I had the plane booked for Tuesday late afternoon more to keep my hand in than for anything specific in mind. I arranged for my daughter’s boyfriend to go up with me as ‘self-loading ballast’. In the event, he didn’t turn up (probably forgot), so it was just me.
I checked the plane over and looked pensively at the weather. Fair old breeze, a bit gusty, but nothing that would have worried me at all in a nosewheel aircraft. Thunderstorm warnings on the ATIS and certainly some large showers floating about, but fairly clearly defined and you could just about see through them.
I was worried about the crosswind AND only being solo in the plane. In a plane as small and light as the RV, landing solo means more float, slower landing speed and less mass for gusts to have a lot of fun with you and for things to happen more quickly.
I was talking myself out of it and resolved to head back to the hangar and pack up and go home, after all, this is meant to be fun right? Why put the pressure on if I don’t have to? Then I thought about it wasn’t so bad and you know, if you don’t step a little outside your comfort zone (not a huge step, but at least a little) then you are not going to progress and will end up crawling back into a very small comfort zone which will gradually get smaller and smaller.
Hell, it was just like in the fantasy movies with a miniature guardian angel on one shoulder telling you to congratulate yourself on being brave enough NOT to fly, with a devil on the other shoulder chiding me for being a scaredy squirrel – or maybe it was other way around – you get the picture.
OK – we go! What the hell. I booked out and hauled the aircraft out. As I was doing so, Steve Noudjam turned up to meet with Manuel about his lovely record Cape Town and back record challenging RV7. I wished him luck with his record attempt – probably when I was out of earshot he asked Manuel ‘who the hell was that?’.
I taxied out to the pumps and filled the plane a bit as it was down to its last 30 litres. The ATIS was saying the wind was 280/12 – given runway 27, this was fine, but I have to say it looked a bit further out than a mere 10 degrees, so I vowed (as any taildragger pilot would) to pay more attention to the evidence of my eyes than and ‘official pronouncements’.
The airport was pretty quiet as I completed power checks. I was cleared for take-off on runway 27 and duly lined up. Again I carefully check the windsock, looks like the wind is some 20 degrees coming from the right, so mental note to go easier on the right rudder as the power comes on and put a bit of into wind aileron in. Power up and rolling.
As expected, the tail comes up quickly with the wind and reduced weight. Before I know it the plane is hopping about anxious to get airborne, I hold it down for as long as I can then ease back and she is up. Other than checking the rpm when I first apply full power, I don’t look at the panel at all during the short take-off run, I use my ears instead to gauge engine note. This is normal for me on the RV as I am totally focussed on ‘dancing on the pedals’ to keep the plane running straight – ask any taildragger pilot and they will probably say the same thing.
I apply the 10 degrees noise abatement turn at the end of the runway and see where I can go. I originally wanted to head to the west, but there is a nasty shower over Gloucester and the north west towards Malvern looks better. I head up to 2300’. Approach call me to warn of inbound traffic from the north west. I announce that I am climbing to 2800’ (on the assumption that if he is inbound he will probably be at 2000’ on the QFE. I hear the incoming traffic call as having me in sight, he is probably below me, but I cannot see him (I find it harder to spot traffic ‘below the sky’ against the ground).
Although my airspeed is some 130kts, I note with interest that the GPS is giving my groundspeed as 100kts, so a 30kt headwind up here.
Around Malvern, the clouds are quite scattered and just for the hell of it, I climb to 5500’ to get above most of them just to have a look at the cloudscape. I hear another aircraft inbound to Gloucester from the north for the instrument procedure, so he will also be high. I decide to delay my turn to Bredon Hill until I hear him call again at 10 miles, and therefore past me. While waiting, I do a few steep turns and just manage to resist the childish urges to say ‘wheeeeee’ out loud!
On the way over to Bredon Hill, I spot Defford disused airfield and from that, pick out Croft Farm. I descend to below the cloudbase to do a couple of orbits of my village, then pick up the ATIS and call for a rejoin. I am given direct to right base for 27 as I head on in. I approach at 2000’ on the QFE, then drop to 1000’ just as I approach right base. What I forget is that I am a lot faster going into right base than normal, so have to take the power off and let the slippery RV bleed speed back to the rather low flap limiting speed. By the time I do this and pull flaps on, I am way high, so I continue with the power off until the picture comes in properly on final.
They are giving 280/08, but again, the windsock look more like 290 or maybe 300. I do have to keep the nose to the right to keep the extended runway centreline, so I mentally prepare for a crosswind landing, get ready on the left rudder and right aileron. I also remember that I am only one-up, so much lighter than usual, so get ready for extended float.
Over the threshold, picture good and power now off. Round out and hold off. I hold off and off, but no stall warner. Crosswind does not seem to be a factor as nose is straight, but right wing wants to lift a bit, so a bit of into wind aileron and opposite rudder to compensate. Still holding off, would be nice to hear the stall warner, then it chirps a bit, then a bit more, then it is continuous – wow, it really makes a big difference being one up. We touch, lift again maybe a few inches then touch again – happy with that! We are stopped well before the intersection, but Gloucester kindly give me a backtrack anyway as they really are not busty at all.
Taxi in and shutdown. Aaaahhh! No one around and all the hangars shut up, so I can’t borrow the other RV’s towbar (yes, I do have their permission), so I am going to have to man-handle the RV by the prop backwards into a crowded hangar! But wait – help is at hand. The Cotswold hangar is opening and someone is getting a plane out, time for me to sneak in a borrow the towbar. I get the plane in easily and introduce myself to my saviour. He is a member of the other RV group and asks what the weather and winds are like. I tell him that they are fine and no problem either on take off or landing and that it is very quiet and peaceful up there tonight.
A very nice flight and I am glad that I pushed myself into doing it. I am quite sure there are many tailwheel pilots out there that may scoff at my timidity, well good for them, but I don’t claim to be a barnstorming, fearless aviation legend. Far from it, I am very much a ‘Captain Sensible’ and for me, this was pushing the envelope a little bit.
OK, now I must check the calendars and booking sheets for a free weekend and book the plane for a cross channel jaunt.
