Which taildragger? Chipmunk of course!

[AerBabe]

Warning: Do Not Read This Post If You Are Short Of Time! :D

Things moved slightly faster than originally planned, so this morning I found myself at Husbands Bosworth to start my flying. As I left Coventry the weather looked great. The ATIS at CVT was giving light winds, high cloud, and 20km visibility. As I drove East though the clouds descended, along with my spirit, and by the time I arrived there was mist and light rain. Not a great start.

I had a few minutes to wait, so settled myself into the cafe, my back to the window overlooking the airfield, trying desperately to ignore the fact that I could only just make out the other side. I listened to the glider pilots debating whether to pack up. Glider pilots, I'm told, are infinitely optimistic about the weather, so I was feeling even more downhearted by now.

Finally my instructor arrived (let's call him John), bringing tea and a big grin. What a good start! I'm used to instructors arriving and immediately demanding me to bring tea. We settled down for him to brief me on the circuit, and to wait for the cloud to hopefully lift. The standard circuit at HB is 500', but John was happy to stay with 300', as long as I was.

At 12pm he decided the cloud had started to lift, and we ought to get the aircraft out to check her over. As we walked to the hangar we passed a couple of huddles of glider pilots, looking depressed and slightly damp. We pushed the Chipmunk out of the hangar for the pre-flight. This is when the fun started. I remember trying to learn Aircraft Technical for the PPL - looking at the pictures in Trevor Thom, and being very frustrated that I couldn't check on the C152 that everything was there, and what it all actually looked like. Very very much different on the Chippie where you open the cowling and it's all laid out in front of you, with lots of space around each component. John showed me the inside of the mags, where all the cables ran through from the cockpit, where the air, fuel, and oil flowed, etc etc etc. The rest of the walkround was equally informative. I was astonished to find the inspection covers on the underside of each wing were fastened with zips in the fabric! It makes sense once you think about it, but how very strange!

Walkround complete I climbed into the front seat to test it all out for size. I know you're not meant to have a great view in a taildragger, but I couldn't see anything, and I couldn't push the rudders through to the stop. While I went back for my booster cushion John moved the rudders forward - much better! Then we went through the cockpit again, finding where everything was, how it worked, and whether or not I could reach it. The master switch, for example, I had no hope of reaching with the harness on, so opted to move it with my foot. We'd primed the engine previously, another eye-opener to actually see the fuel being pulled through, so were able to complete the checks, strap ourselves in, and start up... at 1pm.

Taxying was... interesting. "Push the right rudder to the stop" said John. I did. Nothing happened. Hmmm. Now put on a bit of brake. I did. We turned! We made our way at snail's pace onto the grass, up the slope, between the gliders, and onto the field. No-one else was out because the cloud was still very low, so I had the entire field to practise taxying in... and I needed it! I weaved side-to-side as I'd been briefed, looking the length of the field as I did so, checking for other traffic. It took me a while to get used to anticipating the end of the weave and putting in opposite rudder. The grass was also fairly long, and wet, which made it a struggle.

We put the brakes on while John briefed me on the take off again. Final checks, and a call to any traffic in the vicinity (the police helicopter operates from just over the road) and then we were off! Open the throttle slightly, see you're rolling so you know the brakes are off, put on more throttle, put in a bit of left rudder to keep her straight, more throttle, more rudder too much rudder ... and then I over-compensated, and I experienced my first ground loop! An interesting experience, graceful in a way, and strangely I felt completely calm. Until we came to a stop, when I hit the side of my headset against the canopy, and was able to see the tracks I'd carved into the field. Ooops.

"Never mind" said John, let's try it again. So back we taxyed, and I felt a lot more confident this time. Again we lined up and made a radio call. But now I was being extremely cautious about opening the throttle. I was managing to keep it more or less straight though, or at least not weaving around. We took off about 20 degrees to the right of where we'd started, but at least we hadn't ground looped again!

That's when things started to get busy. It was like being back at my very first lesson again, but this time I was expected to have at least half an idea what was going on! Nose down, pick up speed, more rudder, nose up, level off, throttle back, less rudder, turn... it was all the busier for being a low-level circuit. We were only able to climb to 450' before we were in the cloud. Then the turn through cross wind and onto downwind, and oh... how responsive! None of this lag I'm used to. You push the stick and she moves! On downwind the usual checks to do, plus a bit of a struggle with the carb heat. It's situated by your right elbow, and is a sliding bolt. I held the stick with my right hand while I tried to reach over. I decided that was too awkward, swapped hands, and tried again. More awkward still! I just couldn't get my arm back far enough to silde it into place. Back to right hand on the stick, and finally it was in. Then bleed off some speed, and again more trouble putting in flap. I wasn't strong enough to move the lever! Another turn through base leg onto final, second stage of flaps, airspeed back to 65 kt, adjust the power to get us descending, down down down... then flare, holding the attitude, trying to fly all the way to the end of the field, then shouts of "Stick back!!!" from the back .... lots of BIG bounces, then we were rolling and I was able to apply gentle break to bring us to a stand still.

WOW.

"Err... you can breathe now!" called John from the back! I hadn't realised it, but I'd not taken a breath since the flare. Too much else to worry about. Then a quick debrief on the landing. The rudder input to keep you straight I found a bit like hovering. I could feel John's feet moving the rudders left, neutral, left, right, neutral, but couldn't see what he was responding to. The lack of horizon meant finding something to aim towards was difficult, so I decided to use the fence to our left as a guide.

We were happy to carry on in the low cloud, so taxyed back to the top of the field, for another circuit. This time things started to come together. I stopped confusing the altimeter and the rpm counter, but the airspeed indicator still eluded me on occasion. We came in for another landing, and this time things seemed to go a little better. When we stopped John said "Great landing!" I said "Yes, but you still had to do a lot", to which he replied "I didn't touch a thing". Yes! My second landing, and it had already started coming together. "Do you want to go for another circuit?" he asked. Silly question, so off we went again. This time I managed to take off only 10' to the right of my initial track, found all the instruments, did the downwind check unaided, and came in for another good landing! Time for a quick lunch break though. We parked the Chippie outside the hangar, to calls of "Are you teaching her ballet or flying John?" They'd all seen my ground loop. It didn't last long though, because then it started to rain, and it's surprising how quickly they shot off inside!

We stopped for an hour, waiting for the rain to pass and debriefing on the flight. John went through everything again, but this time with the experience of just having done it, it all made much more sense. Emerging after lunch we found the gliders had been packed away, but there was a big blue patch in the sky! We quickly taxied off for another couple of circuits, everything still coming together nicely. Then on the third take off we were able to climb through to fly on top of the cloud.

WOW.

