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What did you do w/your RV this weekend? (10/22-23/2022)

Another one in the books...

Got the airplane off the blocks :)

Finished up Condition Inspection, rebuilt baffles & plenum and a quick test flight.
 

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Short, fun practice flight

Went out noon Saturday just because... weather was nice.
Practiced 60* bank turns, slow flight, stall.
Returning home, enjoyed a breif 200-201Kts GS. :cool:
30 minutes air time total.
Then back to its resting place.
 

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Signature in cursive!

I’m learning how to Skywrite my name with my ADSB. I was about finished with my first attempt when other traffic running up the beach over Saint Simons came along and I knocked it off for him.



A7215BD3-CEE4-4FFF-A3E6-2EEA7B0189C5.jpg
 
Coupla RV grins

Gave my son his first ride in my RV!!!

Doug
RV-7 Flying!!!
 

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Was taking advantage of rare 75° day here and doing some body work on my plane...walked over to help my hangar-neighbor hang the engines or his C310-J that he's restoring. He had to have them rebuilt after a nose-gear collapse/prop stike during taxi-testing a few months ago. While were working another guy passing through in his Harmon Rocket sheared his prop to the nubbins x 3 when he hit a taxi light while entering GPS data and taxiing at the same time.

The John Deere was a new innovation...when he removed the engines after the "incident", he did it by slinging them from his hangar door and lifting them with that.

..
 

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My son's RV checkout

We officially started my son's RV checkout and transition training!

Max has hundreds of hours sitting in the back seat. Most of that time was pre-student pilot, sleeping, playing video games, kicking my seat, and bouncing up and down listening to music. We've made dozens of trips to Oshkosh, Sun-n-Fun, and many other places. I didn't count any of that that time for logbook and insurance purposes. Sure he would grab the stick and do the best he could from back there. He even flew some formation from the back seat. However, he's never had the opportunity until this weekend to be fully in control: start, taxi, takeoff, and land from the front seat! It was a huge milestone for both of us!

He's 18 years old and holds a Private Pilot certificate with Glider, Airplane-SEL, and Instrument ratings. His logbook includes Complex, High-Performance, and Tailwheel endorsements. He's a freshman at Embry-Riddle-Riddle studying Spaceflight Operations and just began studying for his Commercial Pilot written exam. The goal is to continue working through his ratings and eventually make flying a career.

To prepare for this day, Max earned his tailwheel endorsement last year in a Citabria and logged nearly 60 hours in that plane (thanks John!). It's been 13 months since he last flew a taildragger, so I didn't feel comfortable throwing him in the front seat right away. A friend of mine (thanks Jared!) was kind enough to take him up in a Super Decathlon to get his feet warmed up again. Apparently he never lost his touch! After half a dozen perfect wheel landings, he was deemed proficient.

The next step was for me to get comfortable in the back seat. It had been many years since I had flown my airplane from the back seat. Another friend of mine with an RV-8 also, (Thanks Robin) hopped in the front seat and I got in back. I gave Robin a full brief of the various switches and procedures I use. My first landing was ok and Robin gave me appropriate critique. Subsequent landings improved dramatically. I felt comfortable again after 4 or 5 landings. Then later that evening while we were both fresh and with calm winds, Max and I got in the RV with him in front and did what we both have wanted to do for a long time! We did some air work followed by 6 very nice landings. That was on Saturday.

Yesterday, Sunday afternoon, my son flew us to Daytona Beach to go back to my alma mater, in a plane I built 15 years ago. I had a very glorious solo night flight back home.
 

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My weekend flying was marred by a bird strike on Friday evening. I was doing a low approach at my home airport, KGOO, and the bird's unfortunate demise was caught by photographer Tim O'brien.

I didn't see, hear, or feel the strike and only discovered it when I pushed the plane back into the hangar afterward. I'm in the process now of cutting in a new access panel so that I can hammer out the dent. The dent occurred in the same bay on the right wing as the leading edge stall warning device is located in the left wing. So, I am adding a matching access panel to the right wing.

I feel fortunate that the bird wasn't any larger and that the bird didn't hit the canopy.

Pics:
1. Just beginning the low pass, 2. A moment later, & 3. My new dent.
 

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We officially started my son's RV checkout and transition training!

Max has hundreds of hours sitting in the back seat. Most of that time was pre-student pilot, sleeping, playing video games, kicking my seat, and bouncing up and down listening to music. We've made dozens of trips to Oshkosh, Sun-n-Fun, and many other places. I didn't count any of that that time for logbook and insurance purposes. Sure he would grab the stick and do the best he could from back there. He even flew some formation from the back seat. However, he's never had the opportunity until this weekend to be fully in control: start, taxi, takeoff, and land from the front seat! It was a huge milestone for both of us!

He's 18 years old and holds a Private Pilot certificate with Glider, Airplane-SEL, and Instrument ratings. His logbook includes Complex, High-Performance, and Tailwheel endorsements. He's a freshman at Embry-Riddle-Riddle studying Spaceflight Operations and just began studying for his Commercial Pilot written exam. The goal is to continue working through his ratings and eventually make flying a career.

