More Pitts Flying HOBBS 1899.5 hrs

 

When I developed my training plan for getting ready for my first flight, I had a goal of 200 hrs total time, 25 hrs tailwheel, transition training, aerobatics and unusual attitudes. Well, I am closing in on checking off almost every bullet point. I am now at just about 198 hrs TT, 37 hrs TW, 5.5 hrs transition training and 5.9 hrs aerobatics. The only one missing is unusual attitudes and I have read Rich Stowell's book on the topic, which will suffice for now.

 

So, last Saturday I flew with Dagmar again after about a six month hiatus from Pitts flying. The break did me good, I felt much more comfortable in the airplane this time around. She also gave me my CFI spin endorsement in the ol' logbook, which is always cool to add stuff to the big book.

 

 

We did some refresher stuff, loops, emergency spin recovery and then worked mostly on hammerheads. The first time I did HH's six months ago, they seemed oh so easy and a ton of fun. Well, they are still a ton of fun, but I learned just how to botch one and what happens when you do. For the first couple, I was trying to hold my upline too long and my pivot came too late...which results in very nice inverted spins. I gotta be honest, even the screwed up HH's and inverted spins were fun! After a couple, I got it dialed back in, it was a good flight.

 

I have committed to flying my first aerobatic contest with Dagmar in the Pitts in Sterling, CO the weekend of July 12th. I am seriously thinking of flying my RV in some contests and this will be a great introduction to how it all works with Dagmar as my guide. Lastly, this training is getting me ready to fly aerobatics in my RV.

 

Here are some pics I snapped with my GoPro2 camera...it really does take very nice still photos, along with great video. I told Dagmar to fly for a minute while I snap some pics...she went hog wild flying several maneuvers over the course of several minutes while I enjoyed the ride and snapped about 50 shots...I don't know about you, maybe I am biased, but I think these are cool as shit! :) Life is grand.

 

Primary Sequence HOBBS 1502.5 hrs

Last night was my 5th flight in the Pitts. During this lesson we were going to tackle the competition Primary Aerobatic sequence. This is where all budding aerobatic pilots start. The categories for competition evolve like this: Primary, Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced, Unlimited. The primary sequence is really not that daunting when looking at it on paper. It is a 45 degree upline, a one turn spin, half cuban, loop, 180 degree turn and ending with a slow roll. The diagram shows the sequence in Aresti shorthand, we put this in the cockpit to reference. With the primary, its not too hard to memorize the sequence, but the upper level sequences are much more involved.

For a new aerobatic pilot trying it for the first time, it gets pretty taxing in a hurry as you try to string maneuvers together, manage your energy, fly straight lines...and oh, by the way, stay in this tiny aerobatic box! From the air, the aerobatic box looks like the size of a football field....are you kidding me?! Its actually quite a bit bigger than that, 3300' x 3300' to be exact...but I was amazed just how small that puppy looks from the air.

My brain was on mental overload as I attempted this, so much to think about...and fly the airplane at the same time. There is a saying that pilots that do recreational aerobatics are called "floppers"...you can guess why and probably where that term came from. Their purpose is just to go out, have some fun, and "flop" around the sky willy nilly, paying no attention to style points or precision. Nothing wrong with that at all, but if you really want to hone your stick and rudder skills, try competition aerobatics. It takes it to a whole new level...and I gotta say, I like it...it is a true aviating challenge to demonstrate that kind of mastery over your aircraft.

For about two weeks I had been memorizing the sequence and going over it in my head. Planning my energy management strategy and closing my eyes, flying it in my mind, and going through the stick and rudder motions. When I showed up at the airport, I told Dagmar, "I wanted to test myself...first time through, unless it is a safety concern, don't say anything...no coaching...let me try to get through it alone. Then when I finish, we can discuss what I did right and wrong." She said "ok, sounds good."

Mind you, I wasn't completely prepared for this and I knew it...I hadn't done a 45 degree upline yet, my cuban eights in my first lesson were not to competition standards and my slow rolls were still a work in progress. But, I believe in pushing yourself...that's how you grow and learn at anything in life, get out of your comfort zone and stretch. I knew this was going to quite a learning experience...I was not wrong.

