Sighting Flight...
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:39 amNo, not sight seeing, but sighting as in adjusting an improvised sighting system in my instructors Decathlon. Since he does his training flights from the back seats, he needed to adjust some window tape so that he has an accurate reference for vertical and 45 degree lines from the back seat... so that he can accurately judge my aerobatic flying.
A couple weeks ago after our monthly IAC (International Aerobatic Club) meeting he said he needed some "weight" in the front seat and so I quickly offered my services. I was quite excited since the weather has been really bad and I haven't done an aerobatic flight since November!
I took us off, right behind a tow-plane and glider. It was flippin' AMAZING because we flew, basically, in formation with it while climbing to 3,000 feet, all while our local squadron of VANS RV formation pilots were practicing a good 5 miles away. It certainly provided for some spectacular sights.
Anyway, we get to altitude and, with the aid of an observer on the ground, we established our 90 and 45 degree lines. And boy was that a BLAST! It was a good G tollerance flight for me as my instructor did 5-G pulls one right after the other to give us maximum time in the vertical/45 to get a good picture from our observer. The vertical lines were the most fun as it was just a series of outside humpty-bumps (my personal favorite!). This is a maneuver that is especially vulnerable to blackout because you pull 5g's to vertical, then push -1G over the top, then a moment later pull right into 5g's again to level out. The "push to pull" part is where the blacking out happened.
One of the most fascinating things was something I always wanted to experience with with the safety of an instructor, and that was experiencing blackout. I was still fully awake and aware of my surroundings, it only affected my vision. But after a series of these I could watch my vision start to go to gray, then the edges fade in to tunnel vision and then things start to go dark. Within an instant I would do the hook maneuver and the world would light back up again. (Obviously it was while he had the plane)
Anyway, it was really great to get up again, and to sit there doing a good 18 of these maneuvers in rapid succession was an absolute thrill! And not to mention a bunch of half cubans and reverse half cubans for the 45's.
Next week I have our next meeting and, wether permitting, will be getting a flight in one members Extra 330L and anothers Christen Eagle!! As the weather gets more consistant (as with my money flow!) I will take more lessons to gear up for my first two contests this coming summer! Wohoo!
No other way to fly for me anymore. If it doesn't have at least a semi-symmetrical airfoil, I don't want to fly it.
A couple weeks ago after our monthly IAC (International Aerobatic Club) meeting he said he needed some "weight" in the front seat and so I quickly offered my services. I was quite excited since the weather has been really bad and I haven't done an aerobatic flight since November!
I took us off, right behind a tow-plane and glider. It was flippin' AMAZING because we flew, basically, in formation with it while climbing to 3,000 feet, all while our local squadron of VANS RV formation pilots were practicing a good 5 miles away. It certainly provided for some spectacular sights.
Anyway, we get to altitude and, with the aid of an observer on the ground, we established our 90 and 45 degree lines. And boy was that a BLAST! It was a good G tollerance flight for me as my instructor did 5-G pulls one right after the other to give us maximum time in the vertical/45 to get a good picture from our observer. The vertical lines were the most fun as it was just a series of outside humpty-bumps (my personal favorite!). This is a maneuver that is especially vulnerable to blackout because you pull 5g's to vertical, then push -1G over the top, then a moment later pull right into 5g's again to level out. The "push to pull" part is where the blacking out happened.
One of the most fascinating things was something I always wanted to experience with with the safety of an instructor, and that was experiencing blackout. I was still fully awake and aware of my surroundings, it only affected my vision. But after a series of these I could watch my vision start to go to gray, then the edges fade in to tunnel vision and then things start to go dark. Within an instant I would do the hook maneuver and the world would light back up again. (Obviously it was while he had the plane)
Anyway, it was really great to get up again, and to sit there doing a good 18 of these maneuvers in rapid succession was an absolute thrill! And not to mention a bunch of half cubans and reverse half cubans for the 45's.
Next week I have our next meeting and, wether permitting, will be getting a flight in one members Extra 330L and anothers Christen Eagle!! As the weather gets more consistant (as with my money flow!) I will take more lessons to gear up for my first two contests this coming summer! Wohoo!
No other way to fly for me anymore. If it doesn't have at least a semi-symmetrical airfoil, I don't want to fly it.