To prepare for this day, Max earned his tailwheel endorsement last year in a Citabria and logged nearly 60 hours in that plane (thanks John!). It's been 13 months since he last flew a taildragger, so I didn't feel comfortable throwing him in the front seat right away. A friend of mine (thanks Jared!) was kind enough to take him up in a Super Decathlon to get his feet warmed up again. Apparently he never lost his touch! After half a dozen perfect wheel landings, he was deemed proficient.

The next step was for me to get comfortable in the back seat. It had been many years since I had flown my airplane from the back seat. Another friend of mine with an RV-8 also, (Thanks Robin) hopped in the front seat and I got in back. I gave Robin a full brief of the various switches and procedures I use. My first landing was ok and Robin gave me appropriate critique. Subsequent landings improved dramatically. I felt comfortable again after 4 or 5 landings. Then later that evening while we were both fresh and with calm winds, Max and I got in the RV with him in front and did what we both have wanted to do for a long time! We did some air work followed by 6 very nice landings. That was on Saturday.

Yesterday, Sunday afternoon, my son flew us to Daytona Beach to go back to my alma mater, in a plane I built 15 years ago. I had a very glorious solo night flight back home.

ב ה צ ל ח ה !
 
We officially started my son's RV checkout and transition training!

... Max and I got in the RV with him in front and did what we both have wanted to do for a long time! We did some air work followed by 6 very nice landings. That was on Saturday.

Yesterday, Sunday afternoon, my son flew us to Daytona Beach to go back to my alma mater, in a plane I built 15 years ago. I had a very glorious solo night flight back home.

The first time I met Max he was 13 and thrilled to show me the Leggo structure he had recently constructed. Today he is a pilot with more ratings than most pilots ever accumulate in a lifetime. Jerry, you have every reason to be proud.
 
We officially started my son's RV checkout and transition training!

Max has hundreds of hours sitting in the back seat. Most of that time was pre-student pilot, sleeping, playing video games, kicking my seat, and bouncing up and down listening to music. We've made dozens of trips to Oshkosh, Sun-n-Fun, and many other places. I didn't count any of that that time for logbook and insurance purposes. Sure he would grab the stick and do the best he could from back there. He even flew some formation from the back seat. However, he's never had the opportunity until this weekend to be fully in control: start, taxi, takeoff, and land from the front seat! It was a huge milestone for both of us!

He's 18 years old and holds a Private Pilot certificate with Glider, Airplane-SEL, and Instrument ratings. His logbook includes Complex, High-Performance, and Tailwheel endorsements. He's a freshman at Embry-Riddle-Riddle studying Spaceflight Operations and just began studying for his Commercial Pilot written exam. The goal is to continue working through his ratings and eventually make flying a career.

To prepare for this day, Max earned his tailwheel endorsement last year in a Citabria and logged nearly 60 hours in that plane (thanks John!). It's been 13 months since he last flew a taildragger, so I didn't feel comfortable throwing him in the front seat right away. A friend of mine (thanks Jared!) was kind enough to take him up in a Super Decathlon to get his feet warmed up again. Apparently he never lost his touch! After half a dozen perfect wheel landings, he was deemed proficient.

The next step was for me to get comfortable in the back seat. It had been many years since I had flown my airplane from the back seat. Another friend of mine with an RV-8 also, (Thanks Robin) hopped in the front seat and I got in back. I gave Robin a full brief of the various switches and procedures I use. My first landing was ok and Robin gave me appropriate critique. Subsequent landings improved dramatically. I felt comfortable again after 4 or 5 landings. Then later that evening while we were both fresh and with calm winds, Max and I got in the RV with him in front and did what we both have wanted to do for a long time! We did some air work followed by 6 very nice landings. That was on Saturday.

Yesterday, Sunday afternoon, my son flew us to Daytona Beach to go back to my alma mater, in a plane I built 15 years ago. I had a very glorious solo night flight back home.
Cant believe Max is 18! I remember meeting you and Max at the Lumberton, NC fly-in.
Congratulations Jerry.
 
The first time I met Max he was 13 and thrilled to show me the Leggo structure he had recently constructed. Today he is a pilot with more ratings than most pilots ever accumulate in a lifetime. Jerry, you have every reason to be proud.

Thanks Ron! I am very proud indeed. You would be surprised at the impact it has on a child or even teenager when he meets and gets to know people like you, my good friend.

Cheers!

Jerry
 
Cant believe Max is 18! I remember meeting you and Max at the Lumberton, NC fly-in.
Congratulations Jerry.

Thanks Kurt! That picture was from that fly-in. Hard to believe how quick time has passed. That may have been his first fly-in. It was a fun one for kids. It had everything going for it, a small museum, a tractor pulled "airplane" train, and a plywood Stearman photo op!

Take care!

Jerry
 
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