I’ve never flown on top of a layer of cloud like this, and it was breath-taking. Lines of cloud stretched as far as the eye could see, and in between were scattered patches of green. John reminded me to breathe again, then we lined ourselves up on one of the ridges of cloud to practise co-ordinated turns. Then we climbed up further to try a stall. No buzzers or lights of course, but the buffet was obvious, and she recovered immediately. Absolutely beautiful! An old cliché, but it has to be repeated. This was no aircraft to sit in and fly… this one you strap on! We descended again through a gap in the cloud, for another good approach and landing. “Okay”, said John, “that’s enough for you, but I never get to fly, so I’ll do one quick circuit”. On downwind he declared he was bored, so handed the controls back to me. When we finally shut down I just sat there for a few minutes with an immense grin on my face. This is flying, and I can’t wait to do it again!

[QNH 1013]

Thanks for posting AerBabe, it was super to read. Welcome to the wonderful world of taildraggers and joysticks, and remember this is just the beginning. It gets better and better. Please keep us posted.

[Final 3 Greens]

AerBabe

Makes me want to try too - lovely post.

:)

[EI_Sparks]

AB, are you and Whirly in competition? If so, please continue - it's the closest some of us will get to getting off the ground for a while, and we love it!
(and it's good practice for the write-up! :D )

[Keef]

AB - stop it! It's bad for my blood pressure. The thought of all that fun in a Chipmunk! I've never been in one :-(

Puritanism - the sneaky suspicion that someone, somewhere, may be having fun.

[flyboy6876]

AB

Great post - lovely read, so much so that I got into trouble from my boss who walked out and caught me:)

We have a Chippie at the club and I'm dying to get in an fly her. A couple of weeks ago, walking back across the apron after my flight, my instructor suggested that getting an endorsement on her should be my next goal. So, after reading your post, guess what I'm signing up for:D

Well done, and enjoy the rest of them.

FB6876

[Chimbu chuckles]

Nice post AB...My first and so far only flight in a Chippy was some years ago....I already had 700 odd hours taildragging so found her easy to fly...but was so delighted with the control harmony I commented to the lady instructor in the rear seat "She's gorgeous!" as I turned crosswind and departed the circuit for some aerobatics after my first takeoff.

30 odd minutes of aeros followed by 6 or 8 circuits left me with an indelible good first impression of a delightfull little aircraft...much nicer than Tiger Moths...which I still enjoy flying from time to time.

Chuck.

[FlyingForFun]

I knew I'd be jealous when I read this!

Luckilly, the weather looks crap today, otherwise I think I'd just walk out of the office and find somewhere that I can fly something interesting right now! Looking forward to reading about the next lesson...

:) :) :)

FFF
----------------

[Who has control?]

Great post AerBabe, makes you realise that there is life after Cessnas.

[Grim Reaper 14]

Am I allowed to get violent, based on jealousy? No....thought not.:( Sigh.....

[Lowtimer]

AB,

Well done! (especially the writing part!)

The carb heat is indeed a bit of a pig to operate, i tis a good reason to hear those nice cape leather gloves as they will protect your hands from a lot of the minor gouges and scratches that Chipmunks can leave you with. The carb heat is also not terribly effective, being more of a warm air than a hot air source - it draws from the general ambience inside the engine bay rather than from a proper heat exchanger as in yer average Spamcan.

This means you have to be especially focused on anticipation / prevention rather than cure, as things can take a loooong time to come right if you do pick up a load of carb ice skimming along in classic icing conditions like we have had over the last few days in parts of East Anglia and the East Mids. The "warm rather than hot" philosophy does mean that selecting carb heat gives less of a power drop than on a PA-28 or C152. At one time the RAF, who of course have much longer runways than the rest of us, ran with their Chippies permanently wired into warm air and accepted the slight reduction in performance. But I think it's nice to have the option.

Please post again when you have more to say, it's a delight to read.

[BlueRobin]

Much appreciated if you could post details of the HB club/school here. I wasn't aware you could do tailwheel training at HB. Sounds good fun though!

[AerBabe]

Thank you for your kind words everyone! I was on such a high when I got back last night that I wanted to record as much as I could remember. Of course after I'd posted I remembered much more, so I may produce an appendix while saving up for the next lesson.

Lowtimer - You're right about the carb heat (of course!), that's one of the things I missed out. Another thing I noticed during the walkround, and having a good poke around under the cowling was that the carb heat operates... a little flap! Simple, but it works. There's a huge vent which opens onto the outside of the cowling, and the flap shuts that off, allowing warm air to be drawn in from next to the engine. John mentioned the RAF running them permanently with carb heat too. We did end up using it a lot, because the cloud was so low, and it was wet, and apparently Chippies just love carb ice.

I'm not sure I'll bother with the gloves, because she is very lovingly maintained, nothing much sticks out, and I didn't damage myself at all. I did get a bit mucky though (especially from the canopy runners), so I'd definitely recommend wearing something you don't mind oil all over!

BlueRobin - unfortunately I doubt this aircraft is available for general training. It's John's personal machine, and he knows me because he's the deputy CFI of my flying group.

One more thing to add... my right arm really hurts this morning from holding the stick back. It takes quite a bit of strength when you've got some power on. :(

[formationfoto]

Must add my congratulations to Aerobabe for the account of flying the Chipmunk. The words demonstrate the enthusiasm for this machine which is more than deserved. I am amongst the small number of people who believe that De Havilland have created a great stable of aircraft with the Tiger and Chipmunk and I am also lucky enough to fly them regularly. Heaven is the best description I can come up with. Being smothered in Honey and then having Claudia Schiffer cleanse me with her toungue could not be as satisfying.

For those on this post who haven't been able to get into a Chippy sell your left arm. You have to give it a go before you die. If you are in East Anglia at all I can make it happen.

Finally AB how about refining your post into an article for PILOT?. Surely this is just the sort of enthusiasm and descriptive prose our aviation magazine need (see the Bob Grinstead article on flying the two seat Spitfire in the current issue).

[foxmoth]

Formation - you forgot to tell people to only sell your left arm AFTER you have done the flight, otherwise it is hard to operate the throttle & brakes !:rolleyes: :D :p
Great post anyway.:)

[formationfoto]

Foxmoth
Silly of me perhaps a major organ would be better than a limb. As you say all limbs needed in the Chippy, particurly one whete the brake ratchet is working properly thus requiring left hand to handle brake and throttle. The one area where the Tiger Moth is better. No brakes, no problem.

[Whirlybird]

Aerbabe,

I've finally had the time to read your post, and I'm DEFINITELY looking forward to that chippie flight you promised me. :) :) :) Sounds like lots of fun, nearly as much fun as helicopters!

