Best Halloween ever! (went flying)

[TacitBlue]

Hi All, just wanted to share my nice experience with you all. Some of you may know that I was working toward my PPL for a while. Well, I haven't had the time or money to fly since I started A&P school last December. As luck would have it, I had a little free time on Friday so I decided spur of the moment to go see my old instructor and just hang around the airport for a while. When I arrived, Joe (my instructor) was out doing a BFR with a lady in her Aeronca Champ. I watched them do a few touch and goes in that pretty little airplane and finally they landed and parked. Joe introduced me to the pilot of the Champ, Melinda. She and I shook hands and got to talking as I admired her airplane. To my surprise, she offered me a ride! A few minutes later we were rolling down the runway, the tail came up, which is an odd feeling when you are used to having a nose wheel, and the little bird lifted off of the runway so gently. Melinda took us up to about 2500' MSL and pointed the nose towards a nearby lake. At this point she turned over the controls to me. Now if you have never flown an airplane with a stick rather than a yoke, I highly recommend that you try it. The stick provided such a natural feeling, I didn't think about anything I just flew. At one point I looked out the window and noticed that one aileron was down a little and the other was up, but I was flying straight and level. I had been correcting for a crosswind without even knowing it! After about 20 minutes, I figured I had used enough of her gas and set us up to enter the pattern. Melinda took over and brought us back down for a perfect landing. That was probably the most fun I have ever had with an airplane aside from my first solo, and I'm not sure I'll ever be truly happy with a Cessna again. Speaking of Cessnas, Later that day I payed Joe for a flight around the pattern in his old 172 just to see if I could still land a plane like I used to and let me tell you, I greased that landing. I get a lot of satisfaction from a good landing. That's not the end of the story either, the icing on the cake came when I mentioned to Joe that I was thinking of getting an old propeller to hang on my wall. He took me into the hanger and handed me an old McCaully Met-L-Prop that was just a little too beat up to ever be used again. It barely fit in my car, but it will look good on the wall. Well, I know it was a long post, but thanks for reading. And seriously, you have to try flying a plane with a stick, you'll never go back.

[AMDDDA]

I, for one, am the exact opposite, I have never flown with a yoke  ;D.

Nice story there, I'm sure it was a great halloween (I had the beginnings of the flu on Halloween, while my mum drove us to San Antonio).

[beaky]

Excellent... another one seduced by the little 7AC.  ;D

That was also my first taildragger, and it definitely made a lasting impression. It's hard to say why, exactly- Champs are slow, don't climb worth a damn, have almost-useless brakes, tons of adverse yaw, love to weathervane in cross-winds, can't carry much, and can't go very far, even slowly sipping those 13 gallons.

But they're just wonderfully predictable once you get a feel for them, and are simple and sturdy.  Just a good airplane.  :)

[BFMF]

I've been up a couple times in a Cessna 170, and even got some stick time while on one flight, but I can't remember if it has a stick or yoke

[Brett_Henderson]

Sounds like a neat and fun experience...  :)

Humor me though...

At one point I looked out the window and noticed that one aileron was down a little and the other was up, but I was flying straight and level. I had been correcting for a crosswind without even knowing it!

...elaborate on straight and level crosswind correction that was anything other than a crab angle. If you were holding aileron deflection and not rolling, you had to be slipping ?  :-?

I only bring it up, because flying techniques discussed in forums are there in black and white for many to read.. I'd be remiss to not question

[Boss_BlueAngels]

And seriously, you have to try flying a plane with a stick, you'll never go back.

Ain't that the truth!  I'm getting my tailwheel endorsment in a Champ right now and have about 5 hours in a 180HP Decathlon.  

How did you like the extra rudder work required in the Champ?  And just remember, unless you're landing, you don't actually need to fly with crosswind control inputs.  You still fly straight and level, but you just adjust your heading so the wind helps blow you to your destination.  

I had a similar situation that you mentioned with the deflecte ailerons on my first flight in the Champ, then realized I was unintentionally flying in a slip while cruising.  Not too efficient, I must say! lol  It was one of those, "Dur!" moments.  

[TacitBlue]

[quote]I had a similar situation that you mentioned with the deflected ailerons on my first flight in the Champ, then realized I was unintentionally flying in a slip while cruising.

[beaky]

[quote][quote]I had a similar situation that you mentioned with the deflected ailerons on my first flight in the Champ, then realized I was unintentionally flying in a slip while cruising.