This of course combined with a one week business trip to India, such that the earliest I could sensibly fly the plane was the week commencing 22nd June. I booked the plane for Tuesday 23rd and the weather even seemed to be playing ball. I left early from work and had to put the aircon in the car up to nearly full blast as the sun was out to play and it was hot under the glass – alarm bells were already ringing as I imagined myself under the bubble canopy of the RV6 with the sun beating down!!! I don’t think it is a great idea to go flying after a hectic day at work as my head is buzzing about loads of things, but I make a huge effort to relax and blot these thoughts out. It’s at time like this I wish I was the ‘Karate Kid’ and could focus the way the old Japanese guy taught him!
I gave the plane a careful A-Check and apart from a non-functional strobe (which I noted in the tech log), it seemed OK, oh and of course not enough fuel, even for a few circuits. I hauled the plane out by myself (not easy manoeuvring a taildragger by the prop past other closely hangared aircraft) and spotted my instructor striding across from his previous lesson. It is group rules that we need to do a check-flight if we have not flown the group aircraft for more than 30 days and although I was entirely compliant with legal currency rules and confident of flying the RV6 personally, one must of course abide by group rules as well, so it was up with an instructor for me.
Phil is a very experienced and laconic instructor of few words, but when he does say something, you had better listen. He went to book out while I taxied over to add a bit of fuel – enough for circuits anyway. Phil joined me there and hopped in. I am not a small guy (6’ 2” and 210 lbs) but Phil is larger (girth-wise anyway), all of which made for an interesting fit in the RV as I would have to grab for his thigh every time I wanted to use the flaps!
Well, I dropped the canopy as late in the start-up checks as I could and started to taxi. Of course Phil spotted that one of the fuel caps looked a bit ‘proud’, so a quick conversation with the Tower and they were happy for us to attend to this at the hold as there was nothing behind us. The runway in use was 09, so it was the ‘long march of death’ to the furthest holding point as the sun beat down through the bubble canopy. Yes, I got hot and yes, the sweat started to trickle into my eyes! At the holding point, Phil hopped out as I luxuriated in the cool of an open canopy and mopped my fevered brow! Phil got back in and the fuel cap was indeed a bit lower. Power checks complete, we lined up and held on 09 until we spotted a helicopter loitering near the end of the runway. Once visual, we were cleared for take-off. I fed in full power, started getting nimble on the pedals and quickly checked the rpm (normal for full power) and airspeed (some indication, so pitot is clear). The take-off was uneventful as the tail came up and as usual, I had to work to hold her down as she hopped and skipped desperate to get airborne. A little chirp on the stall warner and I eased forward a little, then she climbed away nicely.
I spotted that we were sharing the circuit with a PA28 from one of the schools, although he was well into base as we approached downwind, so no problem you would have thought. I held 1000’ QFE nicely (the RV is VERY sensitive in pitch and any poor trim or inattention will have you 200’ out of your target altitude in a few seconds). By the time I was base, I was visual with the PA28 who now seemed to be on about 1.5 mile final – what has he been doing? I really do hold the speed of the RV down in the circuit. Anyway, concentrate on my bit. Power back, speed bleeds slowly back to the flap limiting speed, take both stages one notch at a time and get established on 80kts on base. Altitude coming down, turn final. PA28 now just landed, so I continue and concentrate on bringing the speed back to 70kts and getting the picture right. The tower clears me to land before I can call final (not much point until the PA28 takes off again). I acknowledge and am cleared for a T&G and concentrate on my approach, let’s make the first one a good one. I come in over the threshold with good speed and height and chop the power, round out and flare. I flare possibly a little high, so ease forward a bit. Stall warner sounding as I ratchet it back, and back and we touch and stay touched. Not a greaser, but not hard either, so a good ‘starter for ten’.
Power up and around we go again. I spot the PA28 now on downwind as I am well into the crosswind, so I delay the downwind turn to follow him on a wider circuit that I would normally do and wider than indicated by the airfield. Phil gives me the sound advice to drop a stage of flaps. I chop the power and wait for the speed to bleed back to the flap limiting speed (which takes some time) and drop a stage, then hold the speed at 80 kts to try to give the PA28 some space. He seems to go on and on and on before turning base. He has got to be on the edge of the ATZ by now. I sort myself out on base. By now he is on a 2 mile final and I am going as slow as I care to. I turn onto final behind him and try to concentrate on flying my own plane. Approach and speed looks good. Both Phil and I watch this guy now on very short final as he carries out a series of alarming turns or PIO’s that look very close to the ground. I don’t think this is a glide approach as his approach angle was way too low to be doing it without power. He executes what looks to me like a very alarming landing and even the laconic Phil comments ‘That’s unusual’.
Anyway, my turn as I am cleared for T&G just as I almost on top of the threshold while the PA28 has just got wheels up at the other end. Chops power, hold off and off, touch and stay touched. Again, not pillow soft, but not hard either. Power up and away. I look up to see the PA28 still climbing out. Phil speaks to the Tower on the radio and gets permission to ‘overtake’. Phil takes over (spoilsport!) and pulls the plane well inside of the PA28 (not difficult!) and hands back when we are at 1000’ and very close in to the runway on late downwind. No bother, this will be fun. Again, I sort the flaps out and come in for a high final. I start to try for a sideslip, but Phil says not to worry, it will come off. So power off as I do a glide approach. It does indeed come off as I round-out and flare. This time I don’t hold off as long as I should before we touch and I am instantly punished by a minor bounce. OK, no worries, keep her straight down the runway and hold her off again, this time we touch nicely and stay touched ‘two for the price of one’ observes Phil, ‘just trying to get my monies worth’ I reply. Off we go again and Phil is happy and says I can do this one to land if I want. Well, I’m hot so why not.
Because we have overtaken, I have room in the circuit and fly a normal (i.e. tighter than 2 nm) circuit. I come in to land and I am on a sensible final when Phil points out that we have caught back up to our friendly PA28 again as he is only just taking off from a T&G! I land long as the exit is at the end of the runway, but not long enough as we still have a considerable taxi. It was probably the best landing of the day, a nice one to finish on.
OK, now ready for some flying. I am pleased with my performance given the ‘stress factors’ of being wound up from work, slowly baking under the bubble canopy and having to be careful not to mow down someone in front of me in the circuit. Although I hadn’t flown for two and a half months, I really did feel back at home immediately, a bit rusty of course, but not as much as I expected. I will of course give myself some refreshers now on steep turns (yeehaa!), stalls (whooooaaaa!) and PFL’s (booh-ring!).
Now for Project Propellor this weekend and I must then book the plane for a cross-channel day or weekend shortly.