[Wide-Body]

Hi Airbabe

Glad you love the chipmunk. Love mine. For your Carb Heat, if you operate it with your left hand instead of breaking Joints from the right. If you need performance for take off select cold whilst lining up. When in cruise put in Hot and leave it there. Have a look under the cowling at the carb heat system, and where the air filter is it may then make more sense. Keep flying her, the love affair will only get deeper

all the best

Wide:cool:

[fireflybob]

Ah - the Chipmunk!

Without a doubt the aeroplane I have loved the most to fly - did my first solo in one in 1968!

Probably the best ab initio training aircraft that was ever built.

More important to check the oil that the fuel before you go flying in it!

[BIG MISTER]

Great post flower - well worth the read !

I was over in the US last year and poped into Ormond Beach for a cuppa. As I taxied over to OBA what should I see......only a Chippy that I used to fly as a cadet out of Cambridge !

It was like seeing an old friend again !!!!

Enjoy yourself.......lucky thing !

:D :D :D

[Kegbuster]

AERBABE

Next time you are at Hus Bos how about checking out the Gliding & the bar of course.:D

[AerBabe]

I have done a couple of winch launches at Hus Bos, with the uni gliding club. They could only go on Wednesday afternoons (when I had meetings) and weekends (when I was doing my PPL), so I couldn't stick with it :(

Bar sounds like a good idea though ;)

[OneDaySoon]

AerBabe,

That's a great post - you sound like you really enjoyed yourself - which IMHO is the main object of what we are doing this for.

I have a friend who had a Tiegr Moth and I got to fly in it once - I couldn't get the ruddy thing to fly in a straight line and daren't think what a pigs breakfast I would've made if I'd got with 1,000ft of the ground!

I reccon it's taildraggers all the way for me once I'm qualified - sounds soooo much fun.

ODS

[AerBabe]

I've just had another lesson... but I'm waaay too tired to post about it now! However, a few of you have asked whether this Chippie flying from Hus Bos is open to all... and it is!!! :cool:

If anyone is interested, drop me an email, or PM.

[email protected]

Details of lesson coming tomorrow.... I'm off for some dinner and a kip :D

[TheKentishFledgling]

I'm off for some dinner

Noodles is it AB? ;) ;)

tKF

[LowNSlow]

Welcome to the world of taildragging AB :D Ain't it loads of fun ;)

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

formationfoto wrote:
----------
Finally AB how about refining your post into an article for PILOT?. Surely this is just the sort of enthusiasm and descriptive prose our aviation magazine need (see the Bob Grinstead article on flying the two seat Spitfire in the current issue).
----------

I did one some years back in 'Pilot'. An updated version is about to appear in another mag!

SSD

[AerBabe]

My second day flying the Chipmunk got off to a much better start. As I got to within a few miles of Hus Bos I could see gliders circling above me, like a shoal of white fish, occasionally splitting up to let the shark-like tugs come flying through. There was a 300km junior gliding competition taking place, and they were getting everyone airborne ready for the start.

John was still out tugging, so I bought some lunch and sat outside in the sun to read a couple of taildragging books, and enjoy the atmosphere. The reading never got done, because I ended up chatting to the guy I was sharing the bench with. He was the weather forecaster for the gliding club, and was rather pleased with himself at having chosen such a nice day! He was muttering about the cirrus though, which was starting to appear in the West, saying that it would reduce the thermals.

Finally we heard the gliders start to call out their start times, and soon after John appeared, so I joined him in the club house for a brief. Things made much more sense this time round, and I was even able to ask some sensible questions!

The Chipmunk had been out flying all morning, so the pre-flight check was a lot quicker than last time. It was a very steep learning curve, with John making a point of saying nothing as I did the walk round, and then the internal checks. It was surprising how much I could remember, but it still seemed to take a long time. There were the usual mutterings of “It’s getting dark” from the back… but you learn to ignore that! Finally I was ready to start up, but pressing the starter button did absolutely nothing. I read down the checks again and decided that although I didn’t have a ground crewman to call “Breech inserted” I should still be able to start the engine. Then I realised that although the checklist said to make sure the rear switches were on, there was nothing about the front switches… At least it was nothing sinister!

Taxiing was a lot more of an obstacle course, with more Chipmunks, a Polish tug aircraft of some sort, and numerous gliders, and SLMGs spotted around. But I found controlling the aircraft much more natural, and managed not to hit anything. Most people had gone in for lunch, so there was no traffic to avoid on the strip itself.

The take off went almost perfectly! I was a lot more confident on the throttle, and the accompanying rudder input kept me almost dead straight. I pushed the stick forward just before I was told, and got us flying without any fuss. How satisfying to get up and away from the airfield with no vocal or physical inputs from John, and on my first take off of the day! We flew northwest towards Bruntingthorpe, away from where most of the gliding was taking place, and climbed to 2000 ft.

Although it was a glorious, almost cloud-less day, the horizon was blurred with haze. So it was back to using patches of cloud… and Corby… as markers. How romantic. Corby of all places! I started off with two normal 360 degree turns – 20 degrees of bank, one to the right, and one to the left. Then we did steeper turns, first at 45 degrees, and then 60 degrees of bank. I lost no height, and kept the ball in the middle (and it wasn’t stuck), so then we moved on to rolling the aeroplane, coordinating rudder and aileron input to keep Corby on the nose. We built up to steeper and steeper rolls, then the same, but allowing the nose to move 20 degrees to the right, then 20 degrees to the left. Next it was onto something which reminded me of emergency stops during driving lessons… aircraft avoidance! “Okay, when I say ‘now’ I want you to imagine there’s an aircraft coming straight towards you”. Fortunately I remembered air law correctly, and turned to the right. John wasn’t happy with a turn though… he wanted action! So the next time I did a nice steep turn, with lots of rudder of course, but he still wasn’t happy! “I’ll demonstrate” and suddenly we were on our side, and he had turned about 90 degrees in a blink! “Right” I said. “Ready… NOW”, so I slammed the stick to the right, stuck in a boot full of rudder, and round we went. “Perfect!” Ah, what a joy this machine is to fly!

Now it was time to try climbing and staying on heading. I selected a cloud, hoped that it wouldn’t move too much, and put in full power. And without seeming to do anything I kept us exactly on course! Then we did the same, but with no rudder, and we turned about 90 degrees for every 500 ft we climbed. Then we took the power off, and descended, again using rudder to keep heading. I was rather pleased that I was using rudder input without really thinking about it.

We were now at 3500ft, so it was time to try some stalling. Power off, carb heat on, nose up, wait for what feels like ages, and finally we feel really clear buffet. Gently push the stick forward, and instantly we’re flying again. Then climb back up for stall recovery with power. Again, a nice clear buffet, the aircraft responding immediately to rudder input to keep the wings level, and then flying the second the throttle is moved. To end we did some high speed stalling, flying steep turns, but without adding power.