Ok, so...here we go...we get out to the practice area. I line up at 3500' AGL and make a shallow dive into the box. Stiff pull through 1/8 of a loop, establish my 45 degree upline...good...up we go, airspeed decays to 80mph, push the stick and nose over the top, trying to mirror the initial pull...they should be equal in appearance, but the trick is the push at the top is at a much slower speed so its more gradual. I come out of the 45 degree upline and we experience a slight weightless zero G feeling as I float out of my seat and am constrained gently by my lap belt. Level off...always level off in between maneuvers, remember straight lines...the judges are watching.

Now cut the power, hold the nose up to maintain altitude...straight lines...setting up for the one turn spin. No problem so far, I'm feeling good. We wobble and teeter at stall speed, that's my cue to kick left rudder and over we go into the spin. Here is where it starts falling apart for me. I had never done a "competition" spin yet...although I knew about coming out on heading, a one turn spin requires a perfect 360 degrees of rotation...not 350 or 370. I also knew that coming out of the spin, I had to establish a perfect vertical downline, but I hadn't practiced that yet. I managed both of those fairly well for my first attempt, but what caught me was this.

I pulled power to enter the spin...got my vertical downline established (actually not quite, needed more forward stick...), but then forgot to add the power back in! When we practiced spins before, we didn't cover this, my only thought was recovering from the spin back then...not making it look pretty. As I came out of the dive, I pulled 4G's to level off...then, and only then, I finally added the power back in. Too late, my energy management was now destroyed...I didn't have the energy for the next maneuver (or at least I didn't think I did)...the half cuban. Consequently, this is where I aborted my sequence. Boy, I didn't get far, did I? doh! Quite an aviator alright! Oh well, it was a great learning experience and a wonderful introduction to the challenges of competition aerobatics. Energy management is everything.

We then circled back up to gain altitude and talked about it. Dagmar explained, I needed to establish a perfect vertical downline first, then add full power...while still pointing straight down. That was interesting the first time, instincts tell you "full power, straight down" is not a good idea for preserving life.

I went through it again...this time, making it all the way through the sequence. Its wasn't pretty but I managed. We ended up doing it several more times...and I was proud to say, I improved each time. The last one being pretty decent, at least from my vantage point...not sure judges would agree. Although, I did not stay inside the box on any of them...that will be the next challenge.

This was also the first lesson Dagmar let me take off and land. Take off wasn't too difficult, although Dagmar likes to take off in a three point attitude in the Pitts, which was different for me. I always raised the tail first in the Citabria. Landing was definitely another completely new experience. We came in at 1000' AGL, 120mph...when I was at about a 45 degree line from the numbers, cut the power to idle, pitch the nose over and glide down to the numbers...holding 110mph. Its amazing how the Pitts will glide at that nose down attitude without gaining airspeed. I round off, flare and set it down nice and smooth...Dagmar comes over the intercomm and congratulates me, "nice job!". I was feeling kinda cocky, until the beast showed me her fangs...here comes the ground roll. Holy moly is this airplane twitchy!! I was all over the runway, chasing my tail. Dagmar had to help me with the rudder on that segment of the landing...ok, I am now humbled again, that didn't take long. The Pitts is legendary for being hard to land...I can now see why.

I now have 4.9 hrs in the Pitts, with 2.0 hrs devoted exclusively to spin training. I would say, this, for me is a minimum for feeling comfortable flying solo aerobatics. I feel I have enough training now to know how to get myself out of trouble. I, by no means, have this mastered...but I have a good foundation, to practice my skills. I will continue with Dagmar to increase my confidence level...and I like flying with Dagmar and love the Pitts, but I would think most pilots would be ok on their own at this point. Those 5 hrs have meant the world to me being more confident in the cockpit. Spin training was HUGE for this pilot to erase my fears. Remember, I was a pilot that was afraid of doing solo stalls before I started this, I now would feel comfortable not only doing solo stalls...but solo spins, which I plan to do soon in the Citabria. What a difference! I cant recommend this training enough...it is an investment that will pay huge dividends.

During aerobatic lessons I empty all my pockets and there are no loose items in the cockpit for obvious reasons. Its a shame, I would have loved to have a camera with me on this flight. We landed just as the sun was setting over the Rockies and that flight back was nothing short of spectacular as we flew into the setting sun and it glinted off the red Pitts wings! Such a great time of day to be flying...in a Pitts.

