Breakfast Fly-out

The Ohio area RV crowd was planning on meeting at Urbana-Grimes for brunch this morning, and being only 30 miles or so away I decided to go on up and join them. The only concern was the forecast for 2,500' ceilings, but that just meant I'd have to fly 500 feet lower than normal, and that's no big deal at all. It was nice to wake to clear blue skies, having only a thin layer way up high where the airlines play. The wind was ok, 8 knots or so right down the runway. It was enough wind to make the unseasonably warm day just chilly enough to remind you that it is, in fact, still January. It's hard to complain about weather like this in January, but I do wish I had worn a slightly warmer coat!

The flight to Urbana was nice, although I was a little disappointed in the 130 knot airspeed. It sure didn't take me long to get spoiled - the Tampico could get up to 130 knots, but it could only sustain it for as long as it takes a plane in a vertical dive to hit the ground. And here I am now, griping because that's the fastest I could go in level flight!

Parked for brunch.

After we ate, a portion of the formation crowd went out to do their thing:




I just love the sound of the five engines combined into a deep, throaty rumble. It sounds almost like a B-17 going over, and the way these guys fly a tight formation, the spacing of the engines is probably about the same as is would be on the wing of a b-17!

The other RV-6 at based at Bolton, which carries the unique distinction of being the nicest RV-6 I've ever seen, was lined up for takeoff just in front of me as I was leaving:



It's gorgeous, inside and out!

Both landings were good, despite the fairly windy conditions. Slowing down to 70mph on final has really made a big difference. It still feels horrible, but I'm getting used to it. I think the biggest factor of slowing it down a bit is that the elevator isn't quite as effective, so I don't have the tendency over-flare like I used to. Flaring too early to too much leaves you dangling over the runway, just waiting for the bottom to fall out. You either get into a porpoising problem where you just keep bouncing down the runway, or you get such a humongous drop to the runway that your first reaction is to look over at the wings to see if the landing gear came all the way through the top, or just left a dent.

It's after 2pm now and the sun is still out, despite the dire predictions from the weather guessers. It's over 50 degrees, so I think I'll get the new bike out and get some exercise.