Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack '29 Sport Coupe
Paul, that post is somewhere in cyberspace, sorry. It was a long, long story about a
20 year old kid (me) who got his first model A 50 years ago and at the same time had
a passion for flying. The synopsis is that a fellow model A nut bet me that that the
1946 Aeronica Chief (65 hp Continental engine) wasn't nearly as exciting as driving the A on the California 101 freeway. Since I had done both, I offered to take him up
for a short flight so he could make an informed decision. He declined at first, but when I called him a chicken------He caved, lol. He had never been in a tail dragger
before-----or anything except a commercial jet as a passenger. I think he about
crapped his pants right after I did my 360 "drive around" at the end of the runway
to check for traffic just seconds before I pushed the throttle (wop). He never doubted again after that. I won the bet--- hamburger and a coke. I was a few months short of my 21st. birthday,so was too young at the time to drink beer! Back
in California you had to be 21 to drink back in the stone age.
Sorry guys, if this made you sleepy, blame it all on Paul.
Jack
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul from Maine
We usually take the Model A to the airport, but didn't today. Did rent a a 65 horse champ in Florida twenty some years ago...it had a Model A gas gauge. No electrical system, had to hand prop that one. Keep the stories comin'. I like 'em.
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Cool stories! When I was in college (about 12 years ago) I went to a local airport with a friend/CFI to get my tailwheel endorsement and fly a 1947 Aeronca Champ (locals nicknamed it "patches"
). That was FUN! Come to think of it, I think it did have a Model A fuel guage. I remember it was an in-tank float guage that resembled the guage on my grandpa's (now my Model A). The Champ I flew did have an electrical system for the starter and (VERY) old radio and was upgraded with a 90 hp engine. The panel was very spartan though and the only flight instruments were airspeed, altimeter, VSI and a softball sized turn and slip indicator run by a venturi. A far cry from the new trainers I was accustomed to flying but I had a blast! We planned 3 flights to finish the endorsement and just before the 3rd flight the brake cable broke and I went home for the summer a few days later and didn't get a chance to fly that airplane again.
I just found a couple pictures of me with that airplane so I'll post them for fun. Here I am with "patches" back in the spring of 2000.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul from Maine
Thanks, my 5 year old daughter and I just got back from flying our PA 28 180.
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Ah the good ol. PA28.
I have about 822 hours in the Piper Warrior (PA 28-161) and 271 hours in the Arrow (PA 28R-201) from my primary flight training and days as a Flight Instructor at the University of North Dakota.
-Aaron