Lastly, Dagmar is heading for Texas next week to start practicing under the watchful eye of her coach, Sergei, for the US National aerobatic championships at the end of September. She is hoping to secure a spot on the US National team. She was previously a member of the German national team in '94 and '96. After an aviation accident that claimed the life of one of her close friends, she actually gave up flying for a while. Only to come back to it recently, because as she says, she was "born for this" and really missed it. After getting back into flying...she set a lofty goal of once again trying to make the National team. I commend her on this effort, she recently told me she is just one year younger than when her mother died of cancer...we never know how long we have, go out and live...chase your dreams while you still have the chance.

Slow Rolls & Hammerheads HOBBS 1457.0 hrs

Lesson #4 in the Pitts was all about slow rolls, Immelmans and Hammerheads. We started out doing some more dutch rolls like we did in lesson one. Its always good coordination practice with aileron and rudder. Rudder as you roll into the bank to offset the induced drag...and then switching back to the other side, quickly, and doing the same the other way.

The reason for this, other than the practice was Dagmar wanted me to do these inverted during this lesson. This was preparation for doing slow rolls. Slow rolls are a competition maneuver and the name is somewhat confusing. They can be done at any roll rate...not necessarily slow. The key to these is, unlike aileron rolls which start with a pitch up before rolling, these are done with the nose stationary on the horizon...no pitch up. So, as you roll to knife edge...top rudder, continuing to inverted, forward stick...around to knife edge, and again top rudder...and finishing upright with probably a little aft elevator depending on your airspeed. The goal is to do the entire roll with no loss or gain of altitude...always looking for straight lines in aerobatics.

I describe this process as being mechanical, but to do it smoothly you are gradually feeding these controls in and out during the roll..its far from mechanical, its a "feel" manuever. Its very much a control coordination exercise and let me tell you its plenty difficult the first few times. But gosh, what a great stick and rudder exercise...if all pilots could master this, we assuredly would be better stick and rudder pilots.

Now that you know what a slow roll is, lets talk about my experience trying this. Dagmar says, check your seatbelts (should always do this before doing negative G maneuvers), I check and reply, "good to go!" Inverted dutch rolls here we come...roll inverted, then proceed to roll left and back right...ah, but the difference...and difficulty is its left aileron coupled with right rudder. Yes, it sounds cross controlled, but its not. And its difficult to get past the mind trying to do what it thinks is "correct"...it takes plenty of concentration...my head hurt. Of course, I botch it pretty badly and we end up all over the place. The nose swinging wildly with my clumsy rudder inputs.

Next we do knife edge flight...roll 90 degs to our side. Short durations since the oil system doesn't like knife edge flight...upright or inverted it can handle just fine, knife edge, it is not set up for. This was an exercise in learning to use "top rudder." When in knife edge flight, the rudder becomes your elevator...and since we are now using the inefficient fuselage as our "wing"...it takes quite a bit of top rudder to hold altitude.

Now lets combine these and try a slow roll. Wowza, my first attempts were plenty ugly...I was rolling too fast...trying to cheat my way around. Dagmar says, "slow down until you get the hang of it...we can do them faster later." I was losing altitude like a gambler hemorrhages chips playing craps on a bad night in Vegas! I struggle with the control inputs as we roll, I'm constantly behind the airplane...get back to upright, and Dagmar says..."ok, you lost 1000' on that one." Ouch, are you kidding me?!! Its not easy boys and girls. At least I can only get better I think. We do several, and I did improve, but Dagmar says its a maneuver that usually takes a couple sessions to grasp...I shall sleep on it and try again.

Next up is the Immelman...a half loop followed by a slow half roll to upright at the top...again, without losing altitude. Its an energy management maneuver, as you get to the top, you are slow and low on energy...near stall speed. We need to roll...efficiently, so as to not rob that critical energy from the airplane since we don't have any to spare. All the while, not stalling and entering a spin. I've done a few of these already and not had too much trouble. But now, actually trying to do it correctly...i.e., hold altitude...it was much harder. I did several...they were sloppy, but mostly I did ok on these.

Now for the best part of this lesson. Dagmar says, "lets try some hammerheads". Giddy up! I've been itching to do these since we started this adventure. I've always been fascinated with this maneuver since I was a small boy and couldn't wait to see what they were like from the cockpit. You may remember, I had done a hammerhead entry...followed by a torque roll and inverted spin...in a previous lesson. Now we were going to do them correctly.

