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Still amazed by this airplane!

DougCronkhite

Active Member
Quick little story about my 8..

I hadn't flown it in 7 months, between being deployed to Afghanistan, and needing to get the ADS-B stuff done when I got home.. Anyway.. EchoUAT + SkyFX EXT installed, Engine Boroscoped (no rust anywhere.. very happy), and I changed out the tailwheel springs/chains for a direct link. Time to fly!

I take off.. get a LITTLE BIT of PIO from the tailwheel initially.. much less movement required.. and we're off.. I climbed up to 3500' to start the ADS-B verification stuff.. After about 20 minutes ATC tells me they're not getting altitude info from me.. I surmise it's the threshold setting, and decide to land.. KMYF clears me into the pattern immediately but I've got 2000' to lose to get to pattern altitude. Ease the nose down to about 600-700' / minute descent with a little power on to keep the cylinders warm. I'm sitting there fat dumb and happy until I realize I'm screaming into the pattern at 195mph.. LOL. Forgot how slippery this machine is!

Anyway.. I level out at 1400' and make a steep turn into the downwind to scrub the speed, and it feels like home again. Hit all the speeds with ease on the approach into a perfect wheelie a couple hundred feet past the numbers. Held the tail off until it wanted to come down and then pinned it.. straight as a string, no issues even with a crosswind. Slide the canopy open on the taxiway and feel the cool breeze and I've got the RV grin again like the 1st time I flew it!

What a wonderful thing we get to do here, this flying obsession!!!
 
Quick little story about my 8..

I hadn't flown it in 7 months, between being deployed to Afghanistan, and needing to get the ADS-B stuff done when I got home.. Anyway.. EchoUAT + SkyFX EXT installed, Engine Boroscoped (no rust anywhere.. very happy), and I changed out the tailwheel springs/chains for a direct link. Time to fly!

I take off.. get a LITTLE BIT of PIO from the tailwheel initially.. much less movement required.. and we're off.. I climbed up to 3500' to start the ADS-B verification stuff.. After about 20 minutes ATC tells me they're not getting altitude info from me.. I surmise it's the threshold setting, and decide to land.. KMYF clears me into the pattern immediately but I've got 2000' to lose to get to pattern altitude. Ease the nose down to about 600-700' / minute descent with a little power on to keep the cylinders warm. I'm sitting there fat dumb and happy until I realize I'm screaming into the pattern at 195mph.. LOL. Forgot how slippery this machine is!

Anyway.. I level out at 1400' and make a steep turn into the downwind to scrub the speed, and it feels like home again. Hit all the speeds with ease on the approach into a perfect wheelie a couple hundred feet past the numbers. Held the tail off until it wanted to come down and then pinned it.. straight as a string, no issues even with a crosswind. Slide the canopy open on the taxiway and feel the cool breeze and I've got the RV grin again like the 1st time I flew it!

What a wonderful thing we get to do here, this flying obsession!!!


I know what you mean:)...When I returned from 11 months in Iraq, one of my first priorities was to get to my pickled RV Super 8, get the battery off the tender, installed in the plane, and fire everything up. It was like putting on a perfectly broken in and worn Nomex glove when I strapped in. I was also grinning ear-to-ear after that flight, because I only then knew that, yes I was in fact HOME!!
 
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