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To continue on with my T-6 ride... I arrived at the Rohnerville Airport right at 9AM. (A fellow grad student, who is a new pilot, has a wife who does an excellent job of photographing local views from the air. Check out her site to get an idea what it's like to fly around here.) http://www.edelmans.com/album/flying_photos/march_2000/index.html As it happened, I drove into the airport right behind Lee, the T-6 owner. Now I know where his hanger is from going there last week, but I didn't want to be as forward as to drive right to it as he did. Instead, I parked at the periphery of the hangers and walked over to his hanger. He had just started to unlock the big, push up door. It was obvious that he had no idea who I was or what I wanted. I rather expected that. After all, he talked to many, many people at Airport Day in Eureka. I greeted him and made small talk for a few minutes. I was able to assist him in pushing up the heavy door, which helped me feel a bit useful. It is not easy for me to ask for what I consider a huge favor. I took a deep breath and asked him about the possibility of going for a ride with him. He told me that his friend, Sheldon, was going with him. Lee said that he would not give away Sheldon's seat, but if Sheldon agreed to let me go in his place, that would be OK. So I'm standing there in front of this beautiful creature, the T-6, and I'm crossing my fingers, hoping Sheldon will arrive soon and let me go in his place. Lee acts gruff, which could be a bit intimidating. But I know that underneath that, he likes it when people make a fuss over his plane. And how could one not make a fuss over his plane! It's spectacular. I wanted to help him with his preflight but I didn't want to insult him either. I mean, how many years has he been doing this, 50-60? Shortly, Sheldon arrived. In contrast to Lee's gruff demeanor, Sheldon is outgoing, very friendly, and funny. Sheldon remembered me from the airport right away and knew why I was there. Sheldon didn't actually say right off, that he would let me go. So I was figuratively biting my fingernails for about a half an hour. I was pretty certain I would get to go but I needed to hear the words. During this half hour or so, several hanger neighbors of Lee came by to shoot the breeze. They are all nice men and I was glad to meet them, but inside I'm saying, "Please, please, please, let me go with you. Let's go flying!" It was only about 30 minutes but it seemed like forever before Sheldon came walking over to me carrying a parachute. He said as he handed it to me, "Here, I'll help you put this on." So I said, "You mean you're going to let me go?" "Sure, Georgia. I get to fly with him almost every weekend." For those of you that don't know, a portion of the parachute does double duty as a seat, once one is in the airplane. The T-6 isn't the easiest plane to get into, especially with the parachute hanging off of you. I'm afraid that I didn't make the most graceful entrance. But I didn't hurt anything on the plane or me so as far as I'm concerned it was a good entrance. It took me several tries to get the parachute/seat lined up so that it felt OK. It isn't as uncomfortable as I expected. In fact I was fairly comfortable. And by the time Sheldon had helped me fasten the seat belt and the harness, I felt like I was very securely fastened to the plane. Sheldon made a comment about how I wouldn't fall out of the plane now if Lee decided to do some fancy stuff. I asked Sheldon if that likely and he just laughed. I'm not wanting to experience areobatics quite yet. Eventually yes. I still am afraid that I'm going to get airsick and that would be so embarrassing. As most of you know, in the T-6, two people sit in tandem, not side by side. Lee got in before I did so I didn't get a look at his instrument panel before I sat down. So I am not sure if the back seat has all the instruments or not, but I think not. Somebody correct me on that if I'm wrong. Sheldon stood on the wing and grinned at me as I fastened the canopy, per his instructions. Was my heart racing! I was going to finally get to ride in this fabulous bird. Now I have heard the engine start before and it's always exciting. But hearing it and feeling it start from inside the plane is an entirely different experience. I have been mesmerized by the sound of radial engines since the first time I heard one. Being this up close and personal with one was choice. What a sound! The only thing that could be better is having my hands on the controls. Who knows, maybe someday in the future. When Lee started taxiing, I was beside myself with glee. "Wow, this is going to happen. My first Warbird flight.!!!" I got to see how taxiing with finesse is done. Nothing like seeing a master at work. Oh, BTW, all the airports around here are uncontrolled so we're all on our own. But there is so little air traffic, that usually there aren't problems. We heard a guy on the radio who was about to come in. Lee told me that he didn't see him and asked me if I did. I was able to point him out to Lee. I know Lee wouldn't have gone onto the runway until after the guy landed anyway, but it made me feel good that I could help a tiny bit. Runup was impressive. If I had suddenly come to out of a coma, it would be decidedly apparent that I was in the presence of a couple of more horses that the Cessna 172. She was pulsating, vibrating, and don't tell me that airplanes are only machines! She wanted to GO. Sorry to have to continue this again... I'm needing to write more about this than I thought. Manana~ Spook __________________________________________________ To unsubscribe from this list please send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
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