I had an afternoon at Duxford today and my credit card developed a sudden and nearly incurable itch whilst walking past the Classic Wings cabin, so before I came to my senses, I was aboard the old dragon lady.
What a loverly old bus! In fact, I wish the seats in 747's were as comfortable. It felt way more modern that I would have given it credit for. OK, so it wasn't quick, despite the moniker, but with earplugs it would have been a very relaxed way of travelling in days of yore.
The Gipsy Sixes sounded like mechanical magic as they fired up.
Two questions though:
- how do you get a type rating in one? No dual controls to keep the insurance company happy.
- when doing my tailwheel instruction, I was taught to get the tail up ASAP, starting with full forward stick in order to avoid hopping down the runway on the takeoff roll. It seemed easy enough to do in a L-18, but not many pilots seem to do this. We managed to bounce several times before becoming airbourne. Is it dangerous to use this method on more powerful types?
A