Next it was time to head back down for some circuits, but we knew Hus Bos was likely to be busy. John called up Bruntingthorpe, and they cleared us to use their grass strip. Not exactly standard R/T with John saying “All right mate, it’s John in the blue Chipmunk”

We were now at 2000 ft in their overhead, and John wanted me to do a PFL onto the field. So off with the throttle, on with carb heat, trim for 70 kt, and try desperately to remember where to be at what height! Fortunately the Chipmunk glides surprisingly well, which meant that I had lots of time to position myself. The approach was spot on, but I’d forgotten to account for the cross wind, and closed in on the field. John told me to go round, rather than weave around to lose height. He wasn’t testing my PFLs, just showing me how well the Chippie glides. So back up to 1000 ft, and this time a normal approach. It was only on final that I realised how narrow normal strips are, and although my land landings at Hus Bos hadn’t taken up too much width, my take offs certainly had! No time to worry about that now though, I had to concentrate on getting the landing right. John talked me through from the flare, and I remembered most of it from my last lesson. We bounced once, but I managed to avoid veering off to one side as we touched down… keeping the stick back while I felt for the brake and gently brought us to a stop. Phew!

Now was the real test. The grass strip was 800 m long, but very narrow… and all my take offs, apart from the last, had ended up being 20 degrees to the right of where they started. At least I had John in the back to keep us alive! We lined up, I took a deep breath, and then pushed the throttle fully forward. I used a little more left rudder than usual, and we didn’t hit anything! Again I took off a lot earlier than I had during my last lesson, but it worked. We built speed close to the ground, and then climbed away, still a little to the right, but it was coming together nicely! We did one more circuit, and on this one I greased the landing. We felt the two bumps of first the main wheels, and then the tailwheel touching down. How proud was I? I still had to take off again though. But again I kept over the strip, managed to correct for the drift to the right as we lifted, and then climbed away with a huge sigh of relief.

Hus Bos seemed fairly quiet when we got back, but as we turned base a glider appeared right in front of us, and we had to orbit while he landed. We heard another call final, soorbited again. Then another called to say he was just minutes away, so John quickly lined us up on final, and talked me through the approach and landing. We had cleared the runway and turned round just in time to see the glider land in front of us. What a great view!

Then we refuelled the Chipmunk, and ourselves, and debriefed. John had been really pleased with my progress (although not nearly as pleased as I was), and was keen for me to do two more circuits. He’s the boss, so back out we headed. This was a big mistake. Everyone knows that you should quit while you’re winning. None of this consolidation rubbish, just stop, go home, and fly again another day. My first, and second landings were absolutely awful. Worse than the first time I had tried to land the Chipmunk. John must have thought he was on some kind of manic flying seesaw as we did bigger and bigger bounces down the field. How frustrating! I’d done two spot on landings at Bruntingthorpe with John sitting quietly in the back. Why couldn’t I do it now? I wasn’t going to stop on a bad one, so back out we went. This time we tried approaching a few knots slower, and it was fine again! Wanting to prove this wasn’t just luck I opted for another circuit, and, thankfully, this time everything came together. Time to definitely call it a day!

Overall I was really pleased with how quickly I’m making progress. John was sitting quietly for most of the flight, only making the odd noise “To show you I’m not asleep”. I was downhearted about the two bad landings at Hus Bos, but John said that was pretty silly, considering I have only been doing this for just over 3 and a half hours now. Mind you, I think I’ll make sure I read the books before my next lesson…!

[stiknruda]

Keep it up A!

FF is right - put this together for a mag contribution - it might even fund your Chippie conversion.

luv

Stik

ps - 2 beasties in my hangar for you to play with, when you coming over?

[AerBabe]

I did actually re-write the first part of this to send off to someone. John read it through and seemed happy with it, so I made him pose for lots of photographs yesterday.
Just need to pluck up the courage to send it off now...

Could come over and play at the end of the month. Gonna be pretty busy until then spending as much of my boss's money as possible :) 29th sept on I'm yours though. Let me know when suits!

[Circuit Basher]

Aerbabe - EXCELLENT thread :D :D

I'm with FFF on this: Keep it up and make an article out of it!

PS Spent around 3.5hrs of my early PPL fighting to get competent with a Chippy, so know what it feels like! Also spent many happy hours in the back of RAF Chippies doing aeros, so know the fun side as well!

Enjoy and don't get put off every time you hit a wall in your training - just go back for more!:D :D

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

AerBabe - worry not about the apparent inability to land occasionally, when at other times you grease it on. I well remember going through that stage myself in my early Chippying days.

One day at Hawarden each landing seemed worse than the one before. Then I did one that was so smooth I didn't know I'd landed until it became obvious from the attitude and low speed that we must be on the ground. But the next was teeth-rattler, just to show me who was *really* in charge!

And get your instructor to demonstrate some aeros - the Chippy does lovely barrel rolls and loops - very graceful.

Do you know the test for how 'firm' an arrival was in a Chippy? Look at the oleos after the landing - you can see how far they compressed from the oil traces ;~)

I love our Chippy, but even after 23 years flying that wonderful machine, I still get the odd bouncy- bouncy occasionally ;~)

SSD

[Whirlybird]

Aerbabe,

I'd be inclined to wait till you've finished the conversion before sending in an article. Not that I know, you understand.

Sounds like heaps and heaps of fun though. I wanna do a taildragger conversion! Now, after I finish the microlight conversion, and finish my helicopter instructors course, and...

[AerBabe]

Thing is Whirly that just the first day's flying ended up being 2000 words... :D
SSD - I was going to do some aeros on Sunday, but I was getting really tired. We did a wing over, to get our fix, but loops, barrel rolls etc etc will have to wait until next time :(

[AerBabe]

Ooh, I'm so excited! I've finally booked some more lessons (been a bit short of cash in the last year) and am getting back into the lovely chippy on Sunday morning. :ok:

I'm also a bit nervous, as I've hardly done any flying since last September. I hope I can remember what to do. :{

[MLS-12D]

Have fun!!!:D

When taxiing, don't worry if you are 'all over the runway' at first ... that's not uncommon when you have been away from tailwheel airplanes for a long time. It should quickly come back to you.

[stiknruda]

Aerbabe - isn't it worth telling everyone exactly why you are "getting back to speed" with an aerobatic taildragger?

Stik

[formationfoto]

AB

And now my Chipmunk is back in the air the offer of some chippy time in Norfolk still stands (and maybe Stik can offer something slower and something faster!).

SSD - I guess I have worked out the identity properly - thanks for your assistance with the ceremony at Liverpool last weekend. Greatly appreciated.

[AerBabe]

Stik - I'm shy :( and I might not get much further with 'it'

FF - Thanks very much for the offer. I'll be taking some time off around October, so will let you know!

