direction you started from. The tricky part is that when you roll from inverted to upright you are at a very very low airspeed. This makes the roll ever so tricky to pull off well. Acro pilots call it the immelspin because it is so easy to get yourself into an inverted spin in the figure. I’ll climb up high tomorrow and get some practice in before bringing the figure down into the box.

Day one is done. I took advantage of it and feel good about missing the trip. As long as I can keep this up and the weather doesn’t change much I made the right choice. Here’s hoping.

A Horse of a Different Color

Monday: Weather
Tuesday: Weather
Wednesday: Weather
Thursday: Hosted an FAA Seminar that went til 9:30pm
Friday: Weather

Anyone see a trend here?

My objective for the week was to “kill it.” Instead of me killing it the weather killed almost every chance I had to fly. I am scheduled to fly at Keene, NH tomorrow in Executive Flyer’s Decathlon and I still have not flown the entire sequence from start to finish.

Imagine being in a horse show (Equestrian show? The competitions where you ride around on a horse jumping gates and what not? Yes. Those.) You spend months training with one particular horse. You learn its personality for better or worse. The horse also gets to know you. By the time you get to the competition it is old news. You know you can do the routine because you’ve done it before and you trust the horse.

Granted I’m not flying a horse but 317SD certainly has its own personality. Example: At 120mph it develops a slight rolling tendency to the right. I’m used to it and counter it accordingly. I am also used to having just myself in the airplane. Tomorrow, should the weather hold out I’ll be flying a different airplane with an extra 200 pounds of weight in the rear seat. Same show, new horse. Even though I will be flying a Super Decathlon it will feel different. The rudder pedals will require a different amount of pressure from me. I will not have the same view as I am used to because the seat will be different. There is a universe of subtlety in these machines.

I could focus on all this or I could say screw it and fly. That’s my real attitude at the moment. I know I can fly the sequence. The airplane will tell me everything I need to know to make it sing. The only real x-factor at the moment is the weather. The current forecast shows overcast skies and low visibility.

Last Minute Change O' Plans

I bit the bullet. Cooked the ham. Dug the ditch. Whatever other catchy phrase you can think of. I pulled myself out of going to Oshkosh to give myself more practice time. For the next two weeks the goal is simple. Kill it. “It” meaning the sequence; not myself or the airplane and any rogue seagull that may fly into my path. They get up high. 2500 feet? 3000 feet? Sure why not. Jerks.

I’ve been feeling rather guilty about the Osh trip for several weeks. Going out there, despite that being my favorite thing to do each year, would take away a week of practice time. Not just any week, the week right before the Kathy Jaffe in New Jersey. My goal for this year was to compete, not to gawk at Beech Staggerwings and Mustangs though I do love seeing them all lined up in the grass. Competition wins over gawking. I had an opportunity to rectify the situation and I took it. I feel great about my choice though it is not without some remorse.

That’s not all that happened today. The FAA makes the rules in aviation but the insurance companies are really the ones that run the show. If they say “no” you ain’t going. As it turns out, the insurance company said “no” to competitions. I don’t pretend to understand the rationale. I am allowed to fly acro to my heart’s content but bringing the Decathlon to a contest is somehow bad. I guess.

I went into crisis management mode and called Marc Nathanson at Executive Flyers. Marc graciously welcomed me to fly their airplane not only at the Kathy Jaffe Challenge but also this weekend at Keene, NH at a practice session. I’ll have to fly the airplane with a safety pilot on board because I don’t have time to do a normal rental checkout before the contest. This will make the airplane feel heavier than I am used to. Whatever, I’m not complaining. This will be cheaper and maybe even a little easier. It automatically injects me into a group of folks rather than being just me.

Fly tomorrow after work, maybe Friday and then of course Saturday. Game time folks.

Haze.

90 Degrees. Haze. Humid. This is not the trifecta of awesome one would want when working out this whole acro thing. Which way is up? I have no idea.

