First solo XC in the Airknocker- epilogue

[beaky]

I stopped by the flight school after work today, to pay for Sunday's Champ time, find out what happened with the brake... and because I really like being there.

Claudette was there, studying for her checkout in the Grumman that has just returned to service, and she fetched Tom, who was still busy fixing something.
 He told me I was right that the brake was broken, and reached into the trash can in the shop to show me a length of steel cable that had frayed and eventually snapped.  :o

I'm so glad sometimes that I'm basically a coward...

He'd fixed it at French Valley, then flew it back with Allen, who is on the round side, up front.

It went OK until they tried to land- to do a 3-pointer in that plane, you have to pull the stick all the way back- right into your body- at the right moment. Well, if your belly tends to get in the way at such moments, you may find you have to go around a few times and eventually wheel it on.
 There was nothing Tom, who is thin as a rail, could do about it, because the two sticks are linked.  Great story; I wish I'd been there. But on the ground, watching.

I've got at least one more weekend here in this sunny Shangri-La By the Sea, so I booked the Champ for a block Sunday morning.
If anybody wants to look at the Los Angeles sectional and suggest a 200-mile round trip that doesn't involve flying over  mountains or more than two miles of water, I'm open to suggestions...  :)

[Mobius]

I'm so glad sometimes that I'm basically a coward...

Not a bad thing in aviation.

Sounds like loads of fun, and for the cross country, I'd suggest finding somewhere with lots of stuff to look at, then just fly in circles.  Or not.

[Hagar]

[quote]He'd fixed it at French Valley, then flew it back with Allen, who is on the round side, up front.

It went OK until they tried to land- to do a 3-pointer in that plane, you have to pull the stick all the way back- right into your body- at the right moment. Well, if your belly tends to get in the way at such moments, you may find you have to go around a few times and eventually wheel it on.

[Brett_Henderson]

If anybody wants to look at the Los Angeles sectional and suggest a 200-mile round trip that doesn't involve flying over  mountains or more than two miles of water, I'm open to suggestions...  

Man.. I'm  looking at the sectional. No mountains or more than 2 miles over water.. no transponder, nav-radio, or GPS rules out hugging the coast.

I'd think that flying a lap around the Camp Pendleton restricted area might be an adventure, and would get you out over the ocean for a little while.. But that looks like some tricky airspace navigating. The whole area looks pretty tricky for someone not intimately familiar with the area. I'd imagine that more of the same flying is the call.

Now.. if it were ME... and I had a day to kill in sunny So-Cal... I'd rent a Skyhawk or Warrior and hop up to Van Nuys...  Did you ever watch, 'One Six Right' ?

[FLYING_TRUCKER]

I'm so glad sometimes that I'm basically a coward...  

Hi Sean...

Welcome to the group of professional general aviators, bug smasher drivers, bush pilots, commercial and military aviators who, and I am proud to say I am one are just like you.  

Glad to see you are having fun and getting lots of aviating in.  (gosh I wonder if "aviating" is a word"  ;D

We were at customs the other day when a maroon/yellow Airknocker came in with a for sale sign on it.  I immediately thought about you and tried to get the phone number.  The phone number was only seven (7) digits and the old girl and I could not figure out what area that it could even be in as neither of us recognized the first three (3) digits.  
The aircraft left so fast that we never saw the person flying it and of course I did not write down the registration.
There was something about the aircraft that caught both our attention and I think it was the livery.

Again have fun...cheers...happy landings...Doug

[FLYING_TRUCKER]

Good afternoon Sean...

Just a quick follow up on the above post.

I stopped off at a local bug smasher field this morning while driving home from shopping and got into a conversation with another local I know.

He has also saw this particular aircraft at an airport east of here, he thinks, and it was the livery which caught his attention as well...it was awesome Sean.

Anyways it annoys me when folks are selling something and they don't give you all the particulars especially the area code for the phone number and I mentioned this to him.

His reply was although he did not see the actual digits he thought it was a "Ferry Permit" to move the aircraft to another owner.

[beaky]

If you can spare some time to remember, let me know if you spot an all-metal C-120 or C-140 with an IFR panel. High-time is OK.
I've decided that's what I want.

[FLYING_TRUCKER]

Good afternoon Sean...

Okay will keep our eyes open but it may take awhile as we have water laying on the strip and it will be some time before we go bugsmasher field hopping.  

This is really a good time to look in the AOPA or COPA paper that comes out if you are a member.  There seems to be more than usual for sale.  You can probably pick a used paper up at the airport or club house as well.

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug