Its May 11th, 2012 and I'm happy to be alive. Not in the sense that I recently escaped death in some miraculous way...but in the sense that, I am happy to be, and FEEL...so alive...fortunate to live the life I do. When you have a day like I did yesterday, you cant help but feel grateful to fill your lungs with sweet air and feel the warmth of the sun on your face.
Yesterday, May 10th, I took a step into a different world. A world, which I haven't yet known in my aviating career. It was a step that has changed the kind of aviator that I am today...yes, after only one flight. For a little less than one hour of flight time, I entered into the world of aerobatic flight and there's no going back for me! Sure, I had done a few aileron rolls and was a passenger for a loop in John Loretz's RV8 a couple years ago, but this was a whole different animal as I flew every maneuver....in the legendary Pitts! It still, 24 hrs later, feels surreal.
I realize I probably sound a little over dramatic, I admit I'm rather passionate about this stuff. So bare with me as I take you through my first aerobatic flight experience in a Pitts S-2C. When I'm done, maybe you will get a sense of what its like...and hopefully you'll want to step into this world too. I highly recommend it to ALL pilots...even if it is just one flight, you will be a better pilot for the experience.
Let me first back up just a second and talk about my flight training plan as I prepare myself to take Wablosa on her maiden flight. I am approaching it as a three step process,
Tailwheel endorsement (completed last summer...25 hrs TT and counting)
Aerobatics, unusual attitude and spin training (10 hrs dual is the goal)
RV transition training (5 hrs dual or as required by insurance)
I realize not all pilots feel the need for this much training leading up to their first flight. For me, I will not cut corners and I will not pinch pennies--my life and the lives of my future passengers is much too valuable to even consider any other path. God forbid, if I ever have an accident in an airplane, I don't want it to be from inferior stick and rudder skills. I see it all the time in the accident reports, and it really is a tragedy because, as pilots, we have complete control over it...hone your craft, your life could depend on it. If you do not want to work at it, my advice is to take up a different hobby. Train and practice, my friends.
I am not going to preach (ok, I guess I already did...but only because I care) to you about how you should approach this phase, I believe that's a personal decision for each pilot to wrestle with--as long as you aren't offering a ride to my Mom. ;) All joking aside, my advice is don't skimp on training when it comes to protecting your life...especially for a couple thousand dollars. Is your life not worth that much, seriously? There are no "do over's" in the world of aviation...treat aviating with the respect it deserves. Teaching yourself aerobatics is just asking for a bad outcome...get proper instruction in a good solid airplane. Ok, off my soap box...lets talk flying!
Here is my trusty steed for the day. She is a Pitts S-2C, the newest Pitts model on the market today. Its a highly capable competition aerobatic aircraft and an excellent aerobatic trainer. Compared to the previous model, the S-2B, there have been several improvements.
The S-2C features a quicker roll rate (300 deg/sec), improved climb rate (2900 fpm), cruises 15 mph faster (160 kts) and it's also easier to land. This particular plane, N317JK, is one of two planes owned by my instructor Dagmar Kress and is 2008 vintage. It is an immaculate airplane inside and out, its obvious Dagmar takes good care of it. The S-2C is powered by a Lycoming AEIO-540 cranking out a whopping 260hp, swinging a 3 blade Hartzell composite prop. To put that engine in perspective, the biggest engine to date that I have flown behind was 160hp...100hp less than this monster.
My instructor is
Dagmar Kress. She was a member of the German national aerobatic team in '94 and '96. She owns two airplanes, the Pitts and another immaculate machine, an Extra 330SC, which she flies in competition. I first met Dagmar at Pete's memorial service last year at Everitt Field...of course, she flew her Extra to it. I had forgotten about her when I was getting ready to start my aerobatic instruction and I came across her website in a google search, sent her a few emails and voila, here we are.
Let me say, I have no stake in this, Dagmar isn't giving me any bargains or kickbacks for free advertisement. This is not a paid endorsement, I just think good service should be rewarded. I really enjoyed our flight and would, without hesitation, recommend Dagmar to friends who are interested in this type of instruction. She's patient and knows how to teach, which, sadly not all instructors know how to do. What I like most about Dagmar though is her passion for flying--she isn't doing this to build hours for an airline job, she's doing it because she loves it with all her heart. As she says, "I was born for this." I can always relate to that sentiment in a pilot...and you cant go wrong with an instructor that graciously shares that passion of flight with you. If you're interested, here is a
great video of Dagmar when she was instructing in a previous life in Florida. If watching that doesn't get you fired up and the blood pumping, (and maybe just a little nauseous) nothing will!
