It was decided that the worst damaged area could be ‘flush patched’ by cutting out the affected part and flush riveting in a new piece. The other damage was pushed out and filled where necessary. A slight dent is still visible, but they did a very nice job. The cost was a not at all unreasonable £200-odd. I’ll post a photo when I remember to take one.
I decided to go up for a local to shake the cobwebs loose. Saturday was already booked all day, but Sunday was free. To allow for other group members to book a decent slot, I booked the plane from 15:00 to 17:00. As it turned out, no one else wanted it, so I started checking it out as 14:30.
The weather was good, with decent visibility and scattered cloud at about 3700’. Winds were 290/10 with runway in use 27.
Nice leisurely walkaround making sure I checked all the boxes. Fuel was fine, some 70l – I could only take a maximum of 87 with me and my passengers weight anyway, so not worth topping up for mere one hour local.
I booked out and we climbed in and strapped in. Startup was easy and I taxied to the customary A2 for 27. Power checks were good and I was asked to hold and line up after the backtracking PA28. This I did and gunned the plane for take off. The tail came up quite quickly and the RV started to hop and skip excitedly down the runway. I held her down to build up speed then eased her off as she seemed to do her best to get to circuit height by the end of the upwind numbers! If you haven’t flown an RV yet, then you probably should – they are so willing and responsive with crisp and light handling – if anything, too sensitive in pitch. Not an ideal ‘stable IFR platform’, but a delight to fly VFR.
We headed west and climbed quickly to the cloudbase at 3700’. There were huge holes in the cloud all round, so I decided to continue the climb to get on top. I levelled out at 8000’ with great views of the undercast. A bit of general handling to blow the cobwebs away while Rob took pictures.
I bumbled around my usual local route, start in the west, fly clockwise over the Malverns, then onto Evesham, Winchcombe, Bishops Cleeve then back to Gloucester.
I descended back to below the clouds north of Bredon Hill and did a low (but entirely legal) circuit of my home village north of Bishops Cleeve for the obligatory photo of the house and happy waving neighbours (at least I think they were happy and waving…..).
I got the ATIS and called for a rejoin. We were given a standard overhead join for 27 right hand. I talked my passenger, Rob through what I was doing. I don’t find this at all distracting as it is what I used to do while learning.
On crossing the upwind numbers at 1000’, I noticed the other aircraft in the circuit a fair way to my left. I would turn downwind around the same time as him, but as he was much further out, I would be a decent way ahead. I asked my passenger to keep a close eye on him as I turned and called downwind. I was given number 1 and turned base as normal.
Power off, carb heat on, bleed the speed back to flap limiting arc and pull on one, then two stages of flaps. Turn final, speed bleeds back from 80kts IAS to 70kts. Call final, cleared to land. Height good, speed good. A bit to the left, get back on centreline.
Look for windsock, can’t see it. Call for spot wind as I seem to be holding the nose to the right to hold the centreline. Sure enough wind is given as 290 / 11, so a slight crosswind from the right. I think this through in my head so I am ready to give left boot and right aileron if a crosswind landing is required.
I hear the PA28 behind me calling final, he is given ‘continue’, so he must be close to me. I put this out of my mind, that is his problem, although I do aim to have landed and stopped in time to take the first turnoff past the 27 displaced threshold rather than roll to the end and force the poor sod to go around.
Over the road and over the displaced threshold. Roundout, chop power. She eases down to a good hold off height. Back on the stick into the holdoff, little more, stall warner chirrups like one of those 1970’s ‘trimphones’. Back on the stick more, stall warner constant. Back more, don’t let it land….don’t let it land….don’t you DARE land……The RV gives up the battle to stay airborne drops the final foot or so for a decent three point landing. I continue to pull the stick back to ‘anchor’ the tailwheel on the ground (something I occasionally forgot in my early days of taildragging, which allowed the plane to skitter drunkenly all over the place. That is the sort of thing you only do once – OK twice in my case!).
I do easily make the first runway intersection with little use of the brakes, aided no doubt by a headwind. I cannot say that I noticed any crosswind, if there was one then I catered for it without particularly thinking about it – not bragging it up, just stating a fact.
We taxi in as I give way to a hover-taxi by a lovely looking green metallic Gazelle helicopter. Park up, shut down and carefully manhandle the plane past the Citation bizjets in the hangar, to the allocated parking slot, hunched up in the front right corner like a scared churchmouse (I have a seriously sad imagination).
A good flight although I now really fancy stretching my wings a bit. Booked and hope for a landaway to Old Buck and Tibenham next Sunday. Then I really must start considering a weekend overnighter to somewhere I haven’t been yet in France. I have a standing invite from a fellow Flyer Forum member which I want to take advantage of, we’ll see.