Okay it wasn’t THAT bad. To be honest it was a fantastic learning experience. It was a challenge to find the right line and really lock into a pitch attitude (45 degrees nose up straight up, straight down that type o’ thing.) I started stringing the sequence together straight away including positioning in the “box” Competition acro is flown inside a 3000 foot box. Stay inside the box. Do not go outside the box. If you go outside the box you will be incinerated by lasers. Or, get a few points deducted from your score if the lasers miss.

So, where do you place the first figure? How far down the box do you fly? These all change according to what the wind is doing. Flying into the wind slows down your relative speed over the ground. So, consider I’m cruising along at 140mph. With no wind I would be doing 140mph over the ground (yes, I’m leaving out true airspeed considerations for the pilots out there.) With 100 mph of wind coming straight at me, I would only be doing 40mph over the ground. It would take a substantially longer amount of time to fly through the box into the wind. Conversely, if I had 100mph pushing me I would rocket out of the box before I even knew what happened.

That is just flying straight and level. Now consider flying a loop. Flying into the wind all that force is pushing against the airplane. As you go up over the top of the loop now the wind is pushing you along! Now keep the loop going more and…you get the picture. Anyone can do a loop or a hammerhead. It’s the dude (or dudette) that can play the wind that is going to get the better scores.

That was yesterday. Round 2 and 3 coming up…now.

600 miles later

600 miles later.

I left work Friday at 5pm. I shot up to the web guys place right quick to go over logo ideas for Inverted Journey. It is looking pretty sharp. A logo speaks volumes about your brand…it IS the brand in a way. What color palette should you use? What font? Any picture content at all? Spacing between letters? Two words side by side or stacked? The options are endless but I think we hit our stride.

A quick stop in Boston Friday night and I was off to Vermont for the New England Aerobatic Contest. Guess who else showed up? Mother Nature! In all her rainy, cloudy glory. Saturday was a total wash. I meandered around for a bit recognizing some faces and trying to insert my own link into chains of friendship tempered over many years of friendly competition.

Confession: I am the king of awkward moments. I’m horrible at trying to “network” or meet people even in the best of settings. I fumble. I mumble. Some would argue I grumble. Any way you slice it, I assume the moron hat in these situations.

I did meet some folks though and should be seeing them all again at the Kathy Jaffe Challenge in early August. I didn’t come away from the NEAC with a whole lot of new insights into anything. I’m glad I went of course.

I think that will be last contest as a spectator. There is a practice session at Keene, NH coming up on July 24th that I am hoping to get to. The flyable days are few and far between this week. With fingers and toes crossed I’m hoping for some serious time in the air these next two weeks.

Early Summer Huddle

Here we are folks. We have arrived at the eve of what should have been my first contest. Alas, the powers that be declared unanimously that it was not to pass. I’ve given up the plane for the weekend and made alternate plans on attending as a volunteer.

Success is not without its setbacks. If there were no errors along the way, or obstacles to overcome what would be value be in the undertaking? Would I, or anyone learn anything at all about anything if there were not problems to be fixed and decisions to be made? Richard Bach wrote “There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts.” The “gifts” in this case are strewn about across the spectrum. Everything from “don’t annual your acro plane unless its winter (again, not my decision), to large life themes like “don’t place your better days in the future/never put off ‘til tomorrow what you can get done today.”

Since the Decathlon has been back up I have only flown a few times. The 100 degree heat has made long practices undoable as well as zeroed out any meaningful visibility. Am I better than I was 6 months ago? Of course, but I could be better. I haven’t given up on this season yet and with another contest in early August there is still plenty more work to be done. The website is starting to come together with lots of meetings and logo ideas dancing about. I’ve got a list of acro folks that want to fly with me. My budget is holding solid and my spirits are surprisingly high in both the professional, aerobatic, and personal sense.

Sometimes you hit your stride. Everything starts to click. You can feel momentum building bringing with it confidence, ability, and opportunity.

Ty-erred

Welp, there ain’t no such thing as a flight that doesn’t teach you something.