Dagmar and I discuss the upcoming flight, since its an orientation flight, I get the sense the ground work is a little less formal than a regular lesson. I secretly think Dagmar has been through this enough times to know that not every pilot comes back for a second lesson so she holds back a little on this first one to see how it goes...as she likes to say, "its not for everyone". She just wants to see if I have what it takes to come back for lesson number two and then she'll dig in and get down to business. I'm ok with this, as quite honestly, I don't know for sure what to expect of myself. I admit to having some apprehension and being more than a little anxious leading up this flight...will I be scared? will I get sick? will I even enjoy it? There was a lot going through my head as I prepared for this.
Of course, we spend some time talking about our mutual friend,
Pete Vinton, whom we lost last year around this time in an airplane crash. We try to analyze his accident in the Carbon Cub in a detached, unemotional state like pilots always seem to do, but in the end, we both admit we miss him. I think we also both realize if he was still with us he'd be right in the middle of our discussion about airplanes because he also had that passion burning inside him.
I change the subject from Pete, and Dagmar continues with her pre-flight briefing. She shows me how to get in and out of the seemingly tiny front cockpit without breaking the expensive canopy or putting my foot through the wing fabric. Step here with your left foot, grab here with your right hand...swing your right leg over here, etc...it feels like an awkward dance, but I finally get it as Dagmar says "...your other right" as I try and step in with my left foot first...whoops. :) I somehow manage not to break anything and settle down inside, it kind of reminds me of climbing into the bull chute onto the back of a pissed off bull from my rodeo days. In both instances, I realize, I am about to voluntarily strap myself to a beast...all in the pursuit of fun. I really need to make that appointment with a therapist....this just isn't sane. I just sit in the cockpit for a few minutes to get a feel for her and where everything is.
As you can see from the picture, there isn't much for instrumentation in this puppy. This is good ol' fashioned 'seat of the pants', look outside, VFR flying at its best...believe it or not, there is really not much need for anything more than what you see. Airspeed, altimeter, G-meter is about it and I personally feel a good pilot could cover those instruments and still fly safe, just by feel--seat of your pants. Dagmar has more instrumentation in the rear cockpit, but this is it for me up front.
Throttle and prop control is on the left, stick in the right hand. I move the stick around in my hand and I can feel the control smoothness immediately, it reminds me of the RV's...my mind wanders momentarily to what it will be like in flight. A 6.5 gallon smoke oil tank sits directly between my legs but is amazingly not in my way. The cockpit, although tight, seems very comfortable and I actually don't feel cramped at all. Lets be honest though, you 'wear' this airplane, no doubt about it. I am a 5'9", 185 lb guy so not real big but Dagmar said her last student was 6'5" so it is accommodating for pilots of all sizes. I am sitting on my parachute, which is designed to double as the seat cushion.
After a few minutes in the cockpit, the fuel truck arrives so I climb out as Dagmar fills the beast up with Avgas. I was amazed to see in my Internet research leading up to the flight that the AEIO-540, depending on power settings, gulps Avgas at a 18.5 gph rate during aerobatics!! I guess that horsepower doesn't come for free! With its small 28 gallon main tank and a 45 minute reserve, we only have a one hour window of flight duration. This baby was not designed for cross country cruising, that's for sure.
One of Dagmar's main themes in our preflight briefing was everything is about getting the right 'sight picture.' She shows me a screw head attached to the cowling, directly on the centerline of the aircraft. She says, this will be your primary fix point...use it like a gun sight. She also discussed how the sight picture changes for different maneuvers, especially for inverted flight and inverted spins...yes, we will do this later as well.
After we are fueled up, there is one more briefing to be done before we fire up the Lycoming. Emergency egress procedures need to be covered. For example, when and how to exit the aircraft in an emergency. Oh boy, now things are turning serious...I thought this was supposed to be lighthearted and fun!? :) So Dagmar shows me how to strap into the parachute and adjust it to my size. She cautions, don't get the crotch straps crossed or you will leave your manhood behind when you pull the rip cord...I think to myself, "good tip".
