Wablosa's First Oshkosh

 

I've been busy getting ready for my first trip flying into Oshkosh for the annual pilgrimage. I feel very well prepared as there is a lot of good information out there to study. I started by reading the NOTAM...it amazes me that some pilots feel like its ok to fly into OSH without reading the NOTAM. Its about 25 pages in length so its not trivial. Keep yourself and the rest of your pilot brethren safe by being prepared and following procedures. I have it on my iPad and also in hard copy, which you can request for free until supplies run out.

 

In addition to that, I watched the EAA webinar, which had good information specific to this year (2014). I followed that up by watching actual cockpit videos so I could get a feel for what its like real-time, with actual radio calls and wing rocks. All of this coupled with the fact that I listen to a live tower feed every year so I'm familiar with how it goes will hopefully make it a non-event. The best thing you could say after your first trip would be, "it was like I had been there before."

 

I've gone out and practiced slow flight. The FISK approach is at 90kts/1800 ft and depending on who you get stuck behind that could slow to 70kts from stories I have heard. I flew at 90kts, dialed the RPM back to about 1950 to keep CHT's down (not sure if I needed to but wanted to practice it), it was not a big deal as the aircraft was plenty stable. I then stepped down to 80kts...then 70, and finally 65kts. 70 kts is probably about as far as I would go before bailing out of the approach and re-entering.

 

Of course, I didn't do this at full gross, so that is something I need to keep in mind when the day arrives. I just don't feel comfortable strapping ballast into my co-pilot seat...if it were to become dislodged and fall on my co-pilot stick it would be game over. I will just adjust accordingly to the added weight.

 

My last bit of practice will be spot landings...you know the drill...yellow dot, green dot, etc. That will be a rush landing on the dot in OSH for the first time, for sure.

 

I am spending the week getting the airplane pretty for the big show too. Several last minute cosmetic details need to be accomplished. Painting my plenum is the big one.  

 

In summary, the day is almost upon us...and I'm pretty psyched for this trip. If you see ol' #5 out at OSH, stop by and say hi!

Light GoPro Acro

 

Long time, no post...I hope all is well in your RV world, its been great in mine! I've already logged about 64 hrs on the HOBBS and still getting used to the new bird. I would say after about 50 hrs, things were feeling pretty good, but I'm still not where I want to be yet. In addition to the flying, I am still getting some bugs worked out of the airplane. Its certainly not finished once you get it flying.

 

Last weekend, I mounted my GoPro 2 camera to the wing and went playing around out in the aerobatic practice area where I used to go with my acro instructor, Dagmar. I admittedly am just dipping my toe in the water with solo acro. As you can see from the pics and video...its a heckuva toy and a lot of fun!

 

Here is simple video of a few rolls...really a cool perspective with the camera on the wing. I have been tinkering with my technique as I am getting some 'up' elevator in the mix, causing a barrel roll effect. The hardest thing to do with a roll is to achieve perfectly 'neutral' elevator. If you look close, you can actually see it in the video...very nice for critiquing.

 

After doing several to the left, I tried one to the right. As you can see in this video, it is a perfectly executed Split-S. The problem is, it was supposed to be a full roll. A split-S is properly entered at a low entry airspeed. This was a rookie mistake and potentially dangerous because of high speed and altitude loss. I was high (as you should always be when trying new stuff) and had enough sense to pull the power immediately after I realized what I did. Even with that, it was amazing to watch the airspeed build to 190+ kts TAS even with the power pulled. 

 

You should never "roll and pull" as they preach to you in unusual attitude training. The worst possible recovery from a botched roll is a split-S...not sure what I was thinking? I rolled, it didn't look good so I pulled to abort. I know better as Dagmar taught me better than that as this was a topic of discussion when we did rolls. Again, I know this was a foolish mistake, but I wanted to share so you can remember this and hopefully not make the same one yourself...even something as simple as a roll can get you in trouble if you aren't trained properly. Alas, I'm still learning.

 

Next post I'll go into detail about my preparations for flying into OSH two weeks from now, for both the pilot and plane. Until then, enjoy this dose of multi-media and get some inspiration to KPR.  

These are various screenshots taken from the GoPro, I really like the dramatic effect mounting the camera on the wing has. And the scenery isn't bad either, which helps.