Dan Johnson
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2007
- Messages
- 156
- Reaction score
- 5
After seven months of waiting, I am now the proud owner of a 1940 J-3. (NC32569/5464)
I flew her from her home in Addison down to Houston today, several thoughts are in order:
I stopped in Corsicana and Huntsville for fuel, total flying time was about 4:46. I had a ten MPH headwind the entire flight.
The A-65 is burning just a smidge over four gallons per hour, oil consumption was under half a quart.
Although I spent years flying and teaching in rag and tube taildraggers, I've spent the last ten years flying airplanes with yaw dampers and training wheels. My most recent tailwheel experience was six years ago in a 7AC they used to rent down at Clover Field. (South of Hobby) Although I was very comfortable with takeoff and flight and was able to keep the airplane going straight and under control, my sense of "where the wheels are" in relationship to the ground was mostly gone. (The bigger runways don't help in this regard, my controlled crashes got progressively better as the day wore on. My last one had a bit of X-wind component and I ended up wheel-landing her. Worked like a charm.
Although I was somewhat disappointed I didn't take to it like I used to be able to do, it was very satisfying to see the basic reflexes are still there, and that there is a learning curve. I'm really looking forward to spending some time on grass getting reacquainted with basic stick and rudder.
I find it amazing that I can shoot a tight ILS in blowing snow to an icy runway at night in a 100K pound airplane without breaking a sweat, but a plane old vanilla Cub gave me a complete and total workout. (I can't remember the last time I was this tired.) I think Milton Fain once said, any competent Cub pilot could fly the Concorde. The reverse is not nescisarily true. I've always been fond of saying there are two constants the more flight time I get:
How little I know about Aviation.
How much they all fly like Cubs.
I'll post pictures soon! This is my first airplane and I'm going to need a lot of help and advice.
I flew her from her home in Addison down to Houston today, several thoughts are in order:
I stopped in Corsicana and Huntsville for fuel, total flying time was about 4:46. I had a ten MPH headwind the entire flight.
The A-65 is burning just a smidge over four gallons per hour, oil consumption was under half a quart.
Although I spent years flying and teaching in rag and tube taildraggers, I've spent the last ten years flying airplanes with yaw dampers and training wheels. My most recent tailwheel experience was six years ago in a 7AC they used to rent down at Clover Field. (South of Hobby) Although I was very comfortable with takeoff and flight and was able to keep the airplane going straight and under control, my sense of "where the wheels are" in relationship to the ground was mostly gone. (The bigger runways don't help in this regard, my controlled crashes got progressively better as the day wore on. My last one had a bit of X-wind component and I ended up wheel-landing her. Worked like a charm.
Although I was somewhat disappointed I didn't take to it like I used to be able to do, it was very satisfying to see the basic reflexes are still there, and that there is a learning curve. I'm really looking forward to spending some time on grass getting reacquainted with basic stick and rudder.
I find it amazing that I can shoot a tight ILS in blowing snow to an icy runway at night in a 100K pound airplane without breaking a sweat, but a plane old vanilla Cub gave me a complete and total workout. (I can't remember the last time I was this tired.) I think Milton Fain once said, any competent Cub pilot could fly the Concorde. The reverse is not nescisarily true. I've always been fond of saying there are two constants the more flight time I get:
How little I know about Aviation.
How much they all fly like Cubs.
I'll post pictures soon! This is my first airplane and I'm going to need a lot of help and advice.