We then discuss 'when' we will jump...Dagmar simply states: mid-air collision or fire, otherwise we will remain with the aircraft. I think this is prudent...if its a flyable aircraft, we are better off 'flying' it than jumping...makes sense. I bring up the fact that structural failure would also fall into that category, but she kinda laughs and confidently says, we're not going to break this airplane. That puts my mind at ease, until she ponders it for a second and adds, "but, anything is possible". Ok, you could've kept that to yourself Dagmar....but then again, I did bring it up.
Ok, now I know 'when' to jump...but 'how'? She instructs me how to jettison the canopy and then cautions about inadvertently getting a headset cord wrapped around the jettison handle. Hmm, that would be 'exciting' I think. Note to self, keep an eye on that cord! Then comes the part where a lump forms in my throat...here, she points to a metal D-ring on the left side of my chest, is the rip cord handle...pull here once you are clear of the aircraft. I think to myself, is that before or after I have pee-ed down my leg and stained my britches?? Where do those reside in the checklist? Her exact instructions, "look, grab, pull" and then has me do a dry run (minus the 'pull' of course) to prove to her that I am actually listening...holy crap, I block out the visual of me free falling away from a broken airplane with soiled drawers...for my own sanity. I'm an aviator, not a skydiver damnit!
All the hangar talk and briefings are now done. I finally say, "lets go flying!", trying to force my excitement through some machismo. As soon as the words slip from my lips I feel my anxiety rearing up again....holy moly, we're really going to do this. I am about to go do things in an airplane that I have never done before...twisting and turning...swapping blue for brown and back again...on purpose! What am I thinking? My mind wanders, is it too late to back out now? Yup...it is...I am now committed as Dagmar yells, "clear prop" hits the ignition and the engine roars to life.
My anxiety momentarily slips away as I instantly fall in love with the engine, I know I'm kinda weird that way. I am hypnotized by the hum as it just seems to purr so smoothly on the nose as I stare straight ahead. Its almost like its alive...a living, breathing thing, this beast. I get the sense it is contently waiting to jump into action when called upon. Begging to be cut loose like an Alaskan Malamute strongly tugging at her harness on a dog sled. For now though...she just purrs...waiting obediently. We S-taxi to the ramp...the forward visibility is pretty much non-existent in the Pitts...S-turns are definitely required to see where you are going. This isn't needed in all taildraggers, including the Citabria I normally fly.
Its a gorgeous Colorado spring day, although it feels more like the middle of summer. With all of our jawing in the hangar (its clearly evident Dagmar and I can both talk for hours about airplanes and flying), it has become somewhat toasty as we finish our runup and get our takeoff clearance from the tower. Because of the mid-80 degree temps, the density altitude is showing 9200' on the digital sign next to the taxiway at Centennial airport (APA). This is standard stuff when flying in the high Rockies in the summer...probably a little shocking to pilots from sea level, but we're used to it.
We taxi out onto the active runway, line up on the centerline, firewall the throttle, the command is given and the engine responds...it seems to be in its element now as it bursts from its leash like a greyhound coming out of the starting gate. I feel myself suck back in my seat as the little red biplane accelerates smoothly down the runway. I immediately feel the twitchiness of the Pitts on takeoff roll as Dagmar keeps the little airplane tracking down the centerline. Twitch left, twitch right and then left again, back right...I can already sense how hard it probably is to land this beast and maintain directional control. Finally, we break ground and take flight, at once everything changes, the awkwardness of the ground converts to the elegance of flight...this plane likes to be in the air, that is home, not the ground. I can certainly relate.
We climb out...nose high attitude...and this new aviation world starts to unfold before me. Dagmar is doing S-turns on our climb out. For the same reason we do them on the ground, to see around that obtrusive nose. I had never experienced this before in any plane I have flown. Hang on because we're just getting started exploring this new world of flight.
