Thanks James,
I hadn't looked at this thread for a few days, and had missed your post, so apologies for the delayed response. The weather was terrible this morning, but I headed down there anyway just to meet Stuart and see the Bulldog.
We had a long chat, then moved onto a briefing on the complex prop on the Bulldog, and general performance figures. I also met another James, who was planning on flying the Pitts, but had opted not to due to the weather. We were thinking of calling it a day when there was a break in the weather, so Stuart and I went for it!
With the exception of a couple of hours in a C152 and a PA28, all of my (very limited) experience has been on the Tomahawk. I love the Tomahawk, but the Bulldog was something of a revelation. The power and control authority were just phenomenal! And it felt much more stable on the takeoff roll than the Tomahawk - which I hadn't expected. I wasn't sure how I'd cope with a stick after only using a control wheel before, but I didn't really notice the difference.
We headed North, then Stuart demonstrated an aileron roll. Then I had a go - my first aerobatic manoeuvre! It felt amazing! Then we did a loop - again Stuart demonstrated and talked me through what he was doing, then let me attempt one. It felt absolutely incredible - I had wondered if I'd be scared, but I wasn't at all. We did a quick low pass over the airstrip at Washington, and with the weather deteriorating again, decided to call it a day.
A steep nose down attitude and 80 knots feels alot faster than the 70 I'm used to in the Tomahawk, but Stuart talked me through each stage to a pretty decent landing.
So there we go! In one 35 minute flight I've discovered I love the Bulldog and love loops and rolls! I can't wait to go up in the Bulldog again and have another go! Hope to meet you sometime soon James
Joel.