Again, pull 4G's into a vertical upline...hold it, as our airspeed decays...feed in some aileron and rudder to counteract the left turning/rolling tendency. There is a slight shudder as all forward motion almost stops, then its this, mechanical, control sequence: full left rudder, full right aileron, slight forward elevator...as we pivot, right rudder to stop the nose on our downline...then neutralize all controls, pick out a point on the ground and straight down we go...screaming back toward the earth! Woohoo! Hold the downline, now pull out with another 4G pull. Dagmar says in my headset..."good job, now go right into another one"...well shoot, alright, why not...this is a kick. I had read enough about this maneuver beforehand and really nailed these right from the get go. That made me smile...finally felt like an aviator again, as everything else had been pretty humbling up to that point. They are actually pretty easy...and boy, a ton of fun...I could do these all day!

After quite a few successful ones, Dagmar again wants me to intentionally botch one...see a pattern here? She says...do one, but instead of pivoting...just hold the vertical upline and lets see what happens. I had done this before with her, so I knew what to expect. We slow...the aileron finally loses all effectiveness and we start torque rolling to the left...followed by a tailslide when we run out of energy. Of course, this induces a spin...ah, but that's the goal with this! haha!

Again, it worked perfectly...another lesson learned...let me explain. I did remember to cut the power like I learned previously...that was good. Ah, but this time I hauled back on the stick too hard and too soon...entering a secondary stall. I continued to do this until Dagmar chirps, "get the nose down, you're stalled!" Duh I think...why didn't that register in my brain until she said it? Again, panic...its a common reaction to pull back on the stick. Pay attention to what the airplane is telling you, because it was talking and I wasn't listening...get past the "brain lockdown" mode and actually THINK. Its not easy to override your survival instincts. Does this scenario sound like a common accident? We see it all the time. So, this was my takeaway from this lesson. I try to have at least one thing from each lesson.

The other takeaway was this. As we got into doing botched Hammerheads, Dagmar says..."if you miss your pivot and find yourself at the top with no airspeed and a pending spin coming, cut the power. It will remove the energy out of the system." Think about it, you are at zero airspeed, pointing straight up, with a 260hp engine screaming at full tilt. All kinds of things going on...torque, spiral slipstream, gyroscopic precession...with no control authority to counteract it since we have no forward airspeed. Chop that power and the airplane gets more manageable immediately. Worked like a charm as the Pitts turned from a rabid pit bull clawing for altitude to a purring kitten in the flash of a second.

The unintentional spins are great learning experiences, I like the fact that Dagmar forces me into them. If you are the "perfect" pilot right from the get go...flying every maneuver perfectly, how will you ever know how to recover when you finally screw up. Better to learn this now with Dagmar, than later solo.

This lesson was by far the most G's I had pulled in one session. The Immelmans and Hammerheads (we did quite a few) all require that 4G entry. It wears you out...I was physically drained at the end of this lesson. Still having a blast...until next time.

Inverted Spins HOBBS 1440.0 hrs

I wanted to post a quick update on my latest aerobatic training in the Pitts (actually this lesson was over a month ago). My third lesson was devoted almost exclusively to inverted spins. Essentially everything we did in the upright spin lesson was duplicated, inverted. I knew it was going to be a little different ballgame when Dagmar gave me some twine to tie my David Clark headset on my head before we got in the cockpit. She said the negative G's will pull my headset right off my head if not.

If I were to use one word to describe inverted spins, it would have to be "disorienting". I realize that is probably obvious, but it was quite amazing just how disorienting it really is. Every time we finished a spin I had to look around for landmarks on the ground to determine where I was and which direction I was now heading just to get my bearings recalibrated. The other thing that adds to the disorientation is that inverted, everything is mirrored...and rudder inputs are reversed. To spin to the left, you use right rudder...that takes a little getting used to. Your brain is not used to this world.

Of course, the negative G's certainly are a whole new experience. The G-meter only maxed out at -2 G's for this lesson which may not seem like much, but it felt plenty substantial to this pilot. The way we set up for these was just to roll inverted, forward stick to get the nose "up" until we approach the stall and then full rudder to enter the spin.

After we did quite a few and I had the hang of it, Dagmar wanted to try and get me to accidentally enter into a stall to see how I responded. She is a big fan of "accidental" spin entry and recovery as she says that's what really teaches you good lessons about spin recovery. Getting yourself out of trouble is key. So she had me do an Immelman, which is just a half loop followed by a half roll at the top while maintaining altitude...thinking I would stall at the top during the half roll, which is common with students, I fooled her and didn't. She says, "nice job!"