Dagmar climbs out and we have a DiamondStar ahead of us, slightly lower at our 2 o'clock position. Dagmar wants to just overtake him and then turn to our heading. But the DiamondStar is faster than we anticipate...and we are only closing on him slowly. Finally Dagmar decides on a different tactic and rolls into a 75 degree banked turn to cut behind him...and I mean right now, we're on our side! Ok...for a guy that has never banked anything beyond 60 degrees...I am awake now! Not only was it cool, but the airplane did it effortlessly--like Dagmar, it was also born for this. Another mental note...this plane, nor this pilot, likes to fly straight and level.
Alright, so we get on heading to Kelly airpark where they have a designated aerobatic practice area. Dagmar gives me the plane and says get a feel for it. Hmm, as I finally get the stick in my hands I think, not too shabby. I somewhat cautiously, like I'm afraid to break this new toy, bank left and then right...nice harmonious controls, smooth...and most noticeable, its very maneuverable. It doesn't take much to get those stubby little wings into a banked turn. You just think it, and this plane takes you there. I can instantly see why the Pitts is such an iconic airplane...its all you would expect it to be, its legend is well earned. Every pilot should have, 'Fly a Pitts', on his/her bucket list. For me, gladly, that box is now checked.
First demonstration...Dagmar instructs me to slow up to about 100mph, get the nose up slightly and then take my feet off the rudder pedals. We then watch as the nose slowly, but consistently starts sliding to the left and we turn...why? Torque, P-factor, precession, spiral slipstream...you remember all that stuff from ground school right? All that stuff that makes us feed in right rudder...slower flight with higher angle of attack makes it more pronounced, as do bigger engines, it was much stronger in the Pitts than anything I had experienced before.
Next exercise...do some dutch rolls. Not much to these, bank left and then immediately back to the right, back to the left and then the right...over and over. Now faster. Do it coordinated...by feel...that 'seat of the pants' concept again...now do it uncoordinated to notice the difference. It was a fun little exercise and I was enjoying myself...and getting acquainted with the plane at the same time...much like my days playing baseball, we were getting warmed up.
Then we did some steep turns...again standard stuff...I lost a little altitude on my first one because I had my sight picture off a little....i.e., my 'gun sight' was off. I adjusted it and then, for the most part, nailed it the next couple times. It felt good, this plane is fun to fly. I can already sense...just like an excited puppy, all this airplane wants to do is play, seemingly begging me for more maneuvers.
Alright, now lets do some aerobatics.
Aileron rolls are the first order of business. Easy to do and fun too. I've done these before in an RV8 and they seemed simple enough back then. Well, let me tell you, they are a little different in the Pitts because of the control sensitivity. First, pitch the nose up...neutralize the elevator and then full deflection aileron input...while maintaining neutral elevator. Sounds simple eh? Well, for the life of me I kept 'pulling', i.e., not keeping the elevator neutral, and ended up doing ugly cork screws that a couple of times resembled sloppy snap rolls. Its quite an experience to look out the bubble canopy at the ground as we roll inverted and then back upright. We did quite a few of these both ways and by the end I was improving but still a little sloppy.
So, here we are zig zagging around the practice area at between 10,000 and 11,000 ft agl (high terrain of 7,000 ft in this area). I, like most new students, am totally focused on my flying. All of a sudden, Dagmar takes control and pretty rapidly throws the left wing down and into knife edge flight. I look down the wing straight at the ground and am a little confused as to why, when Dagmar comes on the intercom and lets me in on the mystery. She says she seen a shadow pass by and was looking for traffic. I, of course, because of my distraction didn't see anything. We finally see it was a jetliner a couple thousand feet above us departing from DEN. We were well out of their airspace and all was well, but it is always prudent to look, just to be sure. Safety first...Dagmar runs a safe operation and I'm a fan. My point to the story is...again, did you ever have your flight instructor do that during primary training?? Of course not. Its a whole different world when you have a Pitts at your fingertips...any flight attitude is fair game...and quite fun, I have to admit I am curiously drawn to this world and this sports car of the sky.
Ok, back on task...concentrate. Next, lets do some
looping. Dagmar tells me 160mph entry speed through the intercom, pull straight back on the stick with both hands to a 4g pull and then gradually release stick pressure as we come over the top inverted and start back down. Then start gradually pulling again as we point the nose straight down at the ground, filling the windshield with brown and green. The last pull of the stick will mirror the initial 4g pull at the beginning to level off, hopefully at the same altitude you started at.
