Okay, not much of a winter, but who's complaining? Flying has been steady through this mild winter, with only a few days canceled as a result of brisk winds, turbulence, or precipitation (in the liquid form, thankfully). A handful of fellow aviators are learning or refreshing skills to turn the Decathlon on its back (sides, and everything between). Others are learning some tailwheel skills, still others taming the spin, or recovering from unusual attitudes.
My schedule has been a challenge as my "day job" takes me over to the Shenandoah Valley to Merck pharmaceutical for a forty-hour weekly commitment. Weekend flying is almost always booked a week ahead of time, and I block out some time for a little R&R. I apologize if you're unable to book some time with me on short notice.
Plans for the summer include at least one competition, probably at Warrenton for IAC Chapter 11's East Coast Aerobatic Contest. I would also really like to take a few days off and get my Commercial glider rating. I think that would be more fun than a barrel (roll?) of monkeys, and I'd learn a whole lot about energy management. Plus it would be nice to fly without that noise-making machine droning away up front.
If you're interested in aerobatics, have a look at the International Aerobatic Clubs web. A great benefit of joining is the Sport Aerobatic monthly magazine. The current February issue has a great article on the roll by John Morrissey, examining the history and important elements of this figure that factors highly into good sequence scores, if you compete, and if not, good troubleshooting advice on errors and fixes. There's also an interesting article about the Sukhoi 26, an unlimited Russian aerobatic machine. It's nice to dream....
Posted at the bottom of the blog is the new Sportsman Known sequence. Have a look, and if that looks fun, give me a call and we'll go fly it!
Okay, enjoy what's left of this mild winter, come out and fly upside down, hang at GVE for some excellent FREE food provided by Faith Olen-Glick every Saturday and Sunday at Bluebird Aerodrome at Gordonsville Muni!
Happy Aviating!
