Spent the day flying the Stearman, Cornell and a couple of flights on the Alpha, which I am flying less and less. We had really nice conditions, sometimes sunny, sometimes very dark and cloudy, but no tricky breezes. A big crowd, a lot of fun!
I have nailed the landings on the Stearman, coming in with some power, getting the flare just right. And takeoffs are sweet! Flying her is starting to become more routine.
Worked on takeoffs and landings with the Cornell. Its hard to get her to roll out without tipping over in the thick though low cut grass. I hold full elevator to keep the nose up, and if she starts a good roll out, I have to keep it, and add some right rudder. This sets her up for a right snap roll the moment she leaves the ground, so I have to stay focused and come off the elevator a bit, and let all the right rudder go, just right, and she will reward me with a smooth, graceful takeoff. A couple of times, before I figured this out, she would swing hard right and I would correct left, over correct, swing her around like a bucking bronco, apply power and level her out, climb over the rapidly approaching trees and then go about with a great flight as if nothing happened! Jim Farned pointed out what I was doing with the rudder and elevator, and once I started to pay attention to that my takeoffs became far less eventful! Landings are still challenging. Even with the wheels forward she wants to go head over heels and stop. I will work on these takeoffs and landings and hopefully will get a groove.
All in all a fantastic day! All my planes came home, enjoyed good company and great weather. Next week they are closing the field for much needed repairs, and the following week I am away, so not much flying or posts for a bit. And that ends my 300th post!
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