Exotic Aeroplanes

[AfricanEagle]

I am recent to the Forum so I apologise if this has been asked before.

As a private pilot which is the most exciting/exotic aeroplane you have flown, even if only briefly?

So far the most exciting for me have been the Harvard and the Chipmunk, the most exotic a Zlin 43.



AfricanEagle
normally skybound in a Cessna

[AerBabe]

Hmmm... most exciting I can't tell you... but second most exciting would have to be the Chipmunk :)
Most exotic... possibly a Luscombe?

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Most exciting - Yak 52, and I'd love to try a Yak 50.

Second most exciting - my beloved Chippy; 23 years together and still in love :~)

Most exotic? Stearman, Waco, L4 Cub, Antonov AN2?. And does Mach 2.02 at 60,000 feet in Concorde count? I wasn't flying it, but I was in the jumpseat for the entire flight.

SSD

[Maarten]

Most exciting definately: the Yak 52 so far.
A few weeks ago I was cleaning our old spamcan and saw the owner of the Yak pull his aircraft out. As I was tired of cleaning I went over for a chat and managed to get a ride, not realising at the time the guy is a very able aero pilot.
After the first sequence (plus 8G) I was feeling fine, but from there onwards I started feeling progressively worst until I had to ask him to land after what I think were 4 sequences. Being strapped in so tightly I couldn't reach the sickbag I had in my pocket either and I really did not want to repay his kindness by being sick all over his Yak. Managed to keep my breakfast in and despite my stomach not being able to handle it too well, what a fantastic experience:)
If you read this forum Peter: thanks, even though I didn't look it at the time, I really enjoyed it!

[Southern Cross]

Maarten - if you did pull +8, Peter exceeded the G limit by +1, since the g limit on a Yak 52 is +7 / -5 ...

[skyraider]

exotic - Harvard... 'cos it's a Harvard... :)

exciting - Harvard... 'cos we were doing aero's :D

that's it so far...:rolleyes:

Cheers
Sky

[Aerobatic Flyer]

Most exotic for me was the Zlin 726.

I spent 5 hours or so flying this one (click here) (http://www.voodoo.cz/zlin/obr/Ha-sde1.jpg) in Hungary, and I've wanted to own one ever since.

Most exciting? A Boeing 737 freighter flying close to Borneo in a thuderstorm without a weather radar.....:eek: I was in the jump seat. Inverted spins and tailslides in the Zlin were way more comfortable!

[TheKentishFledgling]

Most exciting was probably the Cap 10B I flew in (thanks FNG, and stik!).

I've also flown in 2Donk's Golden Eagle - a truly amazing experience (thanks 2Ds!) :)

Also I got some mountain flying in a Jodel on skis. An interesting experience, but I don't think I'd rush back for more!

tKF

[javelin]

Aerobatic Flyer, mines a 526F and I am sure is nearly as good. make me an offer !

[Aerobatic Flyer]

TKF

Also I got some mountain flying in a Jodel on skis. An interesting experience, but I don't think I'd rush back for more!

In that case you are missing the most fantastic flying! It scares you witless the first time you are coming into land on a 1 in 3 snow-covered slope, terrifies you the 2nd time and merely frightens you the 3rd! But once you get the hang of it, almost nothing can beat it.

When the snow melts, you can take the skis off the Jodel and land on some of the mountain landing strips, which is almost as good - but much harder to do right.

I'm completely hooked on it, and can't wait for winter to come so we can get the skis fastened on again! :)

javelin

Aerobatic Flyer, mines a 526F and I am sure is nearly as good. make me an offer !

I'm spending so much on flying Jodels into mountain strips that I couldn't make much of an offer at the moment, I'm afraid! I'd love to be able to..... I'd happily make an offer to fly it from time to time though! ;) ;)

I imagine the 526 is very similar to the 726. The one I flew had a 180hp engine (some have the supercharged 210hp version), and I think the main difference is a shorter wingspan, which improves the rate of roll and makes landing a bit easier.

I've never flown anything else that let me feel so precisely what I was doing wrong. Every change of airspeed or engine speed needed to be corrected with the rudder, but the slip ball was almost superfluous - I could see and feel what was wrong every time. And vertical manouvers were just magical.... that moment when the vanes on the spinner strobe with the propeller blades!!

I probably shouldn't wait too long, because the classic Zlins aren't getting any younger. When I can afford it (and afford to keep it properly, more to the point), I plan to have one.

