speaking of pilots...

[Tom Slick]

Not a pilot, but I spent 10 years in the USAF as a jet/turbine engine mechanic. I have spent alot of time on planes but not flying. I spent a few of those years at Edwards AFB, there is alot of history there, including the X planes. it was a neat place to be. I was there when Yeager "hung up his keys to jet planes" in 1997.

one of my future hobbies, when I grow up, is to get my license. I dream of owning a Rutan bird, maybe a long-eze.

[Rayclav]

Hi Howard,

It took 5553 hours of logged time to build, all from plans only, and over a period of eleven years! A long time but most rewarding; I flew it without a hitch on it's first flight and it has done well ever since.

R

[just4funsies]

Twin Commanche, always heard that if you lose left engine on takeoff, you roll inverted if you're not fast enough. Never saw it happen, could be an old mechanic's tale.

Not a tale, unfortunately. Many power losses on climbout, and if you don't get out of the good engine RIGHT NOW, you screw yourself into the ground. Used to lose a doctor every couple of years here at Orlando Exec. before it became a TCA, and most of the amateurs went elsewhere.

[cwsmith]

I joined Civil Air Patrol when I was 14 and took my first ride in a J3 that year. That was back in 58'. Overall I spent 11 years in CAP, and managed to get several hours in various small aircraft. Back then, our Group operations had an L-4 which was basically a J3 with a "green-house". Real simple craft, all-fabric, minimal instrumentation (gas guage was a vertical wire, elevated by a float in the tank), "Contact!" starting, and a radio that rarely worked. Low and slow, it was a fun plane and at $7 a tach hour I managed to grab some time each month even on paperboy's income. Nice part about it all was the pilot's were always happy to instruct and I managed a lot of stick time.

Unfortunately, life had other priorities and flying wasn't in the budget. But still, I have a lot of fond memories, including a summer roundtrip in a C47 from Griffiss to Wright-Pat and a very stormy return flight.

Most of my time with CAP was in search and rescue. While there were a number of real "search" operations that I participated in, I don't ever recall a rescue. I do remember that most FAA accident reports stated the cause as "pilot error". There was a saying, "There are bold pilots and there are old pilots; but, there are no bold old pilots!"

But that was long ago,

CWS

[Howard]

reminds me of that old Johnny Cash song about building a Cadillac a little at a time. Hat's off to you! I'd never fly anything I built...