November 28th, 2009 | 2 Comments
- Judy & Jessica (mom & kido)
By Judy Birchler, host of LadiesLoveTaildraggers.com
You just can’t get up on a beautiful and warm (for November 27) Saturday morning and not fly to breakfast. No matter how many eggs you’ve got in your refrigerator or how many boxes of Jiffy pancake mix, you’ve just got to fly to breakfast! So after taking a quick peek out the window and seeing a very blue, sunny sky we decided to call the kids and head for the airport. Since we’re only lucky enough to have one taildragger in the family and a back up Mooney for the hubby to fly, we divided up and headed to Columbus Airport, Columbus, Indiana for that breakfast. I don’t care how far you have to fly, if you’ve not been there it’s worth the trip for a hearty breakfast or home cooked lunch.
- Jessica ready for take off!
Judy & Jessica departing KMQJ for KBAK
Formation flying with "the guys" in Mooney N27AF (a 231)
- Craig & Justin took some great shots of us in Champ N7569E
- …as they zoomed by and Boyd tried his best to hang close by
- You gotta love that blue sky!
- The whole family; Boyd, Craig, Judy & Jessica on the ramp at KGEZ
Since Shelbyville Indiana’s airport prices their fuel about $1.00 less a gallon than where we’re based, it’s also a frequent local stop for refueling. What luck to bump into Charlie Laird and his latest project, a 1943 Gull Wing Stinson.
- We finally get Justin in a picture instead of behind the camera! (far right)
- Two Champs, twice as much fun!
- Meet Charlie Laird’s 1943 Gull Wing Stinson
- Jessica & Judy happy to pose with Charlie and his gorgeous Stinson
Geez, that's one big taildragger next to those Champs!
Lorrie flies the Stearman with husband, Gordon Penner
Here are a couple of pictures my recent taildragger experiences for Ladies Love Taildraggers!
At our last IAC34 meeting Gordon and I flew the Stearman. It was one of those beautiful fall days. Air temperature was about 60, so the open cockpit was not too chilly. Gordon had me take the controls for about half of the flight. We did a couple of rolls and then worked our way back closer to the ground to look at the farms we flew by. I was delightfully pleased to find the Stearman very easy on the controls – didn’t have to exert a lot of muscle to fly it. Loved the big radial engine on the front. Really makes you feel like you are flying SOMETHING.
A treat flying a J4
Yesterday we went out in the J4 of a friend of ours. Was a different sensation to fly a stick with my left hand and throttle with the right. Got in three wobbly landings, then we flew over to Middletown, Oh and walked across the street to Frisch’s for lunch – our first $100 hamburger! I’m currently working on getting up to 200 hours so I can get my commercial glider license. (they give you credit for power hours for the commercial glider.)
Diana Votaw is based at KSAR, Sparta Airport in MO and sent these pictures from her flight to the East Tennessee Fall Fly-In. “The weather was pretty good and had great flying in and around Elizabethton, TN.”
Diana Votaw in her Sport Cub S2
Trip to TN was fantastic. Weather on Monday was great for the flight down. No trouble.
I met my Mom and we had a great day. Then Tuesday was rainy and I spent the day taking care of “honeydos” around the house. Tuesday night Dave surprised me with a drive down to stay and fly a couple of days. Wednesday we did a great hike by a waterfall that my Mom likes (she also likes the out of doors – but gets all kinds of motion sickness so no flying). Then we went flying in the afternoon.
I was contacted by a local guy (Brett) that I met last year for some tailwheel instruction!! YEA!! I got to write the trip off on my taxes!! Thursday another guy coming to the flyin came and we flew to a couple of grass strips! Great fun. My first 600 foot grass strip uphill at full gross (Dave was in the back).
Saturday was again kinda rainy so we did home stuff until late when we went flying again! Flight back on Sunday was met with low ceilings in the morning and waiting for them to clear. I left about 10:30 or so, and had to scud run up Cumberland pass to break out in the clear. Visibility was quite good, ceilings just a bit low for hopping over the mountains.
If you’re into taildraggers and amazing video footage, here are a few links you’ll find interesting – all are really short.
A great view from inside the plane as a Cub is landed on a gravel bar in Alaska!
Alaskan Gravel Bar Landing
Oshkosh 2007. A North American T-6 experienced a loss of engine power over Hwy 41 near Oshkosh and was forced to land on the highway. Incredibly, a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper caught the landing on video tape! Contributed by Craig Wix.
T-6 Highway Landing
Ever see a plane take off in just 18 feet?
Super-Cub Takeoff!
Ever see a plane land on a dime?
Super Cub Landing
This one should *almost* be in the “Water” category! A truly amazing back-country landing…
Super Cub Landing II
If you have flying video you’d like to see posted, please send the link to judy.birchler@gmail.com.
OK, so it’s not a taildragger, but you’ve got to love it anyway!!
Captain Judith Campbell and her all female crew departing for Afghanistan.
“We no longer call it the cockpit – it’s the box office.”
Captain Judith Campbell & her all female crew
C-5 destination Afghanistan