To recap the last few days:

Friday: work per nominal ops all day but stay out too late.
Saturday: Up early, flight review in a Cessna 152 (way fun); drive to Boston for the weekend; once again stay up late.
Sunday: Sleep late (awesome); relaxing day, fantastic fireworks, perfect weekend ends…but I stay up too late once more.
Monday: Up early, drive to Rhode Island from Boston; work all day in the heat, attempt to fly the Decathlon late in the day with horrible visibility.

I never really felt tired all day. I was hopped up on coffee and riding a high from having a great weekend. For whatever reason I wasn’t thinking at all about flying when I got home. Then 7pm rolls around and I realize that the Decathlon is flyable and I should be flying it. A quick IMSAFE checklisk run through and I felt fine (Illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, eating…normal self check to make sure you are ready to fly).

At 3000 feet, 140mph indicated airspeed I was ready to warm up with some rolls. Slow rolls are difficult to do well in any airplane and almost impossible to perfect. Right before the D was down with the camshaft issue my rolls were looking pretty decent (let obese jokes flow freely.) Tonight…what transpired was an aerobatic atrocity. I was all over the place. If flown right, your nose should end right where it began. Mine was all over the place. Altitude was being held fine but sheeesh…every else just wasn’t coming together. I kept looking over my shoulder back towards Providence only to find that it was slowly disappearing behind a veil of haze.

Loops have always been my forte so I switched gears for a moment and did a loop. It just didn’t feel right. It was fine, altitude and airspeed and heading all normal but it just felt wrong. I decided I was just too tired to push anything and decided to call it a night. It was a good decision because I had about 4 or 5 miles of visibility. At 140mph, that is not much room to see. My landing was beautiful so at least I ended the flight on a high note.

Lesson learned, pay closer attention to your energy level. If you’re tired…sit it out.

Oh and yes, I would gladly be tired in exchange for a good/great weekend. Totally worth it.

Back in the Saddle, Swimming in a Sunset.

Well folks, I’m back in the air. After having not flown upside down since May 17th I finally was back up in the inverted world. It feels pretty good.

I was watching the weather after work on Wednesday, waiting for the winds to die down. Eventually they did so I headed out to my normal stomping grounds. The goal for this flight was simply to get back in the air and hang from the straps a little bit to start working back to where I was when I left off. The plane felt a little different, a little looser if that makes any sense. From just doing a few loops and rolls and I can tell that the lack of flying has really eroded any proficiency I had developed. It will be an uphill battle to make the Jersey contest and Vermont is all but a wash. But, if you watch the video I assembled from last nights flight…who cares.

I recorded the flight with an MC5 song stuck in my head. I was going to use that as the background music but when I went back and watched the footage I was rather surprised. The camera made it look significantly darker than it actually was. It had a striking warmth to it that really didn’t work with the MC5 Kicking out the Jams at all. Aerobatics doesn’t have to be hardcore and extreme all the time. It can be graceful and smooth.

In the video I do some loops, a hammer with a quarter roll on the downline, followed by a half Cuban. As normal, the loops were fine though I am pinching the top of them so that they look more like an egg than a circle. The hammerhead was flown not quite vertical and I knew that. As soon as I established my line I knew I was more positive than I’d ever been before and I decided to initiate the turnaround early, simply because I hadn’t flown one in awhile. I was enjoying myself and didn’t feel like toying with getting to too low of an airspeed.



All in all, it was just a really pretty flight. I’ve got some people I need to follow up with this week. Some I met at the airshow that have flown acro and are looking to get back into it. Others are current competitors looking to meet more people and get to more contests. I’m starting to work my way into the community and my spirits are soaring rather high. I’ll fly again this weekend with increased focus and some more video to share. Thanks for reading everyone. I sincerely appreciate your feedback and support. A special thanks to Mark Wooding for letting me test drive his computer to make the video.

Quonset Airshow 2010 Wrap Up or, How I broke the law for a good cause.

