goatflieg
Well Known Member
It’s true. I sold my beloved RV-8.
The process started at OSH this year when I met Mark Murphy on a tram. Mark is a corporate pilot who also flies warbirds and is a type rated P-51 instructor who was in the market for an RV-8. He visited the airplane at Homebuilt Camping; we stayed in touch and I made plans to visit his home base.
On Wednesday, October 18 I climbed into my RV-8 and flew across Ontario and over Niagara Falls enroute to mid-state NY. I landed at Fulton County (KIAG) where I was greeted by Mark's son Jonathan.
After refueling, I followed John in the family Bonanza over to their private grass strip near Perth. The runway is fairly long; the approach end is slightly uphill and the runway crests before heading downhill. My landing was a bit of a bouncer due to the unfamiliar sight picture but I got in on the first try. After shutdown John gave me a mind-blowing tour of the family facility created by his father Dave; many hangars nestled into a hillside interconnected with stairways and tunnels, housing an impressive collection of aircraft and artifacts. Mark joined us and we had lunch at his nearby house before returning to the home field, hopping in his Bonanza and flying IFR to another airport where he could give me a ride in a P-51. After that thrill, we headed back home for dinner, beer and bed.
That was just the first day of a nonstop whirlwind four-day experience.
Thursday morning we ran some errands and I met more family members. Back at home base I gave Mark and John a more detailed introduction to the RV-8 before they climbed in and gave it a quick test flight. Kind of an awkward moment for me. Aside from test pilot Dave Carrick, I had been the only person to pilot my creation until now.
They returned with the iconic RV Grin on their faces and suggested I go flying. I took off and did a quick recon flight. Upon returning it took me a minute to find the home field that blended in so well with the surrounding countryside. I wasn't happy with the first landing, so I went around for a second attempt that went much better. While taxiing in, I wondered aloud if that may have been my final flight in my beloved aircraft. As it turns out, it was. This photo captured the last time I would ever sit in that cockpit.
I removed the cowling for an in-depth inspection while they prepared their Stearman for a pending sale. Mark's brother Rodney stopped by and he and Mark looked the airplane over. Afterward I refitted the cowl and we did a preflight inspection. Mark's wife Inka was returning from a trip that evening and as soon as she arrived they took the airplane up for a brief hop. Mark wanted to make sure she would be ok with this new acquisition. They both returned wearing RV Grins; a very good sign indeed.
The process started at OSH this year when I met Mark Murphy on a tram. Mark is a corporate pilot who also flies warbirds and is a type rated P-51 instructor who was in the market for an RV-8. He visited the airplane at Homebuilt Camping; we stayed in touch and I made plans to visit his home base.
On Wednesday, October 18 I climbed into my RV-8 and flew across Ontario and over Niagara Falls enroute to mid-state NY. I landed at Fulton County (KIAG) where I was greeted by Mark's son Jonathan.
After refueling, I followed John in the family Bonanza over to their private grass strip near Perth. The runway is fairly long; the approach end is slightly uphill and the runway crests before heading downhill. My landing was a bit of a bouncer due to the unfamiliar sight picture but I got in on the first try. After shutdown John gave me a mind-blowing tour of the family facility created by his father Dave; many hangars nestled into a hillside interconnected with stairways and tunnels, housing an impressive collection of aircraft and artifacts. Mark joined us and we had lunch at his nearby house before returning to the home field, hopping in his Bonanza and flying IFR to another airport where he could give me a ride in a P-51. After that thrill, we headed back home for dinner, beer and bed.
That was just the first day of a nonstop whirlwind four-day experience.
Thursday morning we ran some errands and I met more family members. Back at home base I gave Mark and John a more detailed introduction to the RV-8 before they climbed in and gave it a quick test flight. Kind of an awkward moment for me. Aside from test pilot Dave Carrick, I had been the only person to pilot my creation until now.
They returned with the iconic RV Grin on their faces and suggested I go flying. I took off and did a quick recon flight. Upon returning it took me a minute to find the home field that blended in so well with the surrounding countryside. I wasn't happy with the first landing, so I went around for a second attempt that went much better. While taxiing in, I wondered aloud if that may have been my final flight in my beloved aircraft. As it turns out, it was. This photo captured the last time I would ever sit in that cockpit.
I removed the cowling for an in-depth inspection while they prepared their Stearman for a pending sale. Mark's brother Rodney stopped by and he and Mark looked the airplane over. Afterward I refitted the cowl and we did a preflight inspection. Mark's wife Inka was returning from a trip that evening and as soon as she arrived they took the airplane up for a brief hop. Mark wanted to make sure she would be ok with this new acquisition. They both returned wearing RV Grins; a very good sign indeed.