[Tim Inder]

Quick question to Stik'n'ruda and Formationfoto- I was passing Northrepps last summer, while househunting and noticed a chippie parked by the 'control tower' I think it may have had a shark's mouth painted on it - it wasn't either of yours by any chance?

[stiknruda]

Tim,

I can safely say that it wasn't FF's, I don't possess a Chippie but have had good access to one without any strange aquatic leanings in the past.

Will be at Northrepps sometime over this w/e - to pick up some candidates for more crustacean annihilation. Will be in something very slow and very yellow!

Stik

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

formationfoto

It was a pleasure! I wish I'd had my camera with me - your Chippy floating just a few feet away from our's against the backdrop of the estuary would have made a super picture (I don't suppose by any chance you guys got a pic of our Chippy in flight?).

I'm glad Keith's formation flying was as good as he said it would be - I've never been that close to two other aeroplanes in flight before. And I thought the guy leading our formation in the Partenavia did a splendid job as well.

It was also very good of the boys and girls at John Lennon to lend us the airfield for the ceremony, allbeit during a lull in IFR traffic.

Aer Babe

Enjoy!! And tell us how it went.


SSD

[Juliet Papa]

Aerbabe - excellent thread. Intrigued as to what *it* is though!

So a question for you - where do you fly a Chippy from? Not Goodwood is it?

And a question for you, SSD and all the other Chippy fans here. How realistic would it be for a first share in a plane? I've no taildragger experience, and would, of course, do my rating and plenty of conversion. I guess what I'm asking is not so much about the flying side - the general concensus seems to be that they're sweeet , but more about what to look for in a potential group plane - any weak spots/maintenance nightmares etc. Your collective wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,

Jason

[AerBabe]

*It* is just something I've got in the pipeline, but not really wanting to jinx it, would rather not mention anything myself here! You'll find out soon enough if *it* works out! Intrigued? Me too now! :p

No, I don't fly the chippy from Goodwood, but from Husbands Bosworth, as it says in the first paragraph of my first post.....

No idea about the maintenance of a chippy, but they're a baby to fly. Honest! Although I'm feeling a bit nervous about getting back into one, that's just general lack of flying. It will sharpen up your flying skills nicely, without turning round and biting you on the bum.

AB

[Evo]

Is there a Chippy for hire at Goodwood? I've seen several flying and one of them seems to do a lot of circuits...

[Airbedane]

AB

Nice thread - I progressed from C150's at Baginton to the mighty Chipmunk on London UAS at White Waltham some 30 yrs ago. I remember the skittishness on the ground, but luckily, I haven't groundlooped one......yet! The Chippy is certainly a wonderful machine to fly. It has the best control harmony I've every had the pleasure of flying, although the Fouga Magister comes a close second.

Regarding carb heat, keep it on at all times unless you need more power, then put it off only for the time you need the power, then apply it again. That way, you shouldn't be troubled with carb ice.

The RAF published a superb training guide for the aircraft in c1970. If you can get hold of a copy, it's well worth a look - it may also help with your conversion. If you can't find one and would like a photocopy, let me know,

A

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

JP

The Chippy was my first group aeroplane, and other than the Yak 52, my only such. I converted onto it immediately after obtaining my PPL in 1979 and it really wasn't a problem.

If it hadn't been for a wise CFI who sourced the aeroplane for a bunch of us new PPLs to fly, I'm sure I'd have given up flying within a few months. Any more than that in spamcans and I'd have been far too bored to keep paying the money for flying.

The Chippy opened my eyes to aeroplanes could really be like - fun to fly!

As to maintenance etc, it's not a straightforward aeroplane. It's military and built to far higher standards than a civilian light plane - but it wasn't designed for easy maintenance. And some parts are getting rare and therefore expensive. Also, there are loads of ADs that have to have been done. But any well organised group will have all that sorted.

Once you've flown one nothing else will do.

SSD

[BeauMan]

AB - What a fabulous thread! And what a brilliant account of your Chippy flying exploits last year! I can't believe this is the first time I've read it all.

I remember being back seat in various AEF Chippies throughout the eighties, and I'm still head over heels in love with the little darlings. Definately my next target after I finally get my PPL requalified - just got to decipher :mad: LASORS to see EXACTLY what it is that I've got to do. Apparently I'm a bit of a special case... :hmm:

Anyway, best of British on Sunday morning, I'm sure you'll be fine. :ok:

[BlueRobin]

How is Kegbuster anyway? Was at Hus Bos recently with Poet, Irv etc but didn't see him about.

[stiknruda]

Aerbabe - worry not, will not spill :ugh: the beans.

If you want some help in prep (gnd or air) give me a bell. Might have something useful airworthy in the next few weeks that you can play with.

If I don't, can possibly point you to someone with a very similar contraption to the one that you are obliged to play with!

Yours in(ad)vertedly,

Stik:D

[Warped Factor]

Juliet Papa,

Check your PM's.

WF.

[formationfoto]

SSD

Sadly not - we should have put a camera in the Partenavia but left it on the ground with some inexperienced camera operators. I guess minds were elsewhere.

Pass on my thanks to Keith as well please.

If you fancy a flight down to Norfolk to get the two chiipys together again we can certainly do some more air to air.

The guys at LPL were great and although a slight lull in IFR traffic the ATC were still excellent in giving us priority.

Must mention the guys at Ravenair as well - they co-ordinated the permissions. Thanks Wayne.

[AerBabe]

BlueRobin - Haven't heard from KegB for a while... will pass on your regards if I see him tomorrow.

Stik - Thanks very much for the offer, but I doubt I'll have enough time to make the journey into the wilds of Norfolk before *it*. You'll probably be getting a few panicky emails though - you have been warned!

Meanwhile, does anyone know if one can fit floats to a chippy? :ugh: It's been raining a tad here...

Ooh, I'm all excited. I'm going to go and polish my headset and iron my HV vest!

[bletchleytugie]

Aerbabe, presumably your flying a proper Chipmunk with a Gypsy unlike our Lycoming versions at Bicester - having flown both I can report that they are equally enjoyable.


I can relate your Chipmunk conversion to my conversion to the Auster from a Cessna 152.

Did your Chipmunk go Belguim for a Fly in at Brasschat recently?



Bletchleytuggie

[pilotwolf]

..sat here flight planning for tomorrow's fling wing expedition... eagerly awaiting the PIPREP from PPRUNE's favourite 'babe'....

PW

PS. I know Im biased so don't bother contesting it! I m 6'3 and built like the proverbial outside toilet!!!

[FlyingForFun]

Proverbial outside toilet or not, I'm surprised you didn't know that she's having problems getting onto the Internet at the moment ;) - or at least she was when I saw her yesterday shortly after she'd been flying.