She's not giving up though. Ok, she says, "lets do a hammerhead"...but really didn't tell me how to execute it properly...by design. She just wanted me to pull into the vertical, screw up the pivot and enter a spin. A botched hammerhead is another good way to enter an inverted spin. I knew this was her thinking...and I obliged. I pulled 4G's into the vertical, quietly grunting, establish a vertical upline, hold it...wait for the airpseed to decay. As we slowed, I started losing rudder and aileron effectiveness and the airplane started to do a torque roll to the left...while we are still pointed straight up mind you. So here we are...pointing straight up, airspeed nearly zero and the plane is pirouetting to the left. Since I wasn't sure how to pivot...we started a tail slide followed by a very nice spin entry. Wooohoo...this is a hoot! And of course, what did I forget in my spin recovery?? Throttle to idle! Of course, Dagmar reminded me...yeah, lets use the word "reminded."

Practicing spins usually has the throttle at idle...but accidental ones, the ones that will get you in trouble, will almost always be the opposite--throttle at full power. You have to cut the power...always, always, always...get in the habit, even when practicing. This was the lesson Dagmar was trying to teach me..worked perfectly...it was now implanted in my psyche.

These two spin lessons have completely erased my fear of spins. I am making a concerted effort not to get over confident, but to be honest, I feel extremely comfortable now with spins and spin recovery. I would have no problem going out in the Pitts tomorrow and doing spins solo. With a safe altitude, recovery from a spin in the S-2C is very simple. Now that my fears have been vanquished, I have to admit I really enjoy the crap out of them, they are a ton of fun! I didn't think I would EVER say that. So, get an instructor and go out and try 'em for yourself...see what you think?

The Boogeyman HOBBS 1304.5 hrs

Last week I had my second aerobatic lesson in the Pitts. This lesson was devoted almost exlusively to spin training. Let me preface this story by giving you some background about my thoughts on spins. Maybe its my advancing age or maybe I am just not much of a thrill seeker to begin with? Whatever the reason, I have been very apprehensive during my aviation career to spin an aircraft. 

Here is a good video by Sonoma Valley Flying Club showing what a spin looks like from the air...

Practicing power on stalls during primary training always made me a nervous wreck. I compare them to trying to hold a garden hose straight in the air while the water is turned on full blast! It always seemed very difficult to try and keep the plane upright while the engine was screaming full tilt and the nose was pointed seemingly straight skyward. To hold that attitude while waiting for the stall, and not dropping a wing drop and entering a dreadful spin while doing it put me on edge, to say the least. 

I have a confession to make, one that got me flamed on the VAF forum, but whatever...don't get me started on the mentality of some of that crowd sometimes. I have practiced stalls solo only a couple of times during my primary training and never since then. Of course, I did plenty with my instructor and during my BFR...just not solo. My thinking went something like this. A spin is just an aggravated stall...i.e., an uncoordinated stall. I thought, if I badly botch a stall while practicing solo, I could enter a spin. I have read about how to recover from a spin in my training books...and yes, I have it memorized. But, even with that...I wasn't 100% sure I could keep myself together, not panic, and recover...maybe I was 99% sure I could pull it off, but not 100%. Consequently I didn't see the risk/reward for that 1% at this time....I knew how to avoid a stall and with my flying these days I stay in the center of the flight envelope, avoidance and awareness would be enough...for now. Ultimately though I want to be an aviator, not just an "airplane driver"....there is a big difference. An aviator explores all corners of the flight envelope with his aircraft....that's where I am headed.

Here is an analogy to illustrate my point. Lets say I come up to you and randomly put a gun to your head and say take one hand and rub your stomach and simultaneously take the other hand and pat your head (you remember this trick from your childhood as you've done it before...its not easy until you relax and concentrate on the task). And, oh, by the way...you have five seconds to do it or I pull the trigger. Some would pass that test fine...a lot would not. Why?...the pressure...panic sets in when percieved death is imminent and the brain shuts down. A great book on the topic of what the brain does in life and death situations is Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales, highly recommend it. 

