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Looking down the runway prior to takeoff is always exciting, even if I'm a passenger. Because I had no idea what to expect from the T-6 or Lee, I was more keyed up than usual. As we sped down the runway, so many thoughts and questions went through my mind that I can't be entirely objective about what I was experiencing. It seems to me that it took a long time to get off the ground but then I have only the relatively light 172s and coupes to compare it to. I'd say that's not a fair comparison. I'm not positive because Lee didn't say anything, but I think there was a decent crosswind blowing across the runway too. I thought Lee would climb up to a couple of thousand feet or so, but he didn't. He stayed low, 500 feet. He barely said anything to me while we were flying so I didn't know what he was doing until he did it, which was fine with me. I hope that you took a look at the web site I gave you yesterday to get a sense of what it looks like around here. From the air, look in any direction and you see a lovely scene. Lee was following the Eel River to the ocean. The dairy farms on either side of the river and the puffy white clouds drifting around reminded me ever so much of illustrations in story books I read as a child. The colors are so brilliant, saturated and everything is in sharp focus. I have pretty good eyesight but it's more than that. There was something about the quality of the light Saturday morning- low angle, golden October sun. Awesome. It was kinda bumpy. Everything is new to me about flying, including "bumpy". I've felt a bit of it before but this was stronger. I had a moment and only a moment where I felt a little scared. Then I started talking to myself in my mind. "The plane and Lee can handle this wind easily. Lee has been flying forever and he is in complete control. There is no problem so relax and enjoy it." So I took a deep breath and I was fine. By now we were passing over the braided, silvery, river delta. I was curious to see if Lee would fly out over the ocean or turn and follow the coastline. He turned and headed north up the coast. I about gave myself a whiplash craning my neck all around looking at everything, including looking for traffic. I am training myself to always be looking for other planes, even if when I'm a passenger. The visibilty in the T-6 is great, even in the back seat. OK, so I have been through ground school, I read about aviation quite a lot, I understand about the 4 forces acting on an aircraft. We all have studied the physics of flight. Nevertheless, don't you think there is something magical about it? I sure do. Especially when I think about the untold generations of humans who watched the birds and longed for the sky. We are so fortunate that we get to do this. I looked out the canopy at the bright yellow wings and the scenery passing beneath them. I thought about the ailerons and the flaps and what they do. This is hard for me to explain, but I feel comforted and at home when I look over and see wings. Beats the alternative <g>. Seriously though, I've never had a similiar feeling in a car, a boat, a motorcycle, or under any other circumstances although I know many other people do. And in the T-6, with the combination of the low wings and how one sits down so low inside it, I had a pronounced sensation of being an integral part of the plane rather than a separate entity. I can only imagine how much stronger that impression must be as the pilot. Since Lee wasn't talking, I had plenty of time to be alone with my thoughts, enjoy the sights, and listen to the marvelous, smooth radial engine. Lee was flying at 200 ft right above the breaking waves. I could see such detail and I started regretting not taking my camera with me. But I had no idea he liked to fly so low. When he got to Humboldt Bay he turned around and started heading south. I figured that he was going back to Rohnerville and felt sad we couldn't fly longer. However, at $125 hr for fuel, even short flights are expensive for him When we were over the mouth of the Eel, he turned to follow it back to the airport. I was looking forward to and curious about the landing. Like I said I didn't want the flight to end, but I thought the landing would be interesting. When we got fairly close to the airport, it got really bumby again. I heard and felt a thump on the belly of the plane. I was startled for a second and then I realized it was the landing gear going down. Oh yeah, the retractable gear. I think about the same time he put the flaps down. Wow, was I aware of the difference in drag. Also, it physically felt like we were going very steeply down hill although it didn't look like it visually. It felt like we landed pretty hard although I don't know how landing in a T-6 usually feels. Maybe it was normal. What wasn't normal, I know, is how we were all over the runway before we came to a stop. There definitely was a crosswind when we landed and Lee commented on it. As we were landing, the local AV8CANDO teens were standing outside watching us. I could tell my the expressions on their faces what they were thinking. I gave them a big smile as if to say, "Yeah it is as cool as you think and more!" I will finish this up tomorrow with comments about Lee. __________________________________________________ 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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