I'm sure there'll be a PIREP as soon as AerBabe gets back on line - but the short version is Yes she did go flying, and hopes to be ready to solo the Chipmunk very shortly, weather-permitting...

FFF
-------------

[AerBabe]

As I hinted in my previous post, it's been raining a bit in Warwickshire, but fortunately the field at HusBos is well drained, and the weather was much better yesterday. The day didn't start off too well though, as I couldn't get hold of my instructor to check he was still good to go. I eventually tracked down his home number, with a little help from PW (sorry for waking you up so early after your late shift :O ) and he admitted to having slept in. We agreed to meet at the field at 11 am, and I was pleasantly surprised when he turned up only 15 minutes late.... Not at all bad by John's standards. Excellent instructor he may be, but famous for not turning up for lessons because he's forgotten, and gone flying somewhere.

First things first, we went to the hangar to pre-flight the aircraft. There were three chippies tightly packed in, and his was at the back. Neither of us wanted to wriggle her out and find she wasn't fit to fly. As we checked her over John asked me when I last flew with him. He went very quiet, and found an interesting rivet when I said "Last September". When I said I'd done less than 7 hours P1 time since, he just said "Ah".

The check showed no problems, so we manouevred her out of the hangar into the sunshine. We then found out there was a national gliding competition at the field, and they were all due to launch in the next half hour. We went for tea.

Once all the gliders were away and the field had got quieter, we ventured back outside. We had the usual rigmarole of getting the right combination of cushions so I could see, and the right combination of headsets so we could hear each other. Then moving the rudder pedals forward so I could actually reach them.

Finally we were ready to start the engine. It took a stupidly long time to do the checks. Some of the switches had different names, some weren't used, I couldn't remember where any of them were anyway, and most of the labels had worn off.

Once she was running, we taxied fairly directly behind the rows of gliders, towards the top of the field. It wasn't my aimless meandering of my very first lesson, but it wasn't exactly tidy. There were some tug aircraft coming back to land, so we finished our checks while we waited. Then, the quick dash across the field ready to line up and wait for a gap in traffic.

It all felt fairly familiar and comfortable. Perhaps like trying on a favourite pair of shoes, but not quite remembering how to do them up, or how to walk in them without falling over.

My first take off surprised both of us I think (in a pleasant way). I managed to keep fairly straight, didn't need too much prompting of what to do with the stick when, and didn't hit anything. Flaps away at 100', then set a steady 65 kt climb out. All turns were made fairly steep, so as to make ourselves as visible as possible to any gliders.

John wanted to start with some upper air work, to make sure I could still remember what to do with the foot rests. We used Bruntingthorpe as a reference point, and did some 360' turns. Then John had me make 6 x 60 degree turns to the left, and 6 to the right. Stick and rudder were then nicely under control.

John said I still didn't look relaxed, so decided to do a couple of loops to give me my confidence back. However, it's not very confidence-inducing when the engine cuts out and you're upside down. Still, he was right, it fired up again on the way down.

Finally we went back to the field for circuits. Our first two circuits were at 1000', keeping things fairly slow so I could remember what I was doing. Because it's been so long since I last flew regularly, even downwind checks needed thought. My first landing wasn't too bad, but I wasn't quite sure why! John had talked me through it, but I wasn't sure why it had worked. My second one was awful. The approach was fine, and I thought I had it sorted. The flare was good, but then I wouldn't let the aircraft continue descending. John added some power just in time to stop us landing too hard.

The workload was higher than it should have been, due to returning gliders in the circuit. It was also fairly hot. John asked me if I wanted to continue, or take a break for a while if I was tired. I decided to try another circuit, and hoped it was the right decision.

This time we made it a tug circuit, at 500'. This meant there wasn't much time to worry about the landing before getting there. This time it all came together again, I greased the landing, kept it straight, and remembered to brake to keep the landing roll short. Yes! I'm not incapable!!!

John was keen for me to go back and do another one now, so we went back for another low level circuit. However, a glider landed just before us, meaning I had to land between its wing tip and the fence. It looked a lot narrower than it really was, but it didn't affect my landing. Again it was a smooth touch down, but I almost lost it in the roll. Fortunately, I managed to catch it before we ground looped.

Time for one more circuit before it got really busy with gliders. However, there were a couple more on the field by the time we got onto final, leaving us a gap between three gliders on one side, and a whole row of them on the other. I don't mind crashing into a fence, but 30 people and some gliders is a different matter. Again I handled it okay, landed without hitting anything, and prevented a developing groundloop by adding some brake to increase rudder authority.

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

[Tim Inder]

Aerbabe,
Having just read the thread on Solo Flying, am I correct in deducing that the *it* that you're going to do soon is an aerobatics competition?

If so, good luck! :ok: and what are you doing it in?

[paulo]

False alarm. I've just checked the entries and there's no "A. Pugwash" or "A. Birdseye" or whatever listed. ;)

[AerBabe]

Oops, apologies for posting and not answering...

Airbedane - I've not come across the RAF guide, although I know someone who might be able to get hold of it. If not, I'd very much appreciate a photocopy; I'll let you know.

BeauMan - Thank you very much for the kind words! I know I'm priviledged to be able to fly the Chipmunk, and if I can share some of that through writing it all down here, then I'm glad. Just be greatful I'm not able to waffle on in person. :O

BletchleyTugie - I went to sixth form college there! Affirm, a proper Chippie with a Gypsy Major engine. Absolutely no idea whether it went to Belgium recently. I know 'John' has no aversion to flying it abroad, but whether he has done in the recent past... sorry, not a clue.

Pilotwolf - Why do I suddenly have the urge to buy shares in outside toilets? Although I'm also rather biased. :O

Tim Inder - Yes, it's an aerobatics competition... but not as you know it. And it's in a Cap10b. So a tailwheel conversion will prove fairly handy.

Paulo - You know full well my surname isn't either of those. Nor is it Underpants. Despite the rumours.

[pilotwolf]

FFF Thanks! Iwas fully aware of lack of internet access.... I do actually talk to my girlfriend on the odd occassion...

Wonders of Modern Technology (http://www1.carphonewarehouse.com/commerce/servlet/gben-Home)

[AerBabe]

We had made a loose plan to fly again this evening, but the weather has been marginal all day. With an impending 'first' solo I'd rather not get caught out with low cloud and rain showers. So have decided to postpone until tomorrow.

And now I'm getting worried. :uhoh:

I'm happy enough with the take off, climb out, downwind bits, and the landing (ish), but the final approach has me a bit confused. Could someone who flies these things regularly please post, or PM me, with an outline of the way they do it?

This is worse than my real first solo, as now I'm more aware of the multitude of horrible things that can go wrong if I mess up. Obviously I know that my instructor won't let me loose on my own if he's not 110% confident in me, but I would rather be confident in me too. And the Chipmunk's not quite as forgiving as the C152 or PA28...