If I entered a spin and the windscreen filled with spinning brown and I thought death was imminent (we always imagine it is closer than we think)...would I panic if I didn't have the training to recover?? I don't know?...for sure anyways. So...I vowed not to do stalls until I had spin training or was with someone who had. You can criticize that strategy all you want, but that was my approach and I stand behind it. I think all pilots should have spin training, its ridiculous to me that with the modern airplanes and instructors we now have that it isn't reinstated. Even without an FAA mandate, it is this pilots opinion that every pilot should seek out this training on their own. Especially as you get ready to be a test pilot in your airplane. 

So, leading up to this day...you can guess how I was feeling, nervous would be a good word. Lets talk about "the spin". Its been known as the "pilot killer" since the early days of aviation. We've all seen the old newsreel footage of WWI biplanes spinning to their demise. As a kid, I devoured books about pilots and flying and they were always filled with tales of aviators meeting their end by way of the dreaded spin. Phrases like "he spun in" or "augered in" littered these books. Of course, with this kind of information rampant, I would have to come to the conclusion that spins are to be avoided at all costs while flying an airplane. Spins are the pilot's versions of the "boogeyman"...that mysterious creature that snatches pilots to their death if you encounter him inadvertently around a dark corner of the flight envelope. 

My thought process for this lesson was not to smack the boogeyman around and show him who's boss--remember he does deserve respect, he's earned it. There are many aviators that have gone west because of him so I don't want to trifle with him. No, what I wanted to do, was meet the boogeyman...shake hands with him and see what he's all about. Is he as bad as they say?

A quick warning/disclaimer before I start the story. As I have stated before...don't try this solo until you get proper instruction. My account of spin training is just my opinion, I am not a CFI or a subject matter expert, so don't put your life on the line for anything you read on my blog. Also, I am doing spins in a Pitts S-2C...your airplane may be very different and consequently react much differently in a spin.

Before we flew our lesson, Dagmar and I did almost two hours of ground school a few days beforehand, on spins and other basic aerobatic maneuvers. I enjoy ground lessons...it helps me process things mentally before I fly. I like to understand the aerodynamics that are acting on the plane.

Simply put, a spin occurs when you are stalled and uncoordinated...BOTH must be present to enter a spin. This is why flying coordinated (i.e., ball centered), maintaining airspeed discipline and AOA awareness at pattern altitudes is so important. In a nutshell, don't fly sloppy...spin recovery at this altitude is not possible...all the spin training in the world wont help you down low if you enter one. I'm not going to go into the aerodynamics of a spin, but I encourage you to read about it here or in your favorite textbook on the subject.

We took off from APA and headed out to Kelly airpark. Once we arrived on site, Dagmar showed me the markers for the aerobatic box, which looked tiny. We would attempt to stay in the general vicinity so as to not aggravate the few residents in the area who don't like little red biplanes spinning over their house. Then we climbed high...our spins would start at 13,000 agl (remember its 7,000 ground elevation in this area). Plenty of margin so there is never a rush to pull out of the dive.

We started with some basics. First we did a power off stall to give me a feel for the plane. Ok, no big deal...nice buffet to warn you and no nasty wing drop as you would expect. Next we will do a power on stall...uh oh, my hands start to sweat. In the 260hp Pitts, a power on stall is, lets say...a tad "interesting". As you might guess, with such a high power/weight ratio, the deck angle was excessive by the time we actually stalled. In fact, on one of them (we did several) I was almost going straight up by the time it finally stalled. Dagmar joked, "that was almost a Hammerhead entry." :) Ok, all in all, not too bad...I can feel that I am becoming much more comfortable with unusual attitudes....definitely a good thing and I like it. I feel like I am taming the monster.

Next we do the "falling leaf" maneuver. If you've never heard of it, essentially you put the plane into a power off stall and hold it there with full aft stick. While falling, in a stalled condition...use only your rudder, keep the airplane upright and the wings level. Sounds easy enough, but it takes small, quick rudder inputs to keep those stubby wings parallel with the ground. I kept overcorrecting and was behind the airplane most of the time. But...the good thing is, I was decisive enough with my rudder inputs to keep it from entering a spin. I think my prior TW training helped with this exercise...I think nosegear guys/gals would have more trouble the first time because they are not used to using the rudder as much. The cool thing was, several times we went all the way to 90 deg bank and I was able to get that wing back up with counter rudder input. The lesson here...the airplane doesn't want to spin, you really have to force it to spin with control inputs, its actually spin resistant.

