The Empire Strikes Back
This has indeed been an interesting thread, and I am now even more convinced with my original comments.
By the way, did you really read them?
How do you land an aircraft, as the result of a dare, a statement still not yet refuted by the original poster, and then have to wonder how to get it out.
Will the frost harden the ground or must it be the coming of spring and the ground dries naturally?
But lets move on, we are not going to agree on the above question.
Where have I shown I am not a fun loving pilot with the ability to land an aircraft in less than 200 metres, and a spamcan at that.
Let me comment on some of the interesting posts I have read these last 3 pages.
First of all I have maintained a PPL for more than 33 years, flown Cessnas from 152 upto 182TR (turbocharged retractable Skylane), Pipers PA28-140 through -161, -181, Arrows,-235 and PA32RT-300T (turbocharged retractable Cherokee 6 with a T-tail), and it was, and is fun all the way.
I practice STOL abilities at EVERY takeoff and landing, as most of my destinations are islands in the Malacca Straits and South China Sea.
Approaches to these strips are always over water and invariably involve heading changes right upto short finals, when the strip finally comes into view.
Planning is essential for this type of flying, through the approach to touchdown for there is rarely an overshoot available, you have to be committed and get it right.
A poster suggested that secretly I wish I "had the skill, opportunity and friends with big enough gardens to do the same"
is he suggesting envy?
For the record, my front garden is 299 metres long and 76 metres wide, and would handle all those Austers and spamcans, however the neighbours will get p*ss*d off, so we won't be trying.
Being long in the tooth and a bit of an old f@rt I haven't yet managed how to post a pic, but I'll try and do one of those yahoo photopage thingies and post it here.
I should have mentioned that the house is in Johannesburg, and I only get back every 6 to 8 weeks for a long weekend, its just a few minutes from Grand Central.
Otherwise I work and play in KL, flying around the Petronas Twin Towers on my way to an island paradise, well someones got to do it.
And our weather is always 32 degrees C .
Flying is for fun, and it will be fun if you plan to keep it that way
Lets go fly
Sultan Ismail