Working as vendor is a double-edged sword. On one hand I do get to meet some really cool cats with some great stories. I also get to play a role as somewhat of an authority on flying (“Wow, you fly that?” Why yes, yes I do.) At the same time, sometimes I guess I wouldn’t mind just being a spectator.

The show was barely enjoyable for me based solely on the account of the weather for the weekend. It was hot, and humid enough for me to sweat in areas I didn’t know were anatomically possible. It felt like the sun was mere inches from my face at all times regardless of where I tried to seek refuge. Somehow I managed to escape without the traditional third-degree sunburn.

At the end of Sunday’s festivities there was a whole lot of hurry-up-and-wait going on. We had two airplanes (Cessna 172SP and the D(!)) that we couldn’t move until a fence came down. The show was over by 4 and we were told 6pm would be the earliest time we could move our stuff. I seized the opportunity.

Now, I don’t condone breaking rules. I don’t condone doing anything stupid at an airport. However, I am a big proponent of taking the occasional risk if opportunity waits on the other side. In this case “the other side” is quite literal in that I was eyeballing the performers hangar stocked with Tucker’s Wolfpitts, and Goulian’s Extra. Of course, several armed members of the Army prevented the General Public from accessing this illustrious spot of airport real estate. But, wait…I’m not general public! I’m a pilot. I’ve met each of those guys before. I belong over there.

I turned to our crew and announced that I was going to go do something stupid. I walked up to the guards, pretended I knew what the heck I was doing and meandered right on through to the hangar. No fuss, no muss. Next thing ya know I’m hanging out by Goulian’s Extra with David Kicklighter his ferry pilot and crew chief. Mike was there too but preoccupied with some official business. I asked Kicklighter point blank “how do I get into the airshow business.” His answer was profound with its simplicity. He knew I’m flying the D. His only real comment: “keep doing exactly what you’re doing. Get as much tailwheel experience you can and keep meeting as many people as you can.”

Well that felt pretty good.

Next up, I should be back in the saddle of the D again this week as long as the thunderstorms stop timing their arrival to coincide perfectly with my departure. I would say at this point that there is a 0% chance that I won’t be an airshow pilot.

Disclaimer: I didnt really break any rules or laws. I had been through the restricted area many time over the weekend but always in a group of people as we had to take care of some business with the Air Gaurd. As a spectator I would never cross any lines without authorization and neither should you!

A Poem.

Twas the night before airshow
And all through the field
Every creature was stirring
With what tomorrow could yield

The plane had been down
For quite the long time
But now the repair was approaching
The end of the line

The engine was hung
The prop put in place
Fuel lines hooked up
Bolts turned in good haste

With a flick of the switch
And a yell to stay clear
The prop started turning
And I let out a big cheer

She is alive once more
The wait is now done
I can fly all day
So let's have some fun.


Can you tell I'm pretty happy? I resorted to iambic pentameter. Airplane is working. Back together. Alive and well. Woot.

A Hopeful Phoenix

We’re almost there folks. The engine has been rehung on the airplane and all the hoses and wires are connected. It has been over a month since I last flew the Decathlon and tomorrow could find me back in the air…with some style to boot.

Brian Shippee is one of the A&P’s over at PT Aero. He promised to have the D up by the airshow and it looks like its going to happen. The morning began with the engine and the airplane still separated. By the end of the day very little remained to be done. Prop, oil, fuel, electricity, it was all there. Watching someone work on an airplane is like watching an artist paint a portrait. I see chunks of metal and wires. He sees a solution. Of course at the very end of the day there was a mad scramble to find 8 of the right size spark plugs. We joined forces. We found 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 REM40E spahk plugs.

Oh, and here is the whole reason this mess happened in the first place. Guilty as charged, the camshaft has some rather eroded lobes and it just wasn’t a good idea to have this spindly looking thing up in the engine.


So the big day is tomorrow. The only thing really left to do is fire it up and see what happens. If all goes well I will ferry the airplane down to Quonset Point for the 20th annual Rhode Island National Guard Airshow. I’m not flying in the airshow of course, the D is just going to be on display at the Horizon Aviation tent. Still, taxing in between Thunderbirds, F-18’s and Sean D. Tucker is one hell of a good way to spend a Friday.

