LadiesLoveTaildraggers

Pictures from AJ Warren @ SnF

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Quick SnF update.

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Gals, send me your flying pictures or I might have to resort to more Rans pictures and ME! I’ve added a new email address to receive your pictures, updates, and whatever you’d like to send me, so feel free to forward to LadyTaildraggers@gmail.com when you can.

Until then, this the latest on how my Rans S7 is breaking me in. It’s been a way bigger transition than I expected. I actually thought I’d hop in, recognize there were a few minor differences in the way it flies from what I’ve flown before, and it’d be a piece of cake. Not so! Here’s what I’ve figured out so far….

- It only weighs 690 pounds empty so there’s a whole lot of rocking around and pitching going on if the air’s not pretty smooth. Riding in a kite comes to mind.

- It’s a slick little guy and it takes a little planning to slow it down without gaining altitude. I’ve made some adjustments and am now slow flying it by the time I hit the pattern, keeping it slow all the way around. With not much power and some airspeed it’ll stay up there forever. After the floats came off, it was running 500 RPM too high and would taxi at 20 mph unless you held the brakes. Those extra RPMs in the air caused all kinds of havoc trying to get the power back far enough to land. Last week Boyd set the idle RPM to the minimum - now it will actually decend, with a little coaxing!

- There’s no such thing as no bounce landing gear on a Ran S7. Slicking it on is not impossible but you’re always going to know you’ve arrived. That wonderful feeling you get when you grease one on and aren’t even sure you’re even rolling, I have not yet experienced!

The gale force winds (I'm known to exaggerate) subsided for one night and I finally got a "feel good" flight in!

That’s the highlights so far. I had a great flight last night and was dreaming about really green, short grass strips in my sleep so that’s a good sign!!

Here’s a pretty interesting video about something you never want to experience in your taildragger – a ground loop. The video’s long at almost 14 minutes but I liked it and thought you might too. You won’t need me or anybody else to interpret the message for you but hey, my fingers are already on the keyboard!

Synopsis of 14 minute video:

#1 If you want to relax flying your taildragger, don’t do it setting up for your landing and don’t even think about doing it on roll out.

#2 Best to be at the top of your game, picking your crosswinds wisely – or fly a nosedragger!

EAA 1364 2011 National Biplane Fly In
June 2 – June 5
Junction City, KS

A Celebration of Antique, Vintage and Modern Biplanes Thursday, June 2nd thru Sunday, June 5th
Freeman Field, 3JC
Junction City, Kansas
TURF 13/31, 1915′ x 150′ & TURF 5/23, 1927′ x 150′ Asphalt 18/36, 3495′ x 75′
The most perfectly suited airport in the Midwest to carry on the Great Biplane Fly In tradition
Link to Event

Happy news from Susan Theodorelos! She & her husband, Andy, bought part interest in a Citabria that belongs to a friend of theirs, also based at their Moraine, Ohio airport. If you were at the Lady Taildraggers fly-in last year you might remember seeing this pretty blue Citabria….

“I now have something to fly that I don’t need Andy to start — that “might” keep up with the RANS — and that I can jump in and come visit without having a “starter” around!”

Looks like some fun summer flying's ahead for Susan!

“It is WAAAAAY different from the RNF — sooo much heavier on the controls….  but I’m current in it now — and with more time I will learn the “finesse” of it.”

Susan

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Posted March, 2010

Susan's Waco Avatar

Susan Theodorelos flies a 1930 Waco RNF out of I73 (Moraine Airpark) Dayton, Ohio.

1930 Waco

In the six or so years I have been flying I’ve done a LOT — so much so that I wrote a little book about it — but that’s for another time!  I have the absolute privilege of owning and flying two 1930 Waco RNF biplanes (well … one is a 75% complete project).

I started flying in 2003, flew the Champ at first — solo’d it at 13 hours, but put my flying on hold due to the death of my mother — got back to flying the following year  but then put things on hold due to the death of my father (yea…it was a bad couple years there).  Got back into flying the following year after purchasing the RNF.

Solo’d the cub in 5 hours and jumped into the RNF, solo’d it after 6 hours and never quit flying after that.  I had 29.7 hours of flying, solo’d 3 aircraft.

One happy pooch (Maggie) & Susan in the Waco

After goofing off for two years, and the threat of my written exam expiring — I finally set things up to take my practical in the RNF!   On 22 October 2009, I got my ticket!  My poor husband was having sympathy anxiety for me — as the winds were gusting to 22 kts on that day.  The ol’ RNF never let me down. It truly is a joy to fly.

The best part is that I took my checkride with Martha Lunken and had an absolute blast!  (I guess you’re not supposed to have that much fun on a checkride, but I did!)  My husband wrote an article about it for Vintage Aviation that came out in February.

Waco One:  1930 Waco RNF NC663Y

Waco Two:  1930 Waco RNF NC863V

Justine Haupt is based at KHWV, Brookhaven Airport, Shirley, NY.