Ok, enough warm up...I want to do more of those maneuvers on subsequent lessons to practice but its time to finally face the boogeyman. The apprehension was pegged full tilt when I hear Dagmar utter the words I was hoping to avoid. "Lets do a power off spin." Crap! I thought about playing dumb and acting like I didn't hear her..."must be a malfunction with the intercom or my headset." But of course, I don't, and sheepishly respond, "ok."

She says, set up like a regular power off stall...as the airplane stalls, kick full left rudder...and hang on! Like ascending a roller coaster before the big drop, I could feel the tension rising as the airplane slowed and approached the stall. Once that happened, I knew it was "game on." Well, ok I think...as we do in bull riding when we are ready to turn the bull outside the chute...nod your head and say "lets go boys!" and let that baby explode into action.

Well...I feel the stall buffet and force myself to kick left rudder and over we go. My world has now started spinning. The first half rotation (incipient phase) isn't too bad as we slowly start to rotate and we are still somewhat upright. Then it kicks into the developed phase and things start spinning pretty quickly in the Pitts and the nose points down as the airspeed starts to build. Dagmar tells me to hold my initial full rudder to get a feel for the rotation, let it spin...around and around we go as the ground swirls past the nose. Focus on the cowling screw head, remember that's our sight point. If you look at the horizon, it will disorient you. Watch which way the ground rushes past the screw to determine your spin rotation (of course I know I am in a left spin on this occasion...but in an inadvertent spin, you will probably not be sure initially). Once you know your spin rotation, step on opposite rudder. Again, seems pretty simple, but there are countless aviators out there that have become disoriented in a spin and used the wrong control inputs. One way to do it is, if the ground is moving to the right with respect to the nose...step on the direction the ground is moving to try and stop it. For example, left spin...ground is moving to the right...right rudder.

Alright...opposite rudder...spin stops and then neutralize the rudder and pull out of the dive with a pretty aggressive 3-4G pull. I think I unknowingly held my breath for the entire maneuver! But...hey, I'm still alive...this is good. I hate to admit it, but it was actually kind of fun once I got past the initial terror. I have now been indoctrinated...I have spun an airplane. Cool.

Next we did some emergency recovery techniques. First we would do the Beggs/Mueller recovery. Enter into a spin....power to idle (remember to always do this first)...then release the stick. Yes, completely let go of the stick...not easy to let go of an 'out of control' airplane. Dagmar jokingly says, "massage your head with both hands." Then opposite rudder. Sure enough, worked like a charm as the plane recovered nicely.

Lets take it one step further and see what happens. This time, same setup...let go of the stick and ALSO take your feet off the rudder pedals...i.e., no opposite rudder this time to stop the spin. So yes, if you are keeping up with my description...I have no control inputs at all. The plane will do exactly as it pleases. I may as well be an infant child strapped in the seat along for the ride. Lets see how the old girl likes this?? Surely she needs my masterful touch to get out of this predicament? Hmm, the strangest thing happens...it once again stops spinning, all by itself, and recovers, nose down of course. Pull out of the dive and we're home free. Amazing really...this airplane (again, not all are the same) will fly itself into a stable attitude. This exercise goes a long way to putting my mind at ease while flying this wonderful airplane, I think I'm falling in love.

Dagmar was very adamant during our ground school about not only doing the correct control inputs for spin recovery but also the order that you do them. They are listed in order of priority. She didn't specifically use the acronym "PARE" during her ground school, but that is essentially what it was.

1. Power to idle
2. Ailerons neutral
3. Rudder opposite of yaw (rotation)
4. Elevator foward

So, Dagmar next wanted to demonstrate why each step is important...and consequently what will happen if you don't follow the plan and forget one or two.

Our next spin would be a flat spin. This illustrates why the first two items (power and ailerons) are important. She says, set up for a power on stall. As it stalls, kick left rudder and enter a spin, then full deflection right ("outspin") aileron (a definite "no-no" for spin recovery). These control inputs would be really easy to do if you panicked and weren't trained properly. Untrained pilots will usually try to lift a dropped wing with opposite aileron because it feels intuitive. Remember to always use your rudder, not aileron. The airplane spins up very quickly in this configuration and flattens out.

Moving on, Dagmar says, "next we will do an accelerated spin." Although technically this would be a spiral. Spins happen with a stalled wing...spirals do not. In a spiral, the airspeed will dramatically increase whereas a spin will show a slow, stalled airspeed. Again, set up for power on stall...break, full rudder to initiate the spin...hold full rudder and now slight forward stick...and hang on Johnny! You feel the airplane dramatically spin up in a tight rotation, their is some G-onset with this one and you are quickly screaming straight down in a corkscrew! Its an eye opener how fast this could get out of hand.

