THINGS HAPPEN VERY QUICKY WHEN FLYING.
Yes things happen so fast when flying.
Yes again, this is so true, and you can't just park up and think about what to do next. This did happen while I was doing my IR training, but that's for another tale in this series.
So to get back on track. After our stint with the Nipper we all moved on in different directions. There were four of us in the group that owned the Nipper. My choice was a Minicab, This was a two seat tail dragger, shades of my earlier J4 experience coming back to haunt me. It was different in that the whole windscreen and cockpit cover hinged forward. The wings and fueslage were fabric covered and with very basic insteumentation,it was reminicent of pre war flying But it taught me a lot about torque and prop wash when full power was applied and the amont of rudder needed to stop an incipient ground loop from getting out of hand.
I had many pleasent hours flying to small fields over the few months that I owned her.
Why do we put the female sex to planes? I suppose it might be a hang over from shipping where boats of all descriptions are HER.
OOPS I wandered off theme there for a minute, but back again.
The moral of this tale is that you must never let your attention wander, and this memory was triggered by a video I watched recently where a plane with a metal prop did a nose over and ended up with the tips of the prop well bent, This of course entailed a complete engine stip and examinattion for shock damage.
So now to the crux of the tale. I was flying solo and had been off to somewhere I can't remember and was coming home to roost. Approach gave me the usual met stuff so QFE was set carefully amongst the other checks. All was well, but now there was quite a cross wind, so be ready for it.
I find it satidfying on final in a cross wind to get the drift angle just so, so that the plane tracks straight down what would be either the runway centre line or the localiser in an ILS approach. (This will occur again when I was flying the Bonanza in tricky situations. Got to keep you hanging in there dear readers) So the landing went off OK. Now I am taxying to the next turn off, the wind is from my left and the stick is right back and over to the left, I had to trun right off the runway, so a dab of right brake and round we go.
It was in that split second as the turn was completed that I should have put the stick right forward so that the wind would keep the tail on the ground. I missed it and the tail popped up for a few seconds and that was all it took to shave 6 inches off each prop tip.
Engine stopped. sone laughter from the tower, they had seen it all happen. I sat there for a minute or two until some of the field fire brigade came screaming up in a truck. Red facedand totally embarrased I asked if they would please give me a push back to the hangers. They did.
Now this being a wooden prop and not a metal one and there only being the tips shaved off, there was no possibility of engine damage.
I saw an advert in one of the flying mags from someone who actually made props to type and a call to him soon had a deal sorted out.
A week or so later saw a box arrive with a beautiful highly varnished , perfectly crafted prop in it, even to the bolt holes for remounting it on the plane. So now it was just off with the old and on with the new. Job done. I just had to make sure that all the nuts were wrired correctly and check that it was truly in line. A test run and later a flight showed that all was now well. It was a moderately expensice lesson, but it showed me that you have to be at least one step ahead of events both in the air and on the ground.
It was shortly afterthis even, and I am not saying that they are connected in any way, but a Grumman AA1 caught my eye, so I just had to go and have a look.
That's the end of this tale, but as I write I keep the webcam of Shoreham airfield running on the screen and it is a very interesting field.
I keep my writing in the lower half of the screnn, and I see planes above as they turn onto finals.
Also in the very right hand side. half way down there is the holding point, so I see planes waiting there for clearance and then they move onto the runway. And as an addition it has full audio, engines that is.
It's a busy place. I have seen several different helicopters, the usual Cessna and Piper trainers, a big twinc executive jet, some twin engines, and even a Chipmunk that came in as a write this . I did see one other tail dragger. but the tyoe escapes me.
OK More to come in a few days. In Mid February I hope tp be off to our bolt hole in Florida, so I will be flying again there one way or another. Reports on that adventure will appear here with hopefully some video.
Happy New Year to all out there
D.