Juxtaposed

In Jersey City, NJ watching the Red Bull Air Race. Our view is tremendous. We are 26 floors up in our own little perch, watching all the events pan out below.

We took dinner in down in Greenwich Village. Years ago, when I was surrounded by guitar amplifiers and drumsets instead of propellers and parachutes, the Village was mecca. I read books about Dylan, Hendrix, and anyone else that at some point set one foot on these streets on their way towards immortality. I built all these people up to be Gods. Flying hasn’t turned me off from their music but it has brought them down a peg or two.

Sitting on St. Marks, I’m watching people scroll past my window. It’s amazing. Every single person it seems, has spent years leading up to today deciding what image they want to portray. That guy is wearing all black; that girl is wearing a tutu, leather jacket, and feathers; those folks over there clearly worship The Ramones. Its cool. I get it. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t the same way quite often. In places like this your identity revolves largely around the image that you portray. You can back this up with clichéd arguments about expressing oneself…the “this is who I really am” speech. I’ve heard it a thousand times and after hearing it so often, I stopped believing it. It’s not who you are, its who you want to be. Strangely enough, this relates straight back to flying for me.

The airplane doesn’t care who you want to be, only who you are. It doesn’t care what you look like, what you are wearing, what your name is, what brand sunglasses you have on, what gender you are, what age you are, how many friends you have, what your GPA was, whether you have car, an iphone, or an ipad. It doesn’t matter if you’re married, single, gay, straight, loved, hated, missed, or worshipped. The only thing the airplane cares about, the only thing that matters at that given second when you are in the air is whether or not you can do it. Can you pull this turn through? Can you make this landing? Can you shoot this instrument approach? The airplane, even though we build them up giving them names and souls will only be a machine at the end of the day. It doesn’t know you nor does it care to know you. It just wants to know whether or not you can do it.

In this corner: Brutal honesty resulting in life or death. And in this corner: Ed Hardy t-shirts selling for $100. I’ll take the former.

IwantIwantIwantIwantIwantIwant

The past two days have felt like marathon work days followed by marathon personal work nights. I’ve been pouring over my budget and trying to find a good balance between what I need, what I want, and what I can do.

The must haves: I need to fly and I need to compete. Anything else I do or buy is really just extra. If I don’t fly…what the heck is the point of this website? I know I have said that I am getting pessimistic about competing in July but I’m not counting myself out just yet. No, I haven’t flown in awhile. No, I haven’t flown all the figures. I still cant justify taking money away from that contest before I know for a fact whether or not I’m competing or not. So, Vermont in July and New Jersey in August. Each contest will most likely cost $1000 to attend (airplane, lodging, registration, food.) Before I can compete there is plenty of practicing to be done, as much as I can possibly afford but still have enough cash on hand to compete.

Did I mention I’m doing this on a cash basis? No credit cards.

What I want is better video capability and editing capability. That means at minimum a new computer to replace my antique Mac Powerbook. (which I love…don’t electrocute me while typing this. We cool? We cool? K, cool) New iMac = $1200. New Mac Mini = $700 when you factor in the extra stuff you have to buy along with it. The added ability and power of the iMac really tips the balance, especially when you start looking at the refurbished units that Apple has on their site. (just checked, 21 inch iMac 3.06ghz processor, 4gb of ram only $999….crap…I need to buy that)

Of course now we arrive at the "what I can do list." I can’t spend $1000 on a computer right now. I could, but then I couldn’t compete. So…that would be stupid and pointless. Immediately gratifying and then ultimately horribly regretful. The computer will have to come after the competition season is over. A camera could still git-r-done in the meantime. In a possibly creative and brilliant thought on the part of James Jones, an iPod touch could possibly get me inflight audio recording (I already have the video camera with the vholdr), and a camera at the same time. Hmmmmmmmmm. And I could finally join the 21st century.

Competition is king at the moment.