Justine and her very own Stinson Voyager

I got my private rating in a Cessna 152 my senior year of high school, in 2004 . I planned to become a commercial pilot but my career path changed and I essentially stopped flying for a few years. I decided I would get back into it when I could afford my own plane (specifically, a Stinson).

Hey, its cold in New York!

In the spring of 2010 I bought my 1947 Stinson Voyager, and I’ve been having more fun in it than I’ve ever had in a tricycle gear plane! At the moment I’m learning to fly gliders, and I hope to get my instrument and commercial ratings in the future.

Justine in her '47 Voyager

“Justine, we’re all impressed. Your own 4 place at 24 years old – and one of the queens of taildraggers to boot! You’ve got it together, kido!”  Judy

From Judy, “Ladies, I hope you decide to join me and other lady taildraggers for this Memorial weekend flyin in Oklahoma! Mike Sizemore (owner OK18) wants you all to know we have a personal invitation to attend his grass strip flyin and what a great event to kick off our summer flying! Mike says he’s setting up a special camping area for the gals and their guests, so come on – let’s take him up on it! Read the itinerary and you’ll want to be there for sure. Don’t forget to register for camping and all the great food they’ve got planned.”

OK18 Taildragger Fly-in

Registration Required.  OK18 Registration Link

OK18 Grande Isle Airport, Adair, Oklahoma

May 26 thru the 29, 2011

Hosted by Mike & Patty Sizemore

Camping, Barbecue, Poker run, and lots of flying!

OK18 Flyin

Rough Schedule:

Thursday May 26: Arrivals, set up camp, fly out lunch, fishing/swimming/boat
rides, boat shuttle to Lakeside Inn for dinner/drink/music

Friday May 27: Breakfast, Arrivals, set up tents, fly out lunch,
fishing/swimming/boat rides, catered BBQ dinner at OK18

Saturday May 28: Breakfast at OK18, stage at 1K8 for Poker Run
briefing/fuel/breakfast avail, short field takeoff & landing demo, start Poker
Run, spot landing & lunch at 44M during Poker Run, stage at 1K8 for Duck Creek
Fly-by, return to OK18, Carbon Cub demo/rides, music (Slick & his brothers
again), steak dinner, drawings/awards, late night music by ?

Sunday May 29: Breakfast, flour bomb drop, lunch, most start home

OK18 Wounded Warrior Project Benefit Poker Run route:
OK18 – breakfast
1K8 – stage for Poker Run/briefing/fuel/breakfast available, depart on Poker Run
1AR5 – pick up card (Ladies, this is home of lady taildragger pilot Melanie Amos!!)
44M – spot landing/lunch – pick up card
OL20 – pick up card
5OK3 – pick up card
1K8 – pick up card – stage for Duck Creek Fly-by and Return to OK18

1K8 Flyin

OK, so you know I just bought this fine Rans S7 less than 2 weeks ago but I don’t think I mentioned that I really, really wanted the beautiful yellow, white & blue color scheme I’d seen pictures of. As you can see, the one I was lucky enough to buy is yellow, white & black and I was OK with that; hey it was still beautiful and not THAT big a deal. But a funny thing happened in the hangar a couple days ago. I was looking it over ever so closely and thought I could see just a tiny bit of blue paint in a couple spots along the black striping.  Yep, it was definitely blue paint. Then the OMG moment – its not paint at all – its black TAPE!

Notice the black - looks like paint alright.

Holy cow – this was too good to be true! A heat gun and an hour later it was transformed!!

Shazam - now its a girlie plane for sure!!

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Joanna, Judy & Jessica!

These great pictures were sent in by Jeanne MacPherson (you remember Jeanne, Montana Pilot of the Year)! Congratulations, Jeanne, on a beautiful find. How about flying it to the lady taildraggers fly-in this August so we can all get a ride?!

We just purchased and I picked up our new to us, 1955 Cessna 180, she’s a beauty.

Calling my husband Bill Gallea to tell him how beautiful the plane is, even better than the pictures!

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I picked up the 1955 Cessna 180 at one of my favorite airports from one of my favorite flight schools and aviation shops, CP Aviation in Santa Paul, California.

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Me saying goodbye and thank you to Clay and Jeff, both Cessna 180 pilots from Santa Paula.

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Getting my 180 checkout with Judy Phelps of CP Aviation. Judy is this year's FAA Flight Instructor of the year (national FAA awards).

For more on Jeanne visit her pilot profile http://www.ladieslovetaildraggers.com/jeanne-macpherson-montana/

Wendy Moretz is based at 0W3, Harford County Airport, Churchville, Maryland.

Wendy Moretz

I just received my private pilot’s license in February Had to use a 172  for that. I have not been up to the airport lately because of school, but got a 99% on my Air Traffic Control final.

I have flown a Citibria and a Globe Swift and love them. I can’t wait to get back in the Citabria – it is so much more responsive. I love historic planes!

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