Help? :O :{

[Aerobatic Flyer]

AerBabe

Haven't flown a Chipmunk since I was in the Air Cadets (the hours I wasted dressing up in a uniform just so I could get the occasional flight...!!!), so I can't offer any practical advice.

But on the psychological side, everyone who's converted to taildraggers has been through the same "worried" phase! I couldn't believe it when I was sent solo - didn't the instructor realise that I was just having a lucky day, and that really I didn't have any clue how to land? He had much more confidence in me than I did!

It turned out that he was right! Soloing a taildragger was almost as good as my first solo, and I'm sure it will be for you too. If he says you can do it, believe him and do it before he changes his mind!

[AerBabe]

Oh, and the Chippie is based at a gliding field where the runway's unmarked. My first solo was at Coventry, with miles of tarmac, and lots of emergency services... :ugh:
And it's a tug circuit - quick and low - rather than a safe, 1000', wide, lots of time one...

[AerBabe]

The weather couldn't have been better on Saturday. Actually it could. It could have been less hot.

John was working to his usual timetable, and was airborne with a student on an IMC lesson from Coventry when he should have been meeting me at HusBos for tailwheel! Still, it gave me time to do some spotting at Air Atlantique's open day. A reminder of why I want to fly aeroplanes with the wheel at the right end.

When we met up at HusBos the first thing was to decide where to go. There was a big gliding competition on, so doing circuits there wasn't really an option. John phoned Bruntingthorpe, but they had some kind of open day and said they'd rather we didn't go there either. So John suggested we fly a farmstrip route instead. He's been flying round this area for years and knows everyone, so circled about 7 fields on my chart and said we'd worry about the rest once in the air.

He suggested I take off from the peri track this time. This involved taxiing up the track to where the gliders were queuing to launch, spinning round, and trying to get airborn before hitting the trailers. Oh, and watching out for cars/people/dogs etc etc coming the other way on the track. The take off wasn't too bad though - I managed to keep on the tarmac, and not hit anything.

Once we were up I discovered a small problem. Navigation. The compass is one of those big ones in the floor. The type that requires you undo the harness, fold in half, have a torch in your mouth to read the dial ... and whenever you change heading you have to adjust it again. And the compass on the canopy definitely needed swinging. Not only that, but there's not much room for a map. Still, John knew where he was going, and he made it clear it wasn't a navigation exercise. I kept half an eye on the map, and let him give me directions.

How do you spot a grass strip? You look for a long straight mowed area... right? Wrong. As I was about to find out.

Our first stop was Stoke Golding, which has recently been bought by two members of our flying group. Unfortunately the grass over the whole field is about the same length, the hangar is in the trees, and the lack of wind meant the windsock was nearly impossible to spot. John decided to make it easy for me to see by beating up the airfield and turning the aircraft on its side to improve our field of view.

Stoke Golding has an interesting approach. There are low voltage power lines first, then a hedge and ditch. John told me to aim for the hedge, then flare over it to give us plenty of room to stop. I almost managed it, but chickened out a bit and landed a bit far up. I kept it straight, but the hedge at the far end was getting quite large. John slowed us quickly with alternating rudder and lots of brake, then spun us round to show me short distance left.

He said that landing wasn't a problem, but taking off was, as you needed to leave yourself plenty of room to stop, should anything go wrong. We taxiied back to the far end, taking care not to drop the tailwheel in the ditch, then took off. As we got airborne I was glad we hadn't had to stop...

Next we flew over to Baxterly. Another unusual strip as it has a bend in it. Again John wasn't sure I was looking at the right place, but I think it was just an excuse to fly low and fast. The approach is much easier than Stoke Golding, but there are tall trees on either side of the first bit of the strip, and they are scarily close to the wingtips.

I felt surprisingly calm as we flew in. I think I knew deep down that John would say something if the foliage got too close, so just concentrated on keeping the aircraft straight. Even the bend in the runway wasn't a problem, as the chippie wants to turn right on the ground anyway, so I just let it.

We had a bit of a reception when we landed, as two of John's friends were working on their aircraft there and came over to say hello. Unfortunately, our 10 minute break turned into 35, and John's next student was waiting. We strapped back in, waited for the horse to clear the runway (I don't remember what the AirLaw book said about who has priority in that situation!) and taxiied round the corner. Again, the bend caused me no problems, but the trees just off each wingtip made me nervous.

There wasn't much time left, so we made a quick stop at Stoke Golding, this time with John refusing to say anything (one of the first indicators he's getting ready to leave me to it), and I made a great landing! I felt like I knew what I was doing, and even all the obstacles weren't a problem, having previously landed between two rows of trees.

We took off again, and climbed to 2000' for a PFL onto a strip called Claybrook, owned by another member of our flying group. Again he refused to say anything, only speaking up to remind me to warm the engine. The Chippie glides surprisingly well, which made it more difficult to judge the approach. However, it all came together fine, so maybe I'm getting the hang of this flying malarky!

As we got to about 100' and all was looking great, John asked me if I wanted to do a touch and go, or just leave it there. I said I'd rather leave it, rather than risk spoiling a great PFL with a bad landing. But then my brain seized up, and I couldn't remember what I needed to do to climb again. As we drifted down John asked me whether I'd changed my mind. I said "No, I just can't remember what to do". He said "Throttle!" which I applied just as the wheel gently touched down... I couldn't have timed it better had I tried!

We got back to HusBos as the gliders were starting to return, so flew a tug circuit to land, keeping to one side of the airfield. Once again, John kept quiet, and I made a good landing.

I think he might send me solo next time. :uhoh:

[Lowtimer]

Well done. Wait for the flight when everything that can go wrong does - at your instructor's behest. That will be the time when he thinks you;re about ready to solo.

He sounds like a good bloke. The strip training is worth its weight in gold, to get it as part of your tailwheel conversion is icing on the cake.

[GuinnessQueen]

I also did the farm strips trip with John, great fun, but hard work and tiring! The one at Baxterly got me, power cables and trees on the approach, bend in the runway and aim for the gap in the trees on the way out! What amused me more was that the field next door was long, straight, flat and (almost) tree-less!!!

Went up and did some aeros on Saturday evening, loads of fun, but then spent 3 hours on Sunday morning trying to wash the oil off. But it's now Tuesday and I'm still grinning so it must have been worth it!!

GQ

[AerBabe]

Aha, so he did manage to make it back to give you a lesson before dark then! :D He needs a day per person, not four people in a day. :ugh:

Aerobatic Flyer - Thanks for the psychological advice! As was pointed out to me yesterday, I'm not just learning how to fly a taildragger, I'm learning how to fly again too.

Lowtimer - You're right, he is a good bloke. He's definitely someone I can learn a lot from, and hopefully I'll find a job soon that will pay for me to do so!