[TheKentishFledgling]

In that case you are missing the most fantastic flying! It scares you witless the first time you are coming into land on a 1 in 3 snow-covered slope, terrifies you the 2nd time and merely frightens you the 3rd! But once you get the hang of it, almost nothing can beat it.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: Not so sure! It was the fact we were so close to some of those trees, and the thought of not being able to climb over some of the ridges....no thanks! And what do you do if the donkey quits? Land on a piste taking out a few hundred skiers?

Where do you fly from out there? Meribel?

Cheers,
tKF

[Aerobatic Flyer]

And what do you do if the donkey quits? Land on a piste taking out a few hundred skiers?

If it quits when you're past the point of no return on final approach, you spend a few seconds wishing you'd taken up golf instead and hope for the best.... Elsewhere, you've got a pretty good chance. The shortest landing strips are about 150m long, and there's almost nowhere where you can't glide to a 150m ish bit of ground. You might break the aeroplane, but you're chances are way better than if you had an engine failure over some crowded parts of Southern England.

I fly from Megeve, and from Villefranche close to Lyon. I fly into Meribel from time to time. You do have to come in quite close to the trees there, especially on skis (no brakes....) and with a few knots of tailwind. But on the positive front, you can chicken out of landing until quite late on final if you think you might not clear those trees!:)

[TheKentishFledgling]

What scared me even more was the solid rock face on the go around for the landing runway at Courchevel!!

tKF

[Aerobatic Flyer]

There isn't a go around at Courchevel!!

It does take a bit of getting used to, though. Courchevel has got over 500m of runway, of which about 300m are on an 18.5% slope. That's worth at least 1000m on the flat. They used to land quite large airliners there (50seats or so), so a Jodel has plenty of room for error.

Once you get past the fear (and it took me a while....), it really is worth it though. A nice lunch at this little mountain restaurant (http://www.gletscherflug.ch/St%20Roch%20Mayeres%200.htm) , which has it's own 300m strip at around 5000ft altitude makes it all worthwhile!

[SlowRoll]

Most exotic would be a Bücker Jungmann for me :D and best overall experience is the Pilatus P-3 :D :D :D

[Who has control?]

Has to be Concorde. 60,000' and Mach 2. You will pleased to know that Space is black, the horizon is curved, the windows do get warm and the champagne was nicely chilled.
We just went for a quick trip round the bay - the Bay of Biscay!

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

No champagne on the flight deck - but the view is better than from the cabin, and the in-flight entertainment unbeatable ;~)

SSD

[Maarten]

Southern Cross:
Maarten - if you did pull +8, Peter exceeded the G limit by +1, since the g limit on a Yak 52 is +7 / -5 ...

That's an interesting one SC, just as we were climbing up for the next sequence I asked him how many G's he pulled (as my face felt like it was sliding onto my chest). He said it was the +8 I mentioned and added that he overcooked it a little as the Yak52 was only allowed to go to +7 with two up but that the airframe was fine until +9 :confused: :confused: :confused:

[Southern Cross]

Maarten

You were right that it is +7 - and personally, I would not take any Yak 52 I owned to +7 with 2POB and plenty of fuel. No sense thrashing your own piece of kit to death. But each to their own.

A Yak 52 is definitely limited to +7.

The Yak 50 is limited to +9 -6, but definitely not with full fuel and smoke diesel, since the original aeroplane only had a 60 litre fuel tank (less than an hour's flying at aerobatic power!!) - (most have an additional ferry tank fitted to carry about 125 litres fuel).

[pulse1]

The most exciting - a Red Pelican JP5 at Little Rissington
The most fun - 90 minutes of aeros, formation flying and low level tail chasing in a Stearman at Chino.

[Foxbat]

Most exciting - Mig-25 from Zucovski airbase just outside Moscow (Mach 2.5 & 82,000 feet) no hands on the stick though.

Most exotic - Spezio from Redhill to Headcorn & back, aircraft later crashed in France, so no chance of another flight.:eek:

[stiknruda]

most exotic - HAL26 Pushpak, only 2 in all of Europe.

most exciting - formation aerobatics trg with the Smirnoff team in RSA Smirnoff (http://www.aerobat.co.za)

most historic - 20 hrs in rhs of DC3 and 20 hrs in rhs of DHC4

most memorable - first solo in the aeroplane I built from plans!

Stik