Well, sorta. I do have 2.4 hours from MANY years back in a C-150. They're not really relevant, but they're in the log book. Any errors in terminology or methodology in this post are due to my inexperience and bad memory, and should not reflect on my instructor. I called North Texas Flight Academy yesterday to see if the SportsStar and Ron Podmenik were available. They had an opening at 7:00 AM so I booked the time. I got up at oh-my:30 and wandered out to the field in the dark. I was told to be there at least 15 minutes early, but apparently that didn't get passed on to the instructor. No worries, it was a nice morning to sit out and watch the sun brighten the sky. Sky's clear, slightly hazy, slight breeze. Ron pulls up at 7:00 and introduces himself. He tells me there's another student soloing at 8:00, so this will be a slightly abbreviated lesson. He familiarizes me with the SportsStar, he runs the pre-flight and we're taxiing out. Down to the end of the taxiway, working through the checklist. Do the turnaround to check traffic. Ron looks at me and says "at 45 knots, pull back on the stick." Oooookay. Let's go. Make the radio calls, up comes the throttle, off the brakes and we're rolling. 45 knots, pull back and it's in the air. Very nifty. As I mentioned before, my previous experience is in a 70s-era C-150. This plane is NOTHING like that C-150. Quick climb (I think), very responsive to the stick (you acrobatic guys can start laughing now...) and much quieter. I can actually hear the conversations and radio clearly, which is a nice change of pace. We climb and Ron says "go that way." We go that way, then bank and head that way, then again for several different headings. Worked on turns, ascents, descents for a while and watched the sun come up. The view out of the SportsStar is very nice, great visibility. The plane was very forgiving and basically went right where I wanted it to go. The haze was a problem for me, I had some trouble picking out landmarks. Ron called Alliance control and asked for a touch and go. We were cleared into 16R, and then given permission to sidestep to 16L. Ron tells me to head toward Alliance, but I can't find it. When he points it out it surprised me. Quote of the flight: "it's so big I didn't see it at all!" It's not really difficult to land on 16L Low and slow, stall and thump. Ron does something with the flaps, throttle up, and at 45 I pull it into the sky again. Up like an elevator, we're at 1400 ft before we hit the end of the runway. Left and out, we get clearance to circle the racetrack at 1800 ft. One lap of TMS later and we're headed back to 52F. Ron does the radio calls, we drop with with a "45 degree teardrop on the downwind" (I hope I got that phrase right) and then it's time for the base and final turns. Low and slow again, the SportsStar just lays onto the runway and we're done. Time .6 hours. Total time 3 hours. I might check out some other schools/CFIs, but I REALLY like that plane and Ron seems like a better instructor than I've had in the past. I can't get back into the air until the 8th at the soonest due to work travel
After a walk -around familiarization talk we climbed into a 1937 Cub and the instructor made the take of from an 1800 foot grass strip. No radio, no runway numbers, no brakes, no tail wheel (just a tailskid). We lined up , he took off from the front seat, cleared the field and climbed to 2000 feet, did some clearing turns and asked me if I wanted to do a loop. " Hell yeah!" We did a loop and he asked me if I was okay. " Certainly". " Okay, we'll do some turns. You've got it. Feed in a little rudder as you bank. Okay do one to the left.....keep the nose on the horizon! Just let the curve of the cowling sweep along the horizon." We did some climbing turns to experience the effect rudder input, etc. After doing this for 1 hour we headed back and he let me try to fly the pattern around the field, aligning with the roads that ringed it. Then he landed. One hour in the book. Switches
Great stories guys - keep it up. Maybe I'll join in as a "mid-generation" reporter from learning to fly 40 years ago. Switches - when did you start flying in this 1937 Cub anyway? I learned in a PA-18A Super Cub.
I started in 1945 out of a grass strip east of Sarasota, Fla. I hope that I'm not coming across as a put- down to Tillman's experience. I meant only to illustrate how things can change over the years. Flying was pure joy then, sans FAA breathing down your neck and unencumbered by the modern complications. Funny thing. My oldest son who has flown everything you can think of flies a '37 Cub only a few NC numbers away from the Cub that I flew back then. He says that a Cub makes you fly with every control in use and will keep a pilot sharp. I agree. Switches
To the contrary - I thought it was amazing to consider just how similar his experience was to your - 60+ years earlier - controlled airspace notwithstanding.
I didn't get to do a loop -- waaaa! Regarding KAFW and 16L, that runway is 9600 x 150 ft. Kind of overkill for a Light Sports plane. Image Unavailable, Please Login
