- Joined
- Nov 6, 2015
- Messages
- 97
- Reaction score
- 23
This thread will serve a few purposes for me. I am hoping it will primarily be a source of motivation for getting more serious with aerobatics. I have been lurking on this forum for the past two years and have been fortunate enough to have the knowledge base here on the forum available at my finger tips.
A year ago, almost to the day, I became the caretaker of N92RC. It was a great introduction into the in's and out's of aircraft ownership. From an unexpected and difficult to diagnose mag switch failure to learning how to rig a biplane. I know a few of you on the forum are familiar with this particular airplane. And I am happy to say that after my year of ownership, it will be going on to the next owner in better shape than I received it. Lots of new hardware, a refreshed fuel system, new paint from the turtle deck forward, and a remodel of one of the ugliest cockpits I have seen really makes the airplane present better.
After a year of flying this beautiful airplane it left me wanting in a few ways. The airplane was a complete blast within a 10 nm radius of the local airport, but the range and seating configuration left me little desire to leave that bubble. And with no fault to the airplane, that is what it is built to do, but a more comfortable seat and three times the fuel capacity would be nice on the weekends. Next was performance. We always want more power and more roll rate. Flying an IO-320 powered Pitts with a fixed pitch prop out of a 6700' Colorado airport was a great learning opportunity, but it always left me wanting more (especially on those 9500' density altitude days). Finally, and probably most importantly, I wanted a second seat. I know that is a common sentiment and that the passenger seat of most aerobatic airplanes rarely get warmed more than a few times per decade. But I hope that I will be an exception to that trend. A lot of the joy I derive from aviation is sharing it with other. I am fairly passionate about teaching spins and upset recovery and between instructing friends/coworkers, joy rides for strangers out at the airport, and helping out at the local Young Eagles events, I hope to take full advantage of that second seat.
The next few months for me will hopefully serve to be a transition into taking my aerobatic abilities up to the next level. I will be posting my experiences and videos of my flights somewhat regularly and I am once again hoping the knowledge base here on the forum can help with some analysis and critiques to aid the journey. I have decided to start at the beginning and fly my way through the Bible (Alan Cassidy's Better Aerobatics). The short term goal, as of right now, is to be safe and competent in the Sportsman category for my first contest next year.
More to come next week.
Chris
In the mean time, here are a few photos of airplane that taught me so much over the past 12 months.
A year ago, almost to the day, I became the caretaker of N92RC. It was a great introduction into the in's and out's of aircraft ownership. From an unexpected and difficult to diagnose mag switch failure to learning how to rig a biplane. I know a few of you on the forum are familiar with this particular airplane. And I am happy to say that after my year of ownership, it will be going on to the next owner in better shape than I received it. Lots of new hardware, a refreshed fuel system, new paint from the turtle deck forward, and a remodel of one of the ugliest cockpits I have seen really makes the airplane present better.
After a year of flying this beautiful airplane it left me wanting in a few ways. The airplane was a complete blast within a 10 nm radius of the local airport, but the range and seating configuration left me little desire to leave that bubble. And with no fault to the airplane, that is what it is built to do, but a more comfortable seat and three times the fuel capacity would be nice on the weekends. Next was performance. We always want more power and more roll rate. Flying an IO-320 powered Pitts with a fixed pitch prop out of a 6700' Colorado airport was a great learning opportunity, but it always left me wanting more (especially on those 9500' density altitude days). Finally, and probably most importantly, I wanted a second seat. I know that is a common sentiment and that the passenger seat of most aerobatic airplanes rarely get warmed more than a few times per decade. But I hope that I will be an exception to that trend. A lot of the joy I derive from aviation is sharing it with other. I am fairly passionate about teaching spins and upset recovery and between instructing friends/coworkers, joy rides for strangers out at the airport, and helping out at the local Young Eagles events, I hope to take full advantage of that second seat.
The next few months for me will hopefully serve to be a transition into taking my aerobatic abilities up to the next level. I will be posting my experiences and videos of my flights somewhat regularly and I am once again hoping the knowledge base here on the forum can help with some analysis and critiques to aid the journey. I have decided to start at the beginning and fly my way through the Bible (Alan Cassidy's Better Aerobatics). The short term goal, as of right now, is to be safe and competent in the Sportsman category for my first contest next year.
More to come next week.
Chris
In the mean time, here are a few photos of airplane that taught me so much over the past 12 months.