[Juliet Papa]

So all in all, would you 'Chippyphiles' say it's a good taildragger to get your tailwheel rating on? I'm looking at the moment - and the local school has a Chippy for conversions and a lovely Stampe for the more advanced stuff. The Chippy is a bit pricey compared to some (£140 p/h dual) but I am sorely tempted... not only is it a nice plane, they seem nice people and then there's the convenience etc. etc.

(Any other suggestions for getting tailwheel conversions near EGKA please let me know!!)

Cheers

Jason

[AerBabe]

Yes. Do you really need to ask?! :D


Although I suppose it depends on what you intend to fly once you have finished the conversion. I would recommend that anyone try and spend at least a few hours flying one though, if only for the experience. They really are lovely aeroplanes... Don't get me started. :O

[paulo]

AB - As a recommendation, do mean 'draggers' or the chippie?

[Circuit Basher]

AerBabe - I'm seriously tempted by a Chippy that's for sale up here at the moment - £20k with all ADs up to date. The only trouble is that rumour control suggests that it's going to need the engine replaced / zero timed before too long. I'd dearly love to own a piece of flying history (heart speaking), but realise that I might just as well kiss goodbye to my wallet, as I won't be needing it - it will always be empty (mind speaking)! I also don't have £20k to spare without adjusting the mortgage!

Just as a joke - is there anyone out there who can put a number of zeros on the cost of rebuilding a Gipsy Major?? Alternately, (sacrilege, I know), I'm sure I've seen Chippies around with Lycoming conversions. Are there any that would fit within a Gipsy profile, or would it mean a nose job?? ;)

[Lowtimer]

JP,
The Chipmunk is an excellent aeroplane to lead tailwheel with, and £140 an hour does is not a bad price at all. It is an expensive aeroplane to run, especially on a transport category C of A, in which case you do not get a lot of engine life (I think it's only 1000 hrs TBO) and this makes the hourly cost expensive in a commercial operation. Only thing I'd add is that it's a really good idea also to get in some good dual instruction on a type with a less forgiving, narrower track, bouncier undercarriage, e.g. a Super Cub, of which there are quite a few around to choose from. And at some stage I would heartily recommend that you get checked out so that you can fly comfortably and safely from the back seat of the Chipmunk as this then simulates the lack of straight-ahead vision that you get in lots of tailwheel aeroplanes (The Chippy, Super Cub and various Champ derivatives while all frequently used for tailwheel training all give a much better view ahead than most tailwheelers, and you will find the experience of something more "blind" stands you in good stead if you ever have the chance to try other types, e.g. various Permit single-seaters)

CB,
If I were rich enough to afford my own Gipsy-Major powered aeroplane, I would want it to have an engine rebuilt by Vintech at Little Gransden. A quick Google search will get you contact details. I am sure they will be able to give you a ballpark figure. But it ain't cheap. I have around £25K in my mind, but may well be wrong so I suggest you give them a tinkle.

[stiknruda]

CB - last UK quote I had was £18k and not by Vintech, however had a quote for £8k but the engine would need to go to RSA.

Stik

[proplover]

AerBabe, just read through your postings on Chippy Flying, excellent :ok: and very realistic. I was fortunate to know a local chap who after I'd helped him out with his paperwork problems agreed to let me have 10hrs duel with him in his Chippy. I was bowled over as I only had 55 hrs in Tomahawks and TB9\10's! As you, and many others have discovered the Chippy is a fantastic aircraft to fly. Likewise you've also found out that on the ground it can be like a motorised Asda trolly. They say that with taildraggers that pilots have either ground looped or will ground loop!!:\
I found that on grass they are reasonable to control but you have to be 'super' alert to drifting on tarmac runways when landing with crosswinds. You have to 'fly' the aircraft from the moment you start up to the moment you park up and switch off, if you don't then the Chippy has a way of catching you especially when you think you've just mastered her.
I loved it so much that after my 10 hrs I was offered a share in the aircraft - :ok: My first solo was heaven!!! Right up with my PPL solo, QXC and GFT. There are just 3 of us using the aircraft so access is usually very good.
The aircraft is not an ideal tourer but if you dont mind the slightly cramped cockpits, nowhere to put anything, compass between your shins, drafts through the canopy (more noticable in sub zero temps!) and limited range with 9gal tanks you'll be in love with them for ever.
The other posties are correct about costs, parts are getting difficult to obtain, I've recent experiance and engine rebuilds (from a good company) start at £18k usually with bits being extra.
Other bits like brakes, propellors, wheels all need to be allowed for.
Happy flying AerBabe and keep the posts going on your progress:D

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Aerbabe - have you got your approaches sorted? What problems are you having - the Chippy is quite straightforward on the approach - full flap and trimmed to 60 knots in normal conditions, not much power for a nicly steepish approach, with a touch of right rudder to keep the ball centred. Use stick for speed, power for glideslope control as is usual on light aircraft.

As you gain experience, you'll find slipping approaches are a delight, but because of the round-section fuselage the slip is not quite such an effective height-looser as it is in a slab-sided Cub. Holding full rudder needs a fair foot force as well, which is a bit out of character for this aeroplane where finesse and finger-tip pressures will usually acheive all you need.

I understand you are happy with the landing. The Chippy is quite an easy taildragger with its wide-spaced and damped undercarriage, but even after nearly a quarter of a century of regular Chippying I still do the odd bouncer!

Anything else you need advice on re this loveley machine, just post here or mail me.

SSD

[LowNSlow]

I had a chat with Mike Vaisey from Vintech recently and he was saying that Gipsy parts are getting increasingly hard to find, especially exhaust valves. Chippy exhaust valves (sodium cooled) are 220 quid plus VAT each, so 4 of those, the most basic bits of a top overhaul cost you a grand straight off. OUCH. Cylinders, pistons and rings are also getting scarce. Unless the CAA ease their attitude on replacement parts being manufactured by reputable companies not necessarily the original manufacturers, Tigers, Chippies, Austers etc operating on a C of A are going to be grounded in the not to distant future unless they are owned by millionaires......

Rant mode off, back to topic.

Budget a chunk of change for an overhaul, around the 15-20k mark depending on the condition of the engine to be overhauled.

[AerBabe]

SSD - I 'think' I have my approaches sorted. I certainly felt much more comfortable the last time I flew. Unfortunately, I'm not able to fly often enough to really feel at home... it's been 3 weeks now. I can't put my finger quite on what I'm having difficulty with. Probably just self-confidence. It's such a different machine to anything I've flown before... I'll probably be a lot happier once I've flown with cross winds, done wheel landings, side-slipping etc. And probably more frequent excursions would help me feel 'at one' with it!

Lesson tentatively booked for Friday afternoon....