I asked prior to the maneuver, how will I know how much to pull after the initial 4g pull? She says...feel the aircraft, it will tell you if you are pulling too hard as it starts to buffet. She says, when you get more advanced you can do a loop with your eyes closed. Very cool...but not today, I will keep them wide open for now, thank you very much. Lets just say, I have never been so attuned to an aircraft in my life. When you are upside down, something inside tells you--call it a survival instinct, that this wouldn't be a good place for an inverted stall so I am keenly aware of what the airplane is telling me. She is whispering in my ear, and I am straining to listen to what she is saying. In my mind, I whisper back..."easy girl, lets be friends."
I trust my instructor and do as she says...I feel for the stall..."feel the force Luke"...ok...there's a whisper of an airframe buffet...ease off the stick slightly...good...hold it...coming around, coming around...now float over the top and back down. It was actually kind of a personal lightbulb moment to 'feel' for the stall instead of waiting for a stall horn. In fact, there actually is a stall warning horn in the Pitts, but it is easy to miss...its just kind of a quiet chirp in the background. Dagmar actually said she needs to disconnect it because aerobatic pilots don't use it--I think that's what she said, if I heard her right? I didn't even know what it was the first few times I heard it. Much different than the loud obnoxious blare of a Skyhawk stall horn that you just cant miss, even if you wanted to. It makes me think, we have become such trained monkeys as pilots. That we can get so distracted we need an ear splitting blare of a warning to force us to pay attention to flying the airplane...kinda sad really. May as well just hook up electrodes to us...and give us a good jolt. Trained monkeys, I tell ya.
Well, we do several loops...the first couple were a little ugly at the top, but I got better. Or at least I thought I did, I'm guessing they still looked like "eggs" rather than "donuts" from the ground. Dagmar ensures me, the 'perfect' loop is hard to do...its not easy. I had a tendency not to pull the stick hard enough coming out...loading up to 4g's as the blood drains from my brain and my cheeks start to droop and everything feels heavy...all the while I can hear Dagmar rather urgently telling me to "pull, pull" in my headset. Alright, that was fun...but its still surreal and disconcerting to be upside down in an airplane...soooo different than normal flight training. The idea is to get comfortable with this new flight environment...in time.
Dagmar asks me how I am doing, as she does frequently throughout the flight. I am doing good I tell her. So we move to the next maneuver...
Half cuban eights. First half of the maneuver is just like a loop...at the top we continue around until we reach a 45 degree downline, roll 180 degrees to upright and pull to level flight. Another fun maneuver and I didn't have much trouble with these.
Next was the
reverse half cuban eight. Start straight and level, pull up to a 45 deg upline, roll inverted and pull through the backside of a loop. Again, not too bad...getting the 45 degree upline set was interesting though. How many times have you put your Skyhawk into a 45 degree climb attitude...and held it there? Very cool!
Ok, again Dagmar asks..."how ya feeling?"...still good...still nervous, but I keep that to myself because I'm some kind of tough guy, but not queasy at least, the stomach is holding up well. I've never had motion sickness so I was proud to keep that record intact, at least on this flight. Dagmar asks what do you want to do next? I say, "lets try some inverted flight". I figure this cant be too tough. Dagmar says ok. First though, check to be sure your seat belts are secure and most importantly 'tight' across my lap. I tugged on them as hard as I could until it felt like I was cutting off the circulation to my legs. In the Pitts, we use a five point harness system...the five points are: lap, lap, shoulder, shoulder, crotch..all five belts are attached in one clasp on your belly button...but then there is a second 'red' lap belt that is for redundancy protection. The lap belts hold you down...the shoulder belts hold you back. So those two lap belts are pretty important to keep you from flying out of the cockpit during negative G maneuvers....the kind that try to pull you out of your seat, of which inverted flight is.
I knew from my reading and from Dagmar's pre-flight briefing what the sight picture should look like in a plane like the Pitts with a symmetrical wing. It will be slightly nose high to maintain the proper angle of attack to maintain level flight. But the kicker is, for a pilot like me, who has never flown sustained inverted...to get the nose up, we don't 'pull' like we do upright...we now 'push' the stick...a mirror image of upright flight. Alright I say, "lets do it!" I roll sharply into inverted flight and peg the sight picture perfectly and hold it, it was exactly as Dagmar had described...while Dagmar excitedly chirps in my headset, "that is perfect, nice job." I momentarily smile, but then am brought back to the reality of the fact that I am upside down a few thousand feet in the air.
