Ercoupe Takeoffs Are Optional

The title of an old Gene Autry tune came to mind as I fired up the Ercoupe yesterday afternoon. In my younger days I did get to ride horseback occasionally  - and, it’s true, you never really forget how, you just get a bit rusty. So, just how rusty was I likely to be with just over 90 days of NOT flying as PIC? Well, the Regs say that I need to do a series of takeoffs and landings before I am again “current” and legally able to carry a passenger.

My last flight in the Ercoupe was just before Christmas, then a few “life events” seemed to get in the way. The Monday before Christmas was settlement day on our new “second home” at the beach. “Moving in” over the holidays and weekends thereafter kept me away from the airport. Then a business trip to Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas (in January) took me away for almost a week.

The winter of 08-09 was a bad one – not snow wise, but the temperatures were colder than average and there were prolonged periods of high, gusty winds. Then in late january we had an ice storm – one icy step in our back yard didn’t like me – and caused a fractured ankle. I hobbled on crutches into the FBO and made arrangements to have the Annual Inspection on the Ercoupe moved up to NOW. I figured, correctly, that an unscheduled Annual and taking care of a couple of Squawks would have the bird being finished up about the time I could climb back onto the wing. Well, the timing was about right and the weather cooperated yesterday – so takeoff I did – up I went – back in the saddle again.

The flying really felt good. The earlier breeze and bumps had calmed down and I had smooth air at 2500 AGL. I wanted to get away from the airport for a bit and flew north to test the newly installed elevator trim cable (one of the squawks), which had all but frozen after I bought the airplane. The trim worked perfectly, I could set it up to hold altitude quite well, a poor-man’s autopilot for sure.  The ‘Coupe tries to make a slight left turn – not because it’s out of rig, but because my butt takes up 40% of our useful load. If I move to the other side, the tend is turning toward the right. With a passenger, hands off flight should now be “straight and level.” Yay…

Then it was back to the airport for five landings. However, a close friend was doing some pattern work with his (our) CFI in preparation for his anticipated solo flight. So after two pattern trips and two nice landings I decided to tie down and watch my pal fly. I also didn’t want to distract him by being in the pattern and making CTAF calls in opposition to his. I know he needs to learn to handle a crowded pattern, but thought his solo evening should be as free of distractions as possible. It all worked out – HE DID SOLO – Congratulations!

Next trip I’ll knock out a few more takeoffs and landings. Then I’ll be legal and current. Of course those two attributes do not make a pilot safe and proficient. We (pilots) all need to keep working on those important attributes. But my first two landings in over three months were “chirp-chirp” greasers. (Ya gets lucky every once in a while.) In fact, the CFI called on the radio to say the one he saw (1st one) looked cool – crosswind crab on the short paved runway. He got to see it from above. (Pilots find it interesting to see the ‘Coupe touch down in a crab. LOL) So, I’ll reach around, pat myself on the back, and look forward to getting back in the saddle again in the next few days.

This morning I was perusing the AOPA Aviation Forum and read through a thread titled, “What Have You Done For GA?” (Note: you need an AOPA login to read the forum.) The pundits are claiming that general aviation is “hurting” – that flying small planes is a dying hobby, avocation and/or vocation. Taxes, fees, security regulations, the encroaching growth of urban areas, and myriad other factors are causing small airports to close and pilots to fly less. 

At first I thought I did nothing for GA other than to feed my “habit” of getting into the air every once in a while. But, on reflection, I find I actually do a few things to help promote flying – just by doing what it is that I do. So I put the following thoughts together and tried posting my response to the forum. But, alas, the forum was “timing out” (not too surprisingly), which is an Internet term for “having problems with the site.” So, instead of having my thoughts disappear into cyberspace I thought I would share them with our readers. Here is what I had attempted to share:

Hey, I’m just a very small player in the field of general aviation. Last year I returned to the skies after a 37 year hiatus (I had allowed life to get in the way).

I bought an Ercoupe in September and took some people flying.

I took a close friend often enough that he became interested enough to begin private pilot lessons in January. He soloed in a C-172 (Congratulations, pal!) last evening. I took him out to celebrate afterward.

I have also started a flying blog about getting back in the air – learning to fly all over again – and about being a private pilot operating under sport pilot rules. Not much of a Web site yet, but it gets nearly 100 visitors every day.

Our daughter has flown with me and wants to learn. She is a teacher, so I will help her get “formally” involved this summer. She works for my company in the summers so I can make sure she has time to learn to fly.

One of her assignments will be to keep up posts on the flying blog – about her “learn to fly” experiences.

In April I begin working on becoming a CFI-Sport. I don’t think I really want to “teach” – but it should make me a safer pilot and is a cool personal goal. Who knows, maybe I will become interested in introducing some folks to the world of Sport Pilot and LSAs – in a more structured way.

Even though I am not “consciously” working on it (promoting general aviation), maybe I am helping out – just a bit.

So, what are YOU doing to help keep our flying interests alive and functioning well?

A couple evenings ago I received an email from Bob, a fellow pilot, who has an interesting Web site about his flying experiences, The Joy of Aviation.

Bob has begun the intensive work (fun) required to become instrument rated. Admittedly, all flying is fun to some of us “hard cases,” but some of the training is very, very intense. So, his email stated, “I tell ya, I wanna get out tomorrow for some RECREATIONAL flying. Soo… badly, I’m seriously considering coming down to see you. I was supposed to go to Alton Bay with my Cuz on Thurs, but that looks like it’s going to get weathered out. He doesn’t think he can get off tomorrow. So… I’m looking your way.”

My response was, of course, to “come on down, I’ll take you to lunch.” (One of those $100 hamburgers that pilots talk about. One of us, however, enjoyed the Jambalaya special at Coakley’s in Havre de Grace.)

Now, by car, we live 275 miles and five hours of drive-time apart. Obviously, that is not convenient for a “lunch meeting” (which we can call a meeting because we are in the same business and collaborate on occasional projects).

With about an hour and a half of flight time in a C-172 (that’s a Cessna, small 4-place aircraft). Bob’s last email gave his time of arrival and departure like this: “I have to be back at home by 5p…wheels off by 2/2:30p so how’s a 12:00 arrival sound? I’ll need fuel, probably upon arrival would be best.” Continue reading »