Bob White airport in Zellwood, Florida would be our takeoff and landing point. This airport has a nice grass landing strip. When we arrived Champ pilot Jim opened the sliding doors to his enclosed hangar and a vision of the mighty Champ greeted us! What a plane indeed!
Champ pilot Jim then used a hand truck to wheel the Champ from it's nest out into the light of day. After completing pre-flights inspections of the plane, Champ pilot Jim schooled me in the technique for starting the plane. After some practice I sort of got the hang of laying my hands on the propeller and giving it a brisk yet supple and gentle tug, turning the propeller. Once Champ pilot Jim gave me the thumbs up I knew he had turned the ignition on and my next tug on the propeller would bear fruit....The Champ immediately came to life, like the well erled machine that it is!!
I eagerly climbed into the Champ and took my seat in the back, buckled up and donned my headset so that I might communicate with Champ pilot Jim.
Soon we were taxi-ing into position to take-off. The takeoff happened so quickly I did not even realize we were airborne! We quickly gained altitude and soon we were floating above the Florida landscape. It was so smooth I could not believe it.
We stayed out for about 45 minutes of just flying around and looking at lakes and trees and people and cows and all manner of things. Unbelievably cool! Champ pilot Jim would often just rest his left arm on the window sill like he was cruising in a '57 Chevy! We were basically out cruising except we had the whole sky to ourselves!
Finally we headed back for Bob White airport and Champ pilot Jim circled around and lined us up for a landing. With the skill of a surgeon he managed the levers and controls of the Champ and the landing was as soft and smooth as a baby's bottom!
I took a lot of pictures and video while we were flying. The video was on Champ pilot Jim's video camera so I will not have that for a couple days yet. I took one little video of us taxi-ing for takeoff and my pictures are at the link below. Click the link to see them.
Pics from the Champ flight (click me!)
Thanks Champ pilot Jim and mighty Aeronca Champ for an excellent time!
10 comments:
WOW! Awesome indeed!! Great pic's and a really keen post! What a great right up... A big thanks to "Champ Pilot Jim" (love it) for taking you on an excellent adventure and bringing you both home safe :=)
Thank you! Yes, it was fantastic. I can't wait to go again and Champ pilot Jim told me I am now his designated prop man when he takes others out to fly...woohoo!
Jim is DA MAN!
That is so kewl...I remember my first time riding on a lawnmower engine =)
Nice dissertation on the joys of flying the mighty Champ. The picture gallery was great, excellent photography and wordsmithing as well. Katie says she will get the video onto a CD Sunday night so hopefully you will soon have mounds of video to peruse and put on the blog.
Can't wait to see you propping skills on the web!
Beautiful pics CPC (Co-Pilot Chris)! Any future vision of taking flying lessons?
Stal
Stal,
I think I am best at just being a passenger. Perhaps sometime in the future CPJ will allow me to take control of the stick whilst in flight. That's about as far as I want to go with piloting a plane!
"The Champ is friend to all, foe to few"
So true, so true.
Love the pic Captions :-) and what a keen videooooo
AWESOME CHRIS!!! ( and thanks to pilot Jim for introducing you to the clouds and beyond and bringing you back safely to God's green earth! ) . If I *remember correctly (*I do have senior mental pauses!! ) I think Matthew took flying lessons eons ago - I don't know if he ever got his lic. Very exciting and adventurous life you lead young man!
ecg
Just remind Jim to try to stay near the middle of the air. Do not go near the edges of it. The edges of the air can be recognized by the appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees, and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly there.
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