I hold it there with slight forward stick and I can feel the negative G forces, digging the lap belts into my waist as I feel like I have instantly gained about 100 lbs. This force is trying to pry me out of the seat and out through the canopy straight down to the ground and certain death. I was, at once, happy for my TWO lap belts, but at the same time scared to death they were going to somehow, surprisingly, BOTH pop loose at the same time. Its quite amazing how powerful the imagination can be in situations like this as my anxiety kicked into high gear all of a sudden and I started to sweat a little. Easy now, relax, panic has no home in the cockpit. I was relieved to roll back upright after holding it for what seemed like 30 seconds...but probably was about half that. I quickly realize negative G's may never be my favorite thing to do, but I resolve to continue to explore this flight envelope.
Dagmar asks, do you want to keep going? We can do spins next. For whatever reason, I reply, "no...lets save that for next time, this is enough for today." Me, turning down more flying?? What was I thinking? I could've kept going, as I felt ok, but I had done a lot for my first day and didn't want to push it...lets end on a good note so I am anxious to get back up again soon. I had whet my whistle...mission accomplished. A day later and my head is still swimming with everything I did in an airplane that day, I did plenty for a first flight I think.
We head back toward APA and Dagmar asks if I want to fly over Pete's old airpark, Everitt Field. The last time I was there was for Pete's memorial service over a year ago. I excitedly respond absolutely, but confess I have only overflown it once and had a hard time finding it. She knows the area well and shows me a couple tricks with landmarks so I can easily find it next time. I do a couple 360's over the runway in a left steep banked turn...as I looked down the wing at the exact spot where Pete met his end, I certainly couldn't help but think about him and how cool he would of thought our circling the airport would've been. I smiled and banked the little red Pitts for home...
Dagmar takes control of the plane and we get our landing clearance from the tower. They tell us we are number two following a Saratoga on short final. We acknowledge the tower and try to get a visual on our bogey. No joy...I strain to see around the nose, but both of us looking couldn't find the Saratoga. All the while Dagmar is approaching the runway, still maintaining 1000' agl mind you. Because of our altitude, I know we are well out of the flight path of the Saratoga as he would be below us on a normal final approach path. Since we never did get a visual, she finally calls the tower and asks if the Saratoga is clear? They respond "affirmative." Dagmar then descends to the runway.
Let me paint this picture for you...we are 1000' agl, over the numbers! I was thinking she surely is just going to go around, we cant land from this position...can we? She points the nose down at what seemed like 45 degrees and dives for the runway, we come down like a brick...mostly in a pronounced left forward slip...it was quite amazing to descend that fast without really increasing airspeed. Nicely done. Sure enough, we touch down like there was nothing to it. As we taxied back, I asked Dagmar...is that your standard approach in the Pitts and she said, "yep." It gives better visibility (I can vouch for that) and the steep approach assures you will make the runway if the engine fails on short final. An 83 kt approach speed in a Pitts is recommended in the POH...but Dagmar says that's a joke in reality, it will give you a very nose high attitude that virtually eliminates all forward visibility. Not a good way to conduct a safe landing.
I practice my S-turns, swinging the nose left and right, on the way back to the hangar and then Dagmar shuts 'er down. I am mentally and emotionally exhausted, but sky high when I climb out of the cockpit. What a ride! It was a little overwhelming to say the least, but I cant wait to go again. Its very empowering to be upside down in an airplane and know, "Its ok...no need to panic." That's the main takeaway with this type of training for me...how many pilots can say that? Will you panic if the first time you are upside down in an airplane...it wasn't planned and you are at low altitude? I probably would...without this training. This is going to be a fun journey as I learn to put the Pitts through its paces and explore my 'courage envelope' in the process.
I hope you enjoyed my long-winded account of my first Pitts flight. I love this life! Thanks for reading.
I will leave you with a few pics of the gorgeous Extra 330...too bad that thing doesn't have two seats eh?? ;)
