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All I can do is watch.

T

Timbeck2

Member
Hi everyone, newbie here. I was a member of this site for all of one day and I had two offers (one for stick time) to check out two of the Tucson area member's RV-7A's. I just saw them both fly over (with the benefit of radar...hence the thread title) within 10 minutes of each other.

Background for me - retired USAF ATC and I now work for the DoD in Davis-Monthan AFB's tower with 24 years + air traffic experience...no I'm not the enemy. Deployments include two in Saudi Arabia during the first and second gulf wars and Kirkuk Iraq in 2005. Enough on that. Why I'm here.... I started my private pilot training while I was stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. I had 17 hours (soloed at 9) prior to coming back to the states. Life got in the way after two kids (at the same time) and I'm just now getting started finishing up my license.

My plan is to order my first kit after I finish my IFR training and build up time along with money to finish my own RV-7A. This site is a wealth of knowledge (much of it I don't understand but still learning) so I'm happy to be here.

Tim and lurking and learning on a forum near you.
 
Welcome to VAF!

Timbeck2 said:
Hi everyone, newbie here.
Click to expand...

Tim,
welcome.gif
aboard the good ship VAF.
 
Thank you sir. Talking about putting the cart before the horse....I already put an application in with the FAA reserving my tail number. :D
 
Timbeck2 said:
Thank you sir. Talking about putting the cart before the horse....I already put an application in with the FAA reserving my tail number. :D
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Smart--------many of the good ones are already gone.

We wanted 104LM---------RV 10 for Laura and Mike. Almost every conceivable 104xx was long gone.

What did you reserve?
 
N962TM

- but I have to wait 3 weeks to see if someone else beat me to it.

"Tango Mike" have been my ATC initials since I started. For those who don't know, every controller ends each phone/line conversation with their initials since everything is recorded and they'll know who to beat senseless if something goes wrong. I chose TM because if you say it fast it's just my name. The 62 is the year I was born.

I was a jet engine mechanic for 10 years before I cross-trained into ATC so safety wire doesn't scare me.

edit: left out the 9.
 
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Trevor - Thanks but truth be known, I never planned on putting 24 years into the military but its hard to find a job in the states when at my four year mark I was stationed in Japan. :D

Edit: And thank YOU for your construction log. It was one of the first builds I read about here and the write up of your first flight was awesome.
 
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Neat!

Keep the dream going. I learned to fly while stationed at the Davis-Monthan Aeroclub back in 1977. Went all the way through CFI in 14 months. Some of the most beautiful weather for flying, along with the scenery. My Private cost me $1002 back then. :). Then, on the GI bill, we had a T-34B that rented for $1.80/hr WET. Those were the good old days.

Good Luck!

Vic
 
"...we had a T-34B that rented for $1.80/hr WET. Those were the good old days..."

Was the tail number N6306D? I got to fly that with a friend of mine before the aero club disbanded in 96 or 97.

Yes....it was $30 wet plus $12 for the instructor when I was on Kadena. Now its $135/$50. (sigh)
 
Welcome

Tim
Welcome and thank you for your service.
I too got my PPL late but I'm plugging away at my Lucy.
My build log is in my signature below.
 
Timbeck2 said:
"...we had a T-34B that rented for $1.80/hr WET. Those were the good old days..."

Was the tail number N6306D? I got to fly that with a friend of mine before the aero club disbanded in 96 or 97.

Yes....it was $30 wet plus $12 for the instructor when I was on Kadena. Now its $135/$50. (sigh)
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Dang - I thought my $7/hr 150 (wet) was good in '86! Even then it did not pay for the fuel!

Welcome to VAF.
 
Sounds like a common theme here, I started this and then life, for me it was at MCAS El Toro in the 80s 152 was 28/hr wet. It would be 23 years till I push a throttle in again, like ridding a bike. You will not find a more helpfull friendly community than VAF! Look up the what is your day job thread :D
 
Well...I didn't have to watch long. I took my $100,000 ride this morning in Jeremy's RV7. I was hooked before but now....

you ever caught a fish hooked so good you had to cut the barb off the hook to get it out?

:D <---- was doing a LOT of that this morning.
 
welcome and tail number

Welcome to a great place to interact with great people about a great airplane.

The N number should be simple because you'll have to say it a lot; monosyllabic is best. It's much easier to say N123M than N123DR. And when you include the aircraft type it can be a real mouthful, for instance: "Muddy water airport this in RV7 November 123 Delta Romeo six miles south at 1200' inbound for left downwind to runway 20." [I know, the FARs say use "experimental" on initial contract but after that its best to identify you aircraft type so that others can anticipate your perform (i.e., time to be at the airports and speed in the pattern).
 
Timbeck2 said:
Well...I didn't have to watch long. I took my $100,000 ride this morning in Jeremy's RV7. I was hooked before but now....

you ever caught a fish hooked so good you had to cut the barb off the hook to get it out?

:D <---- was doing a LOT of that this morning.
Click to expand...

Glad you enjoyed it Tim; I am LOVING this plane! Keep pounding those rivets everyone, it's worth it!
 
Timbeck2 said:
My plan is to order my first kit after I finish my IFR training and build up time along with money to finish my own RV-7A.
Click to expand...

Back when I was thinking about starting my -10, I asked the question of whether I should get my IFR training done, and then build the plane... or finish the plane, and get IFR training in it.

The advice was almost unanimous that I should build the plane first, and it has turned out to be spot on. For me, at least, building has taken all of my free time and money, and I have flown very little compared to how much I flew before building. Had I gotten my IFR rating, there is no way I would have been able to keep the skills sharp, and I would have basically had to do it again with the new plane anyways.
 
One of the HH-60G's at D-M has a mod I designed flying on it since this summer. The rest should have it this time next year. Wave "hi" to 6224 if you see it. I guess it'll be "Pedro 2" or something to you, though.
 
That was me...

After flying to a local flyin breakfast I decided to take a slight detour on my way home on the east side of the Rincon mountains so I could enter the Tucson area through Reddington Pass. I live a few miles west of the Pass and circled my house to surprise my wife. I have only flown a few times on the east side of the mountain before so this time I flew lower then I normally do since I feel extremely confident in my RV's performance and my conform level flying around the mountains. What I saw were cliffs that look like cliff dwelling on the side of the mountain. I am sure they are not but it is still is a wonder to behold. I have amazing landscape in my "backyard", it just takes a little RV exploration to find it.

After circling my house I flew right over Davis-Monthan AFB and over the Boneyard. Seeing all those planes from the air is amazing.

That's when Tim saw me and my RV.

Timbeck2 said:
Hi everyone, newbie here. I was a member of this site for all of one day and I had two offers (one for stick time) to check out two of the Tucson area member's RV-7A's. I just saw them both fly over (with the benefit of radar...hence the thread title) within 10 minutes of each other.

Background for me - retired USAF ATC and I now work for the DoD in Davis-Monthan AFB's tower with 24 years + air traffic experience...no I'm not the enemy. Deployments include two in Saudi Arabia during the first and second gulf wars and Kirkuk Iraq in 2005. Enough on that. Why I'm here.... I started my private pilot training while I was stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. I had 17 hours (soloed at 9) prior to coming back to the states. Life got in the way after two kids (at the same time) and I'm just now getting started finishing up my license.

My plan is to order my first kit after I finish my IFR training and build up time along with money to finish my own RV-7A. This site is a wealth of knowledge (much of it I don't understand but still learning) so I'm happy to be here.

Tim and lurking and learning on a forum near you.
Click to expand...
 
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