For some reason, like she just remembered, she says lets do an accelerated stall as a demonstration. Keep in mind, most inadvertent stalls are accelerated. Anything other than a straight and level power off stall usually falls into the accelerated version (i.e., any time we have more than 1G present). Stalls are directly a product of angle of attack (AOA), and AOA only...not airspeed, weight or bank angle. So many pilots don't fully understand this concept...educate yourself if you are unclear about it. The classic book, Stick and Rudder, is excellent teaching this concept.

There are several ways to do an accelerated stall in training...Dagmar wants to do it from a loop. Pull into a loop, and once we get on the backside and pointing the nose straight down in the vertical...full, abrupt aft stick. Bam! Sure enough, there is an airframe buffet and we enter into a stall and mush, still heading downward...remember, all this happened pointing straight down in case you think you cant stall in a dive. Easy recovery...release aft stick and we are flying again. This is a non-event in a training scenario but I surmise it kills a lot of unsuspecting pilots that become confused.

Paint this picture, you've done something to get yourself in a steep dive. Because your adrenaline is now spiked, you pull a little too hard on the yoke/stick because you don't like the look of that onrushing ground in your windscreen. The airplane stalls/mushes, but you continue on your downward path to certain death...so what is your reaction? Probably panic and pull harder to get the nose up...always worked in primary training right? Stick back...nose up, right? Well, not in this scenario. You end up yanking on the stick all the way to the ground, waiting for that nose to come up, and trust me it never will...not realizing you were in an accelerated stall all along. Try it with an instructor first so you know what it feels like.

Our last maneuver of the day was kind of a fun one, and was a great example of how maneuverable the little Pitts is. Dagmar says, enter a normal power off spin to the left. Once we get spinning, change from left rudder input to full right rudder. I do this, and the airplane stops spinning to the left...and starts spinning to the right...do it again to the left, sure enough we swap directions once again. Amazingly, the plane will do whatever I want it to do.

As we pull out of the dive, Dagmar is telling me something (I still cant remember what exactly?) over the intercom. Pulling out of the dive is kind of a high stress time...the ground is rushing up at you, you are loading up to 3 or 4 G's so of course the blood flow to the brain is also diminished slightly. All of this combined with a first time spin student and my instructor telling me to do something, was sensory overload for this ol' boy. Suddenly, Dagmar, stops her instructions mid-sentence and somewhat excitedly asks me..."what are you doing with the left rudder?!" In my mind, I think...not a darn thing. Then I realize I have been pretty heavily applying left rudder during the pull out and didn't have a clue I was doing it. I notice that it is enough rudder input to actually yaw the airplane. Wow, I think to myself, what a great lesson...a great illustration of what stress does to your brain. Part of mine had just shut down...and this was just training. How many pilots who are no longer with us, may have done something similar and snapped their tail off? Luckily I was in a sturdy Pitts and had an instructor to stop me from going any further. By myself, in a Skyhawk, for real...might be a different ending. Again...why I think the training is so important.

To sum it all up, I did a full one hour spin session and kept my breakfast down. I did, however, feel a little queasy once I got back on the ground. I felt like I had "sea legs" or had just gotten off a merry-go-round. As I've harped on several times, I think this training is invaluable, but remember spin avoidance at low altitudes is the primary goal. Being an aerobatic pilot or spin trained will not help if you enter a spin at low altitude. AOPA and the ASF did a very nice article on this topic if you want to read more about spins (one of the reasons I support AOPA with my membership dollars is stuff like this).

By now, you know my view on spin training, educate yourself and make your own conclusions about whether it's for you. I've met the boogeyman and he's really not such a bad fellow, you should meet him too...with an instructor of course, for initial introductions. Fly safe my friends.

Next lesson we do all of this...inverted! That's right, inverted spins...you up for it?!

http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/353332/enlarge

Here is a cool pic of a C172 in a large wind tunnel doing spin testing...

Into the Fray... HOBBS 1252.0 hrs

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,

1. Tailwheel endorsement (completed last summer...25 hrs TT and counting)
2. Aerobatics, unusual attitude and spin training (10 hrs dual is the goal)
3. 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?? ;)