Unlogging Time

Flying is an expensive hobby.  And unless you fly professionally, that's pretty much all there is to it.  There might be the odd occasion during which you can take the family on an extended cross-country trip, but the stars still have to be perfectly aligned for it to actually be cost effective compared to airline or ground travel.

But that's not why you fly.

So it goes with aviation here in Australia.  I'm not officially logging time, but that doesn't mean I can't be a part of the aviation community in other ways.  Not only is Australia a big part of aviation history, but the geography is perfect for flying - excellent weather, awesome scenery, water, islands, and rainforests are all the reason you need to fly here.

But for me to fly myself (comfortably and safely) I would want many more hours than I'm able to add.  So, as before, we're doing the next best thing:

I've only flown in a helicopter once before, many years ago.  Since earning my private pilot certificate, I've toyed with the idea of actually taking some lessons in rotorcraft, but if you think fixed wing is expensive, don't even think about it.

Nonetheless, if you're going to spend money on flying, it may as well be fun.  And this time, I was going to have company.  Both my wife and my mom (who was vacationing with us) were going to come along.  This is a big deal in our family.  My mom has been taking flying lessons, though has tapered off with other activities.  She's been my passenger on two flights.  My wife has also been a passenger, but for someone who is still a bit nervous in light planes, I was surprised - and excited - that she would be coming along.

We took a joy flight with Airwork Helicopters up the nearby coast and then inland toward the Glasshouse Mountains.  It was a bit breezy and the visibility was down a bit for some smoke in the air, but we had a great time.  As a fixed-wing pilot, it was also a unique experience to hover and watch the airspeed hang in low numbers that normally would lead to a stall.

Then, just a few days ago, another novel experience, courtesy of my wife's initiative and unfailing support of this crazy pastime.

 

This Tiger Moth is one of over 1,000 still flying in Australia.  Antique Airways is the local outfit that provides joy flights in this fabric biplane.  Again, I had toyed with the idea, but my wife gives me the push I need to just do it.  With flying comes a certain degree of guilt that we're just throwing money into the wind.  She gives me the permission to have fun with it.  To make sure of it, she even threw in aerobatics!

First off, flying in an open cockpit is not that much different than combining flying with motorcycle riding.  It's windy, noisy, and cold, and you spend as much time making sure you don't bend something as you do enjoying the trip.  But as a paying piece of cargo, there isn't a whole lot of worrying.  I could do just that - enjoy the ride.  On top of that, it was my first time in a taildragger (not tailwheel) and on a grass runway.

As sightseeing flights go, we couldn't have had a better day.  It had been windy the two days before, and there was some concern it would be a bit bumpy.  Not only was it smooth, but the air was crystal clear.  We could see for miles up and down the coast.

Then there was the aerobatics.

Near the end of the flight, which up to this point had been from 500-1,000 feet, we climbed up to about 3,000 feet.  I was a bit nervous.  In the past, even the slight negative-G and unusual attitude practices are a bit uncomfortable (as they should be if you are supposed to be in level flight).  Plus, I didn't really know what to expect.  Is it going to be like a roller coaster?  Like the aerobatics you see on TV?  Like the Blue Angels?

No.

At the speeds this plane flies, a full loop might get you to 3 Gs.  That would feel like a lot, but not more than a roller coaster, and if you've done as many steep turns as I have (which are just under 2 Gs) it's not much different.  Make no mistake, the experience is mind-opening.  Don't be afraid of becoming airsick or feeling anything too physically uncomfortable.  Even a few minutes of rapidly fluctuating Gs can get tiring though.  Mentally?  The horizon is not where it's supposed to be and it was tough to stay in pilot mode.  I remained the passenger.

We started with two loops, and by the end of the second one, I was already disoriented.  It doesn't help that in the front seat of the biplane, there isn't much forward visibility.  Nor are there any attitude instruments.  You're just watching the world change from ground to sky to ground to sky, right side up, upside down.  We supposedly did a cuban-8 or two, but I couldn't tell you they were any different.  I know we did a few rolls, but they were all muddled up with the other maneuvers.  Some of them could have been part of a half-cuban-8, but I was just along for the ride at that point.  We also did a hammerhead, which is fun, but you get a face full of engine exhaust as the plane rotates through its own wash.  It's a good thing there wasn't a test at the end.

But at the end of the day, this was an excellent way to experience aerobatic flight for the first time.  Low and slow, just a few basic maneuvers.  If I ever wanted to do proper aerobatic training in the future, I would feel much more comfortable with it.  On top of that, this being Australia, things are much more laid back.  I told my wife that in the U.S., I would have needed to wear a parachute.  She trumped that by pointing out that I had just taken an aerobatic flight, and neither one of us had signed a single piece of paper for anything